The fabulous Ashley March & Romancing The Countess!!

I SO thrilled to have one of my favorite historical romance writers on the blog today.  It’s my good pal Ashley March, and she’s here to give us the inside scoop on her latest book, Romancing The Countess.  Take it away, Ashley!

Insider Information: Behind the Title

Thanks so much to Vanessa for hosting me today as I continue celebrating the release of my newest book, ROMANCING THE COUNTESS! Vanessa is one of my very favorite fellow romance authors, and it’s such an honor for me to visit with her and her readers.

One of the questions I see romance readers ask most frequently is how a title was chosen for a certain book. Did the author come up with the title? Was it the publisher’s decision? Why that title specifically? The topic of titles seems to make the rounds among readers quite often, especially if there’s a title that grabs a reader’s attention or makes them roll their eyes in annoyance.

Of course I can only speak from my own experience, but today I’d like to tell you some insider information about how a title is chosen. Here’s a little sneak peek behind the scenes:

My first book, which was published in October 2010, was originally titled SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY. I chose this title because I thought it matched the tone of the book, I loved the words—they weren’t like any other romance novel title—and this line from a Byron poem has a connection to a poem Philip writes for Charlotte. My publisher, which has obviously done a lot of research and knows what sells and what doesn’t, thought that this title was too quiet and wasn’t sexy enough. In the end, the title they decided upon was SEDUCING THE DUCHESS.

My second book, the one we’re celebrating with this book tour, was originally titled AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART. I chose this title because, again, I thought it matched the tone of the book and I like the play of the word “affair”, considering that the hero’s and heroine’s spouses had an affair. My publisher, however, thought the title was too overused (most people know the phrase affaire de coeur, yes?). We went back and forth again and again and could never come up with a title we both liked. I believe I suggested titles with the word “veil” in them because of the significance of Leah’s veil in the book. My agent was even brought in to offer suggestions. Finally, my publisher decided on ROMANCING THE COUNTESS, as it has a certain pattern that reflects the title of the first book. The only small issue that’s come about as a result of this choice is that I’ve heard from readers who assume that the two books are related because of the similarity in titles, when in actuality they’re completely separate.

My novella (actually a short story) which is related to ROMANCING THE COUNTESS, was again difficult. I don’t think I even had an original title for it because I assumed it would be changed. 😉 After a few rounds back and forth, I finally suggested ROMANCING LADY CECILY, which ended up sticking. I liked it because it had a name in the title, which to me made it unique; my publisher liked it because the ROMANCING part of the title made it an obvious tie-in to the full-length ROMANCING THE COUNTESS.

As you can see, a lot of thought and back and forth goes back into the final decision on titles. I’ve heard a lot of readers complain about the similarity in titles among different authors, and I can certainly understand what you mean—I’m a reader myself. The truth is that there are certain words that publishers gravitate toward because they’ve done research and those words seem to help titles sell better. What are those words? You’ll probably recognize them: duke, marquess, earl, viscount, duchess, countess, (most nobility titles), sin, wicked, rake, scandal (and variants such as scandalous), rogue, wild, lord, highlander, etc. Of course we’re speaking of historicals here, and although I haven’t done any research, I feel fairly confident that 90% of the historical titles you’d pull off the bookshelf have these or similar words.

The question is: what do you, the reader, think of titles? Which ones catch your attention and which ones make you dismiss them? Do you gravitate toward titles with certain words in them? What do you think of the titles chosen for my books?

One random commenter will be chosen to win a copy of my newest book, ROMANCING THE COUNTESS (open internationally)! Also, find out how to win the ROMANCING THE COUNTESS Book Tour Grand Prize of 50+ romance novels by visiting www.ashleymarch.com

Vanessa, here.  Wow!  What a fabulous contest!  And readers, if you haven’t yet read any of Ashley’s books, get thee to a store or e-tailer pronto.  I know you’re going to love her wonderfully romantic stories!

 

80 thoughts on “The fabulous Ashley March & Romancing The Countess!!”

    • Lol. I love your honesty! But this is a great thing to discuss, too. Do you find that you find male models alone on a cover more appealing than female models alone or a man and woman together? Thanks for your comment. =)

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  1. I look, first, at the F/C itself. LOVE the naked manly chests! I am an avid historical romance reader… so the F/C is very important. IF… its a nice Highlander, all the better. **grin** Next, its the title and I do agree that the words/wording are very important. I do like your original title choices… but I think your publisher is right. I also agree that the similarities of the titles would make readers believe that the books “tied in”. The up-side is that if they liked your first book, buying the second and third is a “no-brainer”. As for me… I’m going to pick up an Ashley March book… or two. Loved the blog and hop I win!! ;o)

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    • Hi Betty! You know, the above commenter was all about the sexy man cover, too. Only the second comment and I’m already starting to see a trend. 😉 Thanks so much for your feedback; I love hearing these kinds of things, and am glad you agree with the publisher! Good luck on the giveaway, and if you do get a chance read either book, I hope you enjoy! =)

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  2. I find most titles hair-raisingly bad and while I’m sure the PR departments are convinced of their wisdom, I disagree (I know you are just totally shocked by this revelation :).

    Your original title for StD would have stood out. I only picked up the book because I had heard about it and tweeted with you on Twitter. Otherwise, it would have been just one more generic title in a sea of unknown-to-me-authors’ books.

    Also, I think it was a bad idea to similarly title the 2nd unrelated book because of exactly the issue you have already heard about from readers. If RtC were a 2nd book in a series, then that would have been a better idea and I think it’s fine that the short story title riffs off RtC.

    In addition, these generic titles make it hard to remember if a reader has already read this book or not and I, personally, will pass if I’m not entirely sure rather than double-buy, which loses those all-important Walmart/Target/whatever impulse sales that are so critical to the PR departments and an author’s career these days.

    Not that I believe that my opinion will sway the PR departments because they do know better after all, right? 🙂

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    • I have heard that Harlequin is trying to make a move from their general titles that tell everything about the book. =) So maybe that is from reader opinion? But yes, I know what you mean; after a while it seems there can only be a limited number of ways words can be shifted around in a title to make them different. I know in 2012 there are going to be a lot of ROGUE books–I’m assuming a book with a title including ROGUE made good sales, and everyone took notice, perhaps? 😉 But besides drawing my attention, I am also like you that I want to be able to remember the book that I read. Although some people are complaining about cutesy titles, I do know that I remember them.

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  3. Hi Ashley and Vanessa,

    All all of the words you’ve listed above are an immediate eye-catcher for me. Once the cover title words (and 10 times out of 10 the always beautiful and seductive cover art) have lured me in, I then look at the back cover blurb which always helps me in making my final decision of whether or not to buy the book.

    I love the titles of your books’ Ashley, and the cover art too!! You’ve chosen well.

    Thanks for this opportunity.

    dpd333 (at) aol dot com

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      • Diane, coming up with titles is becoming a head-banging exercise for me. My editor liked the titles of my first two books, but keeps sending me back to the blackboard on the subsequent books. I do like the snappy, different titles like Sex And The Single Earl. They attract attention, although they don’t work for every reader, certainly.

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      • Maya Banks was saying about trying to come up with titles on Twitter a couple of days ago. I sent her a few suggestions, but have not heard back from her. What about these: “Senseless with Desire” – ” Racked with Desire” – “Sinful and Sensual” – “Simply Sensuous”.

        I adore all these very eye-catching covers Ashley.

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  4. I guess it’s not really the title that draws me in so much as the cover picture. That has a lot to do with whether it grabs my interest or not! However, if it is a favorite author of mine it doesn’t matter what’s on the cover or what the title is, i’ll buy it anyway!

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  5. I wonder how many titles chosen by the author actually win out in the end? Not that it matters that much to me. The first thing I look at is genre then author. If it’s a book in my favorite genre and by a known-to-me author, I’m buying regardless of the cover or the title.

    If the book is written by a debut or otherwise new-to-me author, if it’s in my favorite genre, I’ll look into it further. Still title and cover have little to do with my buying decision. In this instance, reviews, excerpts & other reader opinions will sway my buying decision. IMHO, title and cover are just the beautiful ball gown on a wonderful lady! And yes, a hot, hard-bodied guy counts as a beautiful dress too! LOL…just had to throw that in there!

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    • Lol. I’m guess you’re also a fan of the male cover models. 😉 I completely agree with you that I’m more likely to buy a book based on reviews and excerpts, but I have to say that the cover and title will get my attention. (For example, I love LOVE LOVE LOVE Julia Quinn’s last cover with JUST LIKE HEAVEN.) So glad for your feedback. Thanks, Karen! =)

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      • I also wanted to add that I’ve heard of a few authors whose titles haven’t been changed. Most recently, I think Vicky Dreiling said that she’s the one to come up with her titles.

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  6. I don’t find titles too important when buying a book. I read an excerpt and then decide. I liked your original titles!

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    • Hi readergirl10! And just being surrounded by that many books. I can’t think of many things that are more wonderful–other than reading them, of course. 😉 Do you also read ebooks? If so, do you find that you are still drawn to an ebook because of its cover as much as you are when browsing through a bookstore? Thanks so much for visiting with me today!

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  7. I do like the titles for your books. There is a type of theme about them… I guess now that you mention it, words like dukes, duchess and nobility titles do tend to catch my attention…

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  8. As a reader,i’m not complain much with the title because i know how hard to find the good title even it’s great if title and cover can be suited with the story.so far i love your title book
    Thks.

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    • Thanks for your feedback, Eli! So you’re saying that it’s more important that you feel the cover and title is appropriate to the story content, yes? I do wonder about this because I’ve been hearing so many readers say that they like how the dress on ROMANCING THE COUNTESS fits in with the story. Interesting. =)

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  9. Have to say that I don’t really look at the titles, only once I have completed the story do I have a moment and think… oh yeah that was a great title ;o) Titles is not what catches my eye when I’m looking for a new book to buy, its more a combination of things – cover, blurb, 1st chapter, author, and sometimes just what I’m feeling at the moment – LOL guess you might say emotions play a huge decision role!

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    • Hi Rita! I somehow didn’t see your comment yesterday! I completely understand what you mean, though. A book buying decision should not be taken lightly. =) Money is one thing, but most times time is even more precious, and I have to be confident that I’m going to enjoy whatever book I choose. Thanks so much for your input! =)

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  10. Titles are not generally the first thing I look at. I am all about the covers, especially when I am unfamiliar with the author. For example, I was on a camping trip and I ran out of books! GASP! So we ran into town for a few supplies and I headed to the book isle. I went straight to the cover I liked the best. It was Lisa Kleypas. At that point I have never heard of her, didn’t know who she was, and there was more than one of her titles. I grabbed them all based on the covers and was thrilled. Covers don’t always work out, but to me they are a symbol of how the author feels about her book and the message she wants to send about the story within. Ashley, your covers, WIN!

    That said, if I am reading a familiar author, I do glimpse the title. I am on the fence about similarly titles stories in a series. They make it easy to know the books of the particular series, but I do not feel they are necessary. The book is what gets the final judgement. The cover draws me in and the title has very little to do with the process in the end. Just my opinion. Thanks for allowing me to share and congratulations on the release!
    kendraedens@gmail.com

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    • Kendra, that’s very interesting! The first Lisa Kleypas book I ever read I picked up in an airport store, after our plane was delayed. I liked the cover and title, read the blurb, and bought the book. I’ve been hooked on LK ever since.

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    • Hi Kendra! Thank you so much for the thoughtful post! I am SO glad you coincidentally happened upon Lisa Kleypas–she is one of my very favorite authors, and like you, I love her covers, too. =) I’m also happy to hear that you like my covers!

      It’s interesting to hear from so many people that the titles might be the least important thing for buying decisions. I appreciate your feedback! =)

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  11. I think I tend to look at the cover first then the title, though not really looking for anything in particular, just want it to catch my interest, then I’ll read the blurb in the back and usually is what does it for me…

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    • Hi Eva! =) I think this is what I do, too, especially if I’m not looking for anything in particular. I can tell you that the last titles that really stood out to me among the historical genre were Miranda Neville’s THE AMOROUS EDUCATION OF CELIA SEATON (because names always make the title unique, imo), and LORD AND LADY SPY by Shana Galen, because it tells what the story is about right off and has that connection with the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith. However, while the covers and titles do get my attention, excerpts and/or reviews help me make that purchasing decision (and I can tell you that each of these two books I mention above were, thankfully, both winners).

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  12. First drawn to a book actually b the author’s name. If unknown to me will pick up to read synopsis based on the title and book cover combination. I do like the choices that became final, the originals would not have caught my eye on a book store shelf.

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  13. If I’m not looking for a specific author, the cover first catches my eye. Like many others, a good looking (read “hot”) guy is a big draw. Then I look at the titles. Have to admit I agree on your publishers’ choices but I think it’s cheating to make me think 2 books are tied together when they’re not. I like titles that have an implied pop culture reference. They make me smile.

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    • Hi Robin! You’re right–it seems like man candy is definitely a big win for the day. =) Thanks so much for your feedback, and I agree on the difficulty with the books tying in. Also, on the pop culture–WHEN HARRY MET MOLLY has to be one of my favorite titles within the last year. =)

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  14. I prefer your original title’s, and I find repeat titles incredibly confusing. I had this problem looking for a book called Tall, Dark and Deadly. I ended up with the wrong book. Also,books that have been printed again with a new cover are very hard to deal with, as you end up bringing home something that you’ve already read. I think a catchy original title would be a plus.

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    • Hi Gayle! Thanks for your feedback. =) And I know exactly what you mean with the repeat titles. While my debut was SEDUCING THE DUCHESS, an author friend (Margo Maguire) recently had a book out titled SEDUCING THE GOVERNESS. I know people got those mixed up, and I can’t tell you how many people–due to the similarity of my book titles–call ROMANCING THE COUNTESS by ROMANCING THE DUCHESS. =)

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  15. Hello Ladies 😉

    I think that they are VERY important. Your ‘original’ titles would have stood out and would peek my interest. I don’t dislike the ones they picked, but I didn’t buy your books until I started talking to you…and YOU peeked my interest about your work.

    I have noticed the trend in unique titles from Sarah Maclean and Kieran Kramer.

    Two of my ALL TIME favorite titles is ‘DRAGONFLY IN AMBER’ by Diana Gabaldon and “FLOWERS FROM THE STORM’ by Laura Kinsale, so as you can see for me the more unique and mysterious, the better it takes root of my imagination…

    Recently Shana Galen’s ‘suits’ decided to change her title (THE MAKING of a ROGUE) AND the cover (which matched the previous two) of her third book in a Sons of Revolution series, and I went nuts!

    How dare they mess with perfection AND my Keeper shelf?! I needed them to MATCH! But, on a further thought, I realized that I don’t really care what they called it, put on it, as long I see SHANA GALEN on it I will buy it! So, what does this tell you about me?!

    That I, for about 100 authors that are all #1 in my ‘book’ (and you’re one of those 100 now) 😉

    I will buy their books because I’m ‘hooked, lined and sunk’ to their written word, so title in that case would not matter to me.

    There are some exceptions to this rule, but that’s another story for another day 🙂

    The titles with an obvious, silly words are the one’s I avoid and that’s sad, because the book just might be very good! Oh, and I really, really don’t like the titles with ‘LOVE’ word in them (although I did buy them). I mean, really?! We KNOW it’s about love, so please, try and put SOME imagination (not to say WORK) into this process and don’t take us THE READER for granted!

    Okay, now I’m going to shut up 🙂

    Melanie
    http://www.bookworm2bookworm.wordpress.com

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    • Melanie–I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be in your 100. =) And I know exactly what you meant about Shana’s third book in the series. I was upset, too! I don’t know what the final decision was, but I hope they make everything the best it can be. I’m glad you like original titles; they always help me remember the story better, and I especially like it when the tone is conveyed as well. And thanks for that tip on LOVE. 😉 *scribbles note*

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  16. Honestly? I’m bad with titles. Sometimes I’ve a really hard time to remember the title of the book I’m currently reading. So, I don’t care very much about them. I have to admit that an awful (in my opinion, at least) title can make me not read the book. That nearly happend with Nine Rules from Sarah MacLean to me. Can I say that I don’t like this title a lot? 😉 I was this close to not reading it but nearly a whole year after it was published I gave it a chance after all. And boy, am I glad I did! I love this book! I quite like the titles of your books because they give a hint what it is about (you know there will be a duchess in it, for example, lol) without saying it all or nothing.

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    • It’s amazing how diverse the opinions are on this topic, aren’t they? The current trend seems to be toward these longer titles. Personally, I can rarely remember titles. My CP and I are always describing plots and characters in an effort to remember the darn book.

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    • You’re not the first person I’ve heard say this about Sarah’s first historical, Claudia. I think sometimes it can be a conditioning, to tell you the truth. (And I loved that book, too!) I think an author’s titles who really stand out to me is Julia Quinn. Give me pretty much any title, and I can tell you what the book was about. I think they’re appealing but also unique, though I suspect the reason I can remember them so well is because they were wonderful stories. =)

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  17. Ashley–I’ll admit it. I’m weird. Generally, I am not positively inspired by either titles or covers for historical romances. In fact, they frequently tip negative for me because so many sound and look alike that there’s no differentiation among authors and their stories. (And don’t get me started on the number of times cover characters are visually wrong compared to the author’s descriptions.)

    I do like when there is a visible connection to titles in a series: Courtney Milan’s Unveiled, Unlocked, Unclaimed, Unraveled; Lisa Kleypas’ seasons in the Wallflowers titles.

    In selecting novels, I go to authors I know and love. Blogs with book reviews and informative posts help me find authors who are new to me (I just read Julie Anne Long this year!) and books that are must reads (I read Lord of Scoundrels just two years ago!) But like I said, I’m weird. Thanks for another interesting post.

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    • Hi LSUReader: I would agree with Vanessa. I think the majority of us probably go with our auto-buys first and our recs second. And I’m so HAPPY for you to have discovered Julie Anne Long–isn’t she AMAZING??? =) I do agree with you on the series titles, definitely. It’s so helpful when a certain pattern makes it obvious that they belong together. (Although, when I think of it, the Bridgerton series doesn’t really have a pattern and that worked. Hmm…)

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  18. I’ve never really thought much of titles and the only ones that really drew my attention were the hilarious ones by Molly Harper like How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf. And for most other books it’s mainly the blurb or cover that draws my attention.

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  19. Thanks for the chance to win this. I never dismiss a book because of it’s title. The one’s that catch my attention, of course, are the dirty sounding ones, he he.

    Thanks,
    Terri C.
    niteofblu at gmail dot com

    Reply
  20. Hi Ashley and Vanessa!
    It may sound odd but a good title isn’t something I take note of or memrarilize. A good title to me is an expected given. However I will notice a bad title. It’s really the cover and blurb that impacts my decision to read a book.

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    • Oh, this is interesting: “A good title is an expected given. However I will notice a bad title.” I’ve never thought of it that way before, but I do agree that I remember the especially bad ones. Of course, as an author I can’t tell you which I titles of my fellow authors I think are especially bad, but there have been a few. Thanks for your feedback, Na!

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  21. I shop by cover first, then title, then blurb. Titles don’t always reflect the content of the book so I don’t always go by this. And I agree titles are getting boring, I see so much of the same you do begin to say to yourself didn’t I read this one. I like different, unique.

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    • Hi Debbie! I also had another reader say recently that the blurbs are starting to get to the point where they don’t accurately represent the story content. Outside of reviews and excerpts, I pay most attention to the blurb to catch my attention, and this I find just sad. Hopefully that’s only a handful of books and not a trend that’s changing things.

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  22. I go for the male model on the cover myself first, then the author, the blurb, and lastly the title. I do like “She Walks in Beauty” more but it then would sound more literary than romance.

    Right now, I have Stephanie Tyler’s “In The Air Tonight” on my desk and every time I look at it, I’d sing Phil Collin’s song of the same name – over and over. I have to move that book! I did the same thing to a YA book called “Vintage Veronica” for which I kept hearing Elvis Costello’s song “Veronica” in my head. Having the name recognition of a title via a song is good, but not when said song becomes an earworm.

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    • Lol–that’s exactly what I thought when I read the title of “In the Air Tonight.” I can even hear the song in my head right now. =) I am honestly amazed at how many people are going for the male models on the cover. I personally go for the pretty dresses. =) With that being said, I also appreciated the fine, er, qualities of the male models on Jaci Burton’s recent covers. =)

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  23. I don’t pay much attention to titles since like you said a lot are overused. I get them confused after awhile. I do like the funny crazy names like Sarah Macleans or Keiran Kramer’s. They tend to stick out in my memory more. One of my favorites was Wed her Before you bed her. I think it was by Sabrina Jeffries. I do like your titles. Nice and simple and the cover is gorgeous so it does not matter what the title is! LOL! Thanks for sharing with us today!

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    • Johanna, WHEN HARRY MET MOLLY has to be one of my favorite titles ever. So catchy, and it also makes me immediately think of the cover, which I love, too. I have to admit, I’d rather have a gorgeous cover than a gorgeous title, and that’s apparently what other readers think as well. Thanks so much for your comments on the titles and covers of my books. =)

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  24. I like titles to have a connection to the story, so your’s sounds perfect! The title, along with the the cover, should give some idea about the book.

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  25. I tend to gravitate toward the really crazy titles – the more ridiculous the better – and I think it’s because they stand out and are more memorable. (Such as Sarah MacLean’s numbered series, which I’m currently reading.) I often can’t remember the titles of more generically-named historical romances I read, because they’re so similar. I do prefer a character name to just a title (in the aristocratic sense), as in Jennifer Ashley’s “Highland Pleasures” series. I find “Romancing Lady Cecily” more memorable than “Seducing the Duchess,” but in that case the title works really well with the cover, and the typography is also nicely done. (I’m a graphic designer, cover design is important to me.) I think “She Walks in Beauty” is a lovely title, but I do see your publisher’s point. If you put words like duke/earl/viscount (or Highlander or viking) in a title, you know what you’re getting. Last thought – as a reader I appreciate when stories that are related have titles that match in some way. It makes it easier to keep track of a series if an author has a lot of books available.

    Thank you for the great topic!

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    • Hi Alexis! Thanks so much for your thoughtful feedback. I pretty much agree on everything you say. It’s so nice when all my toddler says all day is “no!” =) And I am also a big fan of pretty/striking fonts on covers. I think it can change a cover from just okay to gorgeous.

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  26. I love the title She Walks In Beauty, wish you could have kept that one. Now it all makes sense that historical romance books all seem to have the same titles, research has cornered them into a limited number of options! I usually am grabbed more by the cover art than the title, probably because the titles usually have little imagination. I do like the play on words for An Heir of Deception by Beverley Kendall, at least it doesn’t have a gentleman’s title in it.
    Ashley your book cover and title are perfect for your story, and that can’t be said for every historical romance. Whever helped you put Romancing the Countess together sure knew what they were doing!

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