Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoy the long weekend.
I'll start with a quick update. I have arranged for proofreading with the same editor. Again, thanks, Jill for all your hard work. If everything goes as planned, the proofreading should be done by October 10th. This leaves me with just three days to review the manuscript and make any necessary changes. Still, I should be able to make it. With Scrivener easily converting to .mobi, I expect the e-book to go live as planned on October 13th. Formatting the print version will take longer, but I still aim to have it available during the same week. And, once it’s certain there are no more changes or corrections, the next step will be to start working on the audiobook.
Meanwhile, you might ask (and rightly so), if I only have six weeks to go, how come I haven't put the book on pre-order yet? The answer is simple: it's the title. Originally, I planned this novel to be a rom-com, hence the sarcastic title that plays on the words Gretna Green. However, I ended up with a story about a teenage couple struggling to find their place in a changing world. And, as it turns out, not many readers are even familiar with Gretna Green — many think it has something to do with a girl named Greta.
So I tried another title: "May You Remain Forever Young". It's the last line of the final song played at the hero's graduation ceremony, and it also hints at the young adult genre. I guess it wasn't such a good idea. I received quite a bit of negative feedback about the new title. To some, it reminds of the old Soviet song ("won't part with Komsomol, will remain forever young"), and to others, it strongly suggests a middle-aged man nostalgic for his high school days, longing for a romance that never was. Plus, after hours upon hours of editing the final scene, it’s no long the closing line. Now, Louise doesn't just come back silently. She mentions Gretna Green in her question, effectively bringing us back to the original title.
I'm still hesitant, though. We've all heard from our coaches that clear is better than clever. A title that's clear and points out the genre is better than wordplay that only a few readers can understand. On the other hand, what’s so clear about "The Fault in Our Stars," "The Sun Is Also a Star," or even "The Names They Gave Us"? (The books that different AI tools often suggest as my Tier 1-s.) I’ll see if I can come up with anything better. If not, I’ll go back to the old title: Gretna Can't Get Any Greener. And, once I have the title figured out, I can move on to arranging the cover design. That's also when I can finally put the book on pre-order and list it on allauthor.com :)
Cheers,
Leonard.