Sunday, January 25, 2009

Name That Book Part II (Or, No, Seriously, Rachel Sucks At Titles A Lot)

First up, the most important news: THE BOOK HAS A PUBLISHING DATE! And it is...

MARCH 2, 2010!

Now, this could change (I find this is the best mantra to have w/r/t publishing. Covers, pub dates, titles *ahem see below*...all of these things are subject to change.) But for now, I've gotten March 2 straight from the big Hyperion spreadsheet of awesome, so we're goin' with that!


On to other stuff. Hmmm...so the the poll was a 50/50 split between blogging M-F, and blogging 3 time/week. So maybe I'll split the difference and blog 4 times a week!

Of course, right now I am deep, deep into The Land of Edits. As y'all know, I got my letter/package last Saturday, and I told Editor Jen I'd have it back to her by the end of this week. I've been writing new stuff, and cutting bad stuff, and twisting around other stuff. Editing can be a really stressful process for a lot of people, but I've had a ridiculously good time with it. I think it's because I hadn't looked at the book since it sold, way back in April, and that gave me the "distance" necessary to slash and burn where necessary. Besides, Editor Jen's changes are making the book a bazillion times better, and it's exciting to watch the book come one step closer to what it'll be in stores.

You'll notice that I keep calling it "the book" and not DEMONGLASS. That's because, as I mentioned earlier, we're ditching DEMONGLASS and coming up with something new. Now, originally I had titled the book TOO NEAR THE GLASS, based on a line of poetry. That was WAAAAAY too heavy, so Agent Holly came up with DEMONGLASS, which I really loved. However, Editor Jen thinks that it's a little too sinister, and I see her point. So we're on the hunt for a new title! (BTW, title changes happen all the time in publishing, which is why you should NEVER get attached to your title!)

Editor Jen and I are both wracking our brains for something, but so far...nothing. We want one kind of soon, because it'll be time to discuss cover art (!!!) before we know it, and...well, we need a title before the art department can get to work on stuff.

Because my brain is totally blank, I'm opening this up to the peanut gallery. Here's the book's description so you'll have a jumping off point:

"Sophie Mercer thought being a teenage witch meant flying broomsticks, talking cats, and awesome spells. Instead, her mom still makes her ride the bus, she’s allergic to pet dander, and the one big spell she attempts at prom goes seriously bad-like, Carrie-levels of bad. As a result, Sophie is shipped off to Prentiss Academy, a reform school for Witches, Shapeshifters, and Faeries. At Prentiss, Sophie discovers that the traumas of regular school have nothing on the goings-on at “Freak High,” what with the trio of Dark Witches who want Sophie to join their coven, her futile crush on Prentiss’s hottest Warlock, and her roommate, Jenna, who just happens to be Prentiss’s only Vampire. When members of Sophie’s coven are attacked, she finds herself trying to exonerate Jenna and solve the mystery, which might be more connected to Sophie than she ever could have guessed."

There ya go! Editor Jen wants something playing up the witch angle, like CHARMED or BEWITCHED, but, you know, those are obviously taken. I'm opening up Anonymous comments for this one, so if you wanna be all secretive, that's fine. And if anyone in the comments comes up with a title that flies with me AND Editor Jen, you will totally get a shout out on the acknowledgments page!

So get that thesaurus and get to work! ;)

15 comments:

lisa and laura said...

Um...this is hard.

-The Witches of Prentiss
-Spellbound
-High School is a Witch (ok, kidding, kidding)

That's all I've got for now. I'll be back if I think of anything else.

Rachel Hawkins said...

Ooh, I'm feeling those, L&L! And ha ha on High School is a Witch! One of my original titles was Life's A Witch.

Stephen Duncan said...

Feelin' you. I'm totally attached to my title right now.

This is tough, having not read it or understanding the importance of the glass, but I can get a sense of the tone. While I *love* DEMONGLASS, I get the concern.

Just off the top of my head:

INCIDENT AT FREAK HIGH

Ugh...too hard.

meredith said...

I like Spellbound. What about just "Freak?" I got nothing. This is hard! I feel your pain, Rach.

~meredith

lisa and laura said...

Ok, Laura and I had a quick brainstorm session and here's what we came up with:

The Witching
Teen Witch (another joke, sorry we couldn't resist. I'm 99% sure there was a terrible made for tv movie with this name.)
High School and Broomsticks
Biology and Broomsticks
Blind Dates and Broomsticks
Lip Gloss and Broomsticks
Broomsticks are the New Black
Witching 101
Bewitching for Beginners

Sorry, we sort of got stuck in a broomstick rut. Titles are tricky! Good luck!

Amie Stuart said...

CRAP! I had one and I forgot it!!!

DIVINATION - The use of magical tools and means to seek information on events, people and situations in the past, present and future.

Divine Intervention (LOL)
Elemental Magik

Ooooooooooo

Hoodoo High!
Ok must go dry hair

Jill Myles said...

Life's a Witch and So Am I?

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

Charming High
Charm school
Charm City
Every Witch Way
Witch Side
Witch Way or Witch Way to Turn
Someone to Witch over me
WitchCraft
Works like a charm
witch city
Enchantress
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
Outcast
cast aside
what the hex is going on :)
Hex Girls
Hex High
The Hex Factor
A Witch Hunt
Witch High

Rachel Hawkins said...

ZOMG, you guys are rocking my face off! I'm making a big list to send to Editor Jen. Keep 'em coming!

Serenity said...

I really like thinking of titles, but I'm at a horrible disadvantage not having read it. What about the name of the town where Prentiss is? Or the name of a specific spell maybe? Here are some ideas I brainstormed from the premise.

Going Prentiss
Prentiss Covens (I really like the name of the academy)
Prentiss Academy
The Covens of Prentiss Academy
Sophie's Coven
Bewitching Sophie
Prentiss Bewitching
Sophie's Charms
Love Spell
Casting Spells
Breaking the Spell
Prentiss Covens and the Glass
Witches in the Glass

I'm running out of anything but variations on these. Good luck, though, Rachel! I'm sure you'll eventually strike on the perfect thing. I'm familiar with the title search!

Anonymous said...

Rachel I am lame at names but here goes:
-My Almost Normal Life (or How I ended up at a school for the Magically Challenged.
-Freak High
-It Could SPELL Disaster
-Witch Way Do I Go? Tales of the Magically Challenged

Stupid but thinking....your mom ought to be good at this! A one-liner would be great but I can't think of one. Good Luck

Tiffany said...

Dark Magic
Love Spell Gone Wrong
The Dark Side of Prentiss
Outcasts

Perception is in The Eye of the Beholder
or something with Perception...

Heirloom
Origins
or Birthright
or something about her family tree...

I'll think some more...
hugs!

Milkman said...

herro. i make-a da suggestion.

Spellshards (or Spell Shards)

Lonely Halls

Blood Filled Doo Doo

My Roomate the Witch

A Reformed Witch

Eat at Joe's

Spellcast (or Spell Cast)

Shadows Pawn (get it like shadow spawn? eh? no? fudge.)

Honk if you love cauldrons.

I'm Tired.

Anonymous said...

You know--not that my opinion is worth more than a turd in a toilet--I'm kinda glad that you're going with something other than Demonglass. I don't want to say too much and give the story away, but suffice to say that I didn't see certain things coming and, um, that title sets up expectations. Know what I mean? :/

Stephen Duncan said...

This one just hit me:

The Coven Curriculum