Changing book titles can be a messy business but sometimes the right thing to do…
I started the first Acid Vanilla book at the end of 2019 after I woke up one morning with those two words, ‘Acid Vanilla’ bouncing around my head. I had no idea what they meant, where they came from or why, but I just new I had to do something with them. The way they were in my head, it was like a voice had shouted them. It was hearing those words that woke me up.
Weird right? But that’s exactly how it happened. For a few days I let them bubble and percolate in my consciousness, tried to work out what they meant. Then one day its just came to me. They were a code name. An alias. And who better for but the world’s deadliest female assassin. (Now I’m sure there’s been other contendars to that title before but I was thinking the deadliest deadly and the most assassinest assassin).
And as soon as I decided that a lot more of the book began to fall out of the sky into my own thinky-box. Nice when that happens.
Since then I’ve finished book 1. Published a prequel novel only available to my newsletter (get it here) and to date am 55K words into book 2, with book 3 already outlined…
Point being however that I didn’t realise back when I began book 1 just where it was going to go. And to be honest I should have rethought the title when I first realised it not only had series potential but was bloody well gagging to be made into one. But I didn’t. Acid Vanilla were the words that drove me. That started all this. So I figured why not.
What I figure now however is that a savvier, more genre-friendly title would be better. Something that would let would-be readers know what to expect a little more. Thus I’ve spent the last week or so researching the best way of changing book titles and I’m happy to say its doable, but not that easy.
But never one to make life easy for myself – from this week forward (First week of July 2020) Acid Vanilla will go under the new title of…..(Drum role)….. The Watcher…
This just feels right for me now – and if you’ve already read the book you’ll know why and hopefully agree it’s a worthy, apt and cool title.
The whole change over won’t come as an easy task and there’s lots of fiddly jobs to do with formatting and getting it up on Amazon and relinking a new paperback version – all boring stuff that I might put in another post later for other writers interest (if you are and might like that let me know)
The new cover is here:
Ta da… Needless to say if you have read Acid Vanilla already and see this thinking it’s the next book in the series, its not. Don’t buy it. Book 2 – SEVEN BULLETS – will be released this October, with Book 3 – THE HUNT – coming early 2021.
So that’s what’s happening this week. A nice shiny title and cover. A bit of stress and admin for me. But (hopefully) a more coherent and sassy series starter going forward.
