Too Sexual for Mainstream... On Me In Me gets a NEW Title!

So much thought goes into a title. As a reader, I had never even noticed a title, never thought about what makes my hand instinctively reach for one book binding over another. But as an author, we (or at least I) obsess over titling. For my newest book, the title had been easy. A line taken from the book, the moment my fingers had typed out that line of copy I had instantly felt it – a spark of excitement and certainty that THIS would be my new title: ‘On Me, In Me, Dead Beneath Me’. Yeah, it was a little long. Might be hard for readers to remember, certainly ate up way more of Twitter’s coveted 140 characters then I would have liked, but I embraced it, cherished it, thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.

Apparently I was alone in that rationale.

Word has come down from above, from one of the two ebook giants that control our self-publishing world – NOT APPROVED. Too racy, not front-page friendly, too sexual. It was the ‘In Me’ that was the title’s demise: four little letters that might as well been FUCK in giant font.

Honestly, the thought hadn’t occurred to me. I never dreamed it would offend someone, but now suddenly understand my relative’s flushed faces, eyes that had darted to the side, children shooed out of the room when my blatant, foul-mouthed self had happily tooted my newest book and its ‘oh-my-gosh-thats-scandalous’ title.

So there I sat – with a rejected title and less than three weeks to press time. My husband and I ordered pizza, guzzled Red Bull, devoured Sour Patch Kids, and brainstormed. Some of the titles sucked, some were still too sexual, and some didn’t make any damn sense, but we finally came up with a keeper:

The Girl in 6E

I know, anti-climatic, right? Some might say it is boring… But let it grow on you, it grew on us. For those who have read the book, it makes sense, and has a connection that sprouts out as the book goes on. It is simple, it works, and best of all – can’t possibly offend anyone. The last thing I need is another ‘banned’ book – Blindfolded went through that and it killed its growth.

I am working on a cover now – I have one chosen but want to get it approved by Amazon and B&N first…before I paint the town with it

Much love to you all – please spread the word about the new title, and shoot me a line if you see any places where it still has the old one showing.

Alessandra