Why Would An Author Retitle Books? Here's My Story

For the first twentyish years I was writing and selling books, Harlequin was the publisher of all of my books. Then I moved on and started requesting that the rights to some of my books revert to me. I re-edited them, got new covers and republished them myself, but Harlequin and I had reached an agreement wherein they still retained the manga rights of some (not all) books, while I retained the English publishing rights. That meant when readers looked for the book under the original title, all they would see was the manga cover, so it looked as if the book was just a cartoon graphic novel. To find the other version, you had to click through. So, in the cases where Harlequin was/is still publishing a book in manga form, I've changed the titles, either slightly or completely. However, in the book description, I always note what the original title was. I hope that clears up any confusion and prevents people from accidentally buying a book of mine that they already own. 

Here are the pertinent books. If you click on the cover, it will take you to the Amazon version, although (of course) they are available at other booksellers, such as Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Smashwords, etc., or via the library (not sure about the manga versions, but I've enabled all of my republished books to be available in libraries). 

Then there are also the books that had originally been published one at a time (not as a series), but where the books and main characters were definitely related. The Wedding Auction, Wedding Auction 2, Secrets, and Sloane's Cove Twins books all meet that criteria. In those cases, the only change to the title was that I put the series name first to show that they were linked. The remainder of the titles (after the colon) are the same as the originals, except for Secrets: The Rebel's Return, which was originally titled The Scandalous Return of Jake Walker.

Lastly, there are two books where...well, I just disliked the original title (The Daddy List and Morning Beauty, Midnight Beast) so much that I decided to change them. Here they are below with the new titles (and most recent covers) and as they were originally published. Of course, the originals are still available as used paperbacks in various places on the internet.

So, those are the many reasons for my book title changes and, hopefully, as mentioned above, a way to clear up any confusion and make sure that no one accidentally buys the same book twice.

Have a wonderful day!

Myrna

Book Title Dilemma

About a week ago, I was informed that the rights to two of my books would be reverting to me. What that means is that I'm free to distribute them myself as ebooks or I can create new print versions or both. Either way, the books (both long out of print) will be available again in internet bookstores once I edit them, clean them up and republish them.

Here's my dilemma. I'm not overly fond of the titles of either of the books. I know that I'll do an edit and cleanup of both and I may (or may not) update them so that they're more current (bringing the technology up to date at the very least). I'll purchase new covers for both books, but...I can't decide whether I should retitle them or not.

One of them is currently called Morning Beauty, Midnight Beast and the other is Angel Eyes. Although they're both single title romances, the titles don't actually scream romance, in my opinion. But changing the titles means explaining in the books' online descriptions that these books have changed titles. I don't want to anger any readers who have already read the book and think they're getting something completely new. (Note: I did this with The Wish List, which was formerly titled The Daddy List and so far no one has complained, but I'm not sure I should make a habit of it).

It's a dilemma, but a happy one. I'm thrilled to be able to reissue the books and make them available again. Any thoughts on those old titles?

It's Christmas! Buy a Child (or Yourself) a Children's Book

I was discussing children's books with my niece the other day. It's a topic near and dear to my heart. When I was in college studying to be a teacher (before the writing bug bit me), one of the classes I had to take was Children's Literature. I think I read something like 140 books that quarter (okay, a lot of them were picture books, which made it doable). And I loved every minute. It was easily my favorite class.

Once I started teaching and then went on to raise my sons, I just kept reading children's books. I still do. Admittedly, I prefer middle school and young adult books to picture books, but even there I have my favorites. Here are a few of the best that have come my way. I apologize in advance if I've posted some of these before, but I didn't want to leave out my personal favorites.

The Dark is Rising is a Newbery Honor book and part of a wonderful 5-book series by Susan Cooper. Here's the description from the Amazon website:
On the Midwinter Day that is his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers a special gift -- that he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to keeping the world from domination by the forces of evil, the Dark. At once, he is plunged into a quest for the six magical Signs that will one day aid the Old Ones in the final battle between the Dark and the Light. And for the twelve days of Christmas, while the Dark is rising, life for Will is full of wonder, terror, and delight.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief blends mythology and modern day adventure. It, too, is part of a 5-book series. The author, Rick Riordan also has a couple of other series out. I eagerly await the release of each new book. 

Of course, Harry Potter is on the list. I'm not even going to include a cover for Harry. Everyone knows about him (but it wouldn't have felt right leaving him off). 

Then, too, there are the outdoor/adventure books by Gary Paulsen. I believe he has written more than 200 books, but the best known is Hatchet, a Newbery Honor book. Here is the description from the Amazon site:

ALONE

Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a tattered Windbreaker and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present -- and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart since his parent's divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self pity, or despair -- it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive. 
For twenty years Gary Paulsen's award-winning contemporary classic has been the survival story with which all others are compared. This new edition, with a reading group guide, will introduce a new generation of readers to this page-turning, heart-stopping adventure.

It's a wonderful and gripping tale. Don't miss it.

Suzanne Collins is best known for her Hunger Games trilogy, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but before that there was Gregor, the Overlander in the 5-book Underland Chronicles series. Here's the description:

In the first novel of the New York Times bestselling series by Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games, young Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building and hurtles into the dark Underland. This strange world is on the brink of war, and Gregor's arrival is no accident. A prophecy foretells that Gregor has a role to play in the Underland's uncertain future. Gregor wants no part of it -- until he realizes it's the only way to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance. Gregor embarks on a dangerous adventure that will change both him and the Underland forever.

And then there's Ella Enchanted, also a Newbery Honor book. 

How can a fairy's blessing be such a curse?

At her birth, Ella of Frell was given a foolish fairy's gift—the "gift" of obedience. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether it's hopping on one foot for a day or chopping off her own head!

But strong-willed Ella does not tamely accept her fate. She goes on a quest, encountering ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, fairy godmothers, and handsome princes, determined to break the curse—and live happily ever after.

That's a good beginning, but only a beginning because this post is already growing rather long. If you run across these books, pick them up and try them. They're just as much fun for grown ups as they are for young people. Do you have any favorites that you would have included?

Mary Balogh Novels and Christmas, a Perfect Match

Mary Balogh is one of my favorite novelists. She was breaking the rules in Regency romance and selling like hotcakes back when every writing workshop kept saying that you couldn't do what she was doing (write love scenes in a Regency). But her books also capture that wonderful romantic aura that has made this genre so special, and she has such a nice collection of Christmas novels that Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without them. I have all of her older books in print as well as many of her newer ones, but now and then I have to treat myself to an old favorite in digital form. Here's the one I just bought (love that cover)! It's a 2-in-1 of her shorter Christmas romances.

Happy Birthday, Pride and Prejudice!

200 years ago today a London newspaper announced the publication of Pride and Prejudice. And that single book set off a phenomenon that continues today with movies, book spin-offs, tours and clubs. 2013 will see a year-long celebration of all things Jane Austen (and I may do some special posts myself), but for today, I'll simply post this trailer from the 2005 movie and say, "Thank you, Jane Austen."

The List of Book Lists - Best of 2012

I think by now I've made it clear that I love book lists. Right now I have on my desk several folders consisting of old copies of QBP monthly fliers (from the time when I still received the physical flyer, not just the online links), a bunch of pages pulled from old Romantic Times magazines, lists from libraries, from various other magazines, and from the Internet. There are also some handwritten lists and scribbled notes cobbled together from all those times when someone mentioned a good book to me.

Source

Mind you, there is no way in the world I could ever find the time to read all the books in those lists unless I lived to be 3,000 years old (or thereabouts), but that doesn't stop me from making and collecting new lists. It's a sickness, I know, but a good one (IMO), because now and then I pull out one of those lists, read one of the books and find a gem.

So...even though I'm a bit late (we're already past the middle of January), here are some "best of" lists I found for 2012 (there will be some overlap, I'm sure). I hope you find at least one good book you'd like to read.

You may have already seen this. It's the winners of the Goodreads Choice Awards 2012 

A list of lists: NPR's Best Books of 2012

Amazon's Best Sellers of 2012

Book Riot's Best Books of 2012

From The Guardian: Your Books of the Year 2012

Also from The Guardian - If you haven't seen this page of The Guardian, it's a wonderful list of lists (465 as of today) going back years, not just 2012. The lists are made by authors who choose their favorite books on a specific topic (recent ones include adventure stories, books of the forest, books with maps, time-travel books, seventeenth century food books, fairy fictions and so many more).
The Guardian's Top 10s

Another List of Lists - Booklist Online shares links to all the award lists for books and media

USA Today's Best-selling Books of 2012, from the top down

I could go on. This didn't even scratch the surface (I left out The New York Times, Publisher's Weekly, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, Huffington Post, Salon, Seattle Times, The Wall Street Journal, SF Gate, Time, Salon, Pop Matters, and Newsday, just to name...a bit more than a few). Book lists are everywhere, but I hope that the ones above are a good start.

Note: lists are subjective, of course, other than the ones based on sales, but I have no problem with personal "best of:" lists. I don't mind at all when someone says, "These are the books I liked. You may or may not like them." Because yes, there is a book and a book list for every taste and every genre.

What I'm Reading Now

I'm midway through this 2-in-one book by Mary Balogh (she's one of my favorites).

And I have a sample of Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals waiting to be read (I just saw Lincoln, which was based, in part, on her book. It was stupendous). I'm pretty sure I'll end up ordering it, but I want to wait until I've finished the Mary Balogh book. I have so many books that I want to read all at once! Choosing which one to read next is always difficult. 

Book Covers I Have Known and Loved

As a writer, I sometimes like to pretend that covers don't really matter. I've had fantastic covers and less than fantastic covers. Ones that perfectly matched the book and some that might have been a bit misleading. Although I provide input for the cover, in the end, I don't have much to do with that part of publishing. And maybe that's just as well. I'm no artist. 

But...covers really do matter. I've been drawn in by covers myself. The first Laura Kinsale I ever read (years ago) was Seize the Fire. I didn't have a clue who Laura Kinsale was, but I loved that stepback cover, so I bought the book. Fortunately, I also loved the book and became an instant fan.

Jennifer Crusie's Maybe This Time is another example of a cover that sucked me in (although by that time I was already a Jennifer Crusie fan, I would have bought the book just for the cover, I think. The floating coffee cup and the heart made me want to know more).

Or how about Rick Riorda's The Lost Hero cover? How awesome is that?

As for my own covers, it's hard to choose a favorite. These past few years I've really been blessed with gorgeous artwork on my books. This cover for To Wed a Rancher was nominated for an award (don't ask me what contest. I received an email telling me that it was a finalist, but since those types of contests require votes and they always feel like popularity contests with the contestants begging people to vote for their book, something I'm not even remotely comfortable doing, I just took it as a nice moment and moved on. I think it's a very pretty cover, but I'm not sure it's better than others I've been lucky enough to have.

And I'm totally not going to mention the few books where I've worried that the cover didn't quite reflect the story. I have, as I said, been incredibly lucky.

So...can you think of any books where the cover just reached out and begged you to pick up the book? 

Just When I Told You It Was Safe...

Well, okay, what I actually said was that I didn't spend much time talking about my books. But I did see my new cover (for the upcoming March book) up on Amazon, and that's always either an exciting day or a letdown. Kind of a hold-my-breath and hope for something good mystery. In this case, I'm pretty happy. The artist clearly used the images of the hero and heroine I sent in. And while the heroine isn't really that pregnant in the book (she's only a little bit pregnant LOL), I understand that if you're going to say she's pregnant in the title, readers will expect her to look pregnant. Also, I didn't choose the title (I think my original title was The Heir's Pregnant Cinderella, but I wasn't exactly married to it). Anyway, I thought I'd share, so you can be some of the first to have a look at the new one.

We now return you to your usual blog entries after this brief interlude, but I had to post this. Because even though I may appear unaffected by this business of publishing most of the time, I still get excited whenever a new cover appears. It's a bit like opening a present to see what you received.