"Nothing is quite as fun as delving into an editor's comments." -- said by no author, apparently, except me.
Maybe I'm weird, but I like it when the editor comes back with a suggestion. Sure, it might rip my heart out in that second, but you know it's because they are trying to improve the work.
Until my editor came back with a shocking observation.
In typical 'feedback sandwich' language, she said some great things, some not so great things, and then some great things again. I thought I was safe, apart from that one, last, lingering bullet point:
"You could do with a better (and genre-driven) title."
Alt text for screen readers: dog happily panting and then turning it's head to say, "WHAT?"
A...better title? Than 'First Impressions'?
But you don't understaaaaand, my inner artist wailed. It's a perfect fit! It's about two people meeting for the first time! And their initial impressions! And how everyone else had formed impressions of them! Which were challenged! Because first impressions matter but only so much and ::devolves into spluttering::
Alt text for screen readers: a laughing saying, "You're so silly."
But. After a beer and thinking about it, it sunk in. She's right. I can do better.
And I have done better. After days of mixing up words, themes, names, prepositions, adjectives, verbs and indeed interjections of any significance; of going to name generators and frantically clicking; after hoarding and herding my selections into a 10-page document, sifting and testing and prying and poking...
Then sitting with it for a week, and letting it settle into my bones...
Ah. I think I have it.
The new title, and the exciting new cover, will be revealed to subscribers first on 30th April.
Alt text for screenreaders: see you there.