Have you ever had a friend who told you that their
name, the one you know them by, is not actually their name? And then when you try to think of them as the
other name, it just doesn't fit? It happens all the time; people go by their
middle name instead of their given first name, or take a nick name on as their
moniker. We did that to our son too. We gave him my father's name, but decided
to use his middle name. Once you know people by one name, it's hard to think of
them as another.
I think it's the same for books. Since I decided to
embark on this self publishing journey (the word journey sounds so cliche, no? Perhaps ordeal will be more appropriate. I'll let you know). I've been wrestling with the decision to rename my book. You see, there are two
other (and maybe more) novels that go by the name Unbound. I don't believe any
of them are so well known that it precludes my use of the name*, not like if I
was stuck on the name Twilight, but I worry that it will muddy the waters.
Those who are rabid fans of Stephenie Meyers may know that Twilight was
originally called Forks. In an alternate universe does this mean Twihards would
be known as Forkers?
It's just that I can't seem to find another name
that fits as well for me. It's been the name for almost four years now and
well, I'm having a hard time making the shift. If I had an editor or agent
insisting on it, I'm sure I'd manage to get used to it. But when I have to rely
on my own gut, Unbound can only be called Unbound. I'd gone as far as to title
the second (in progress) and third books in the series too. So maybe, I leave
it as it is and wait to see what happens.
*please accept my apologies if I'm wrong. I'm sure these are fine books
written by fine authors.
