Trolling for Titles

As I mentioned in my last post, Nicole the Mistress of Marketing told me at our first meeting about my book that I had a terrible title. I had been calling it A Car of One’s Own, a nod to Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. Turns out most women are not so up on their century-old feminist treatises.

Rather than shoving my own nerdy lady learning down everyone’s throat, Nicole suggested changing the title to something people might actually find via search engine and then buy. Fine.

The day after our meeting, I left for a short vacation visiting family in Florida. On the last night at my mother-in-law’s house, I spent some time brainstorming. It wasn’t very good. I tried getting MIL and husband to chime in with brilliant ideas, but they were totally into a show about the origins of planet Earth and not into coming up with a title for my book.

On the plane home the next afternoon, I put the soundtrack to Breakfast at Tiffany’s in my headphones and tried to doze. But the magic of my favorite movie was at work, and I came up with a dozen new title ideas. I’d fade out, think of a new idea, and type it into my phone (I use Evernote at times like this). I’m sure I charmed the guys on either side of me with my middle seat perpetual motion non-nap.

In the end, Nicole and I chose four titles and three tag lines. If one of these strikes you as particularly awesome or awful, let me know in the comments.

Take the Wheel: A Woman’s Guide to Buying a Car Her Own Damn Self

My Car, My Terms: A Girl’s Guide to Car Buying

Girl Horsepower: How to Buy a Car with Confidence (or Fake It If You Have To)

Up to Speed: A Woman’s Guide to Buying a Car Her Own Damn Self