After my last post on the rejection of my new title, "What Hell Marks" (due to concerns about the word "hell") Steve Malley suggested a great substitute: "What Blood Marks." I eagerly ran it past my editors. The response?
"Blood" sounds so violent. It might put off some readers.
Um... This is a mystery series, right? Mysteries generally involve murder, which typically involves blood and violence. But what do I know?
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Coming April 2017
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- cs harris
- A former university professor with an incurable case of wanderlust, I write the Sebastian St. Cyr Regency mystery series under the name of C.S. Harris and thrillers as one half of C.S. Graham. I’ve also written historical romances as Candice Proctor.
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5 comments:
*sigh*
'What Signs Marked'? These signs have mark'd me extraordinary; King Henry IV, part I: III, i
'What Witchcraft Marks' That by their witchcraft thus have marked me. King Richard III: III, iv
'What Foe Marks' That hath more scars of sorrow in his heart / Than foemen's marks upon his batter'd shield; Titus Andronicus: IV, i
Unless 'signs' is too inflammatory, maybe a slur against the deaf? Witchcraft might put off the Christians. Or the witches.
And foes, well, nobody likes foes...
*sigh*
Reminds me a bit of when I started getting tattoos. My friends said, 'But lots of girls won't go out with you now.' My reply, 'Yeah, it's a good way to weed out the ones won't like me anyway!'
Ah well, I think they're trying to break you further out. Title wrangles aside, that's not a bad thing...
How about: "What fluffy little bunnies Mark?"
Very odd. Very frustrating. Obviously you are not on the same wavelength as your publisher. Perhaps they are assuming your audience is more likely to be attracted by the "Regency" aspect than the "mystery" one. Has any research been done on the readership?
Heyer kept her Regencies in a very separate compartment from her mysteries. Are today's authors condemned to adhere to the old formulae at the same time as satisfying marketing people who rule out anything that does as old-hat and unsaleable?
I'm in agreement again with Steve. Sigh.
You mean you're NOT the woman who writes the Butterfly Sunshine Rainbow Unicorn Princess mysteries? ;)
How strange! Have they read the book?
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