Author: Alice Valdal (Page 1 of 19)

Who Do You Write For?

February 12, 2026 / / 0 Comments

chatting with a friend

Any beginner’s writer course will tell you to know your audience and to write for that audience if  you want your work to be a commercial success.  Most writers want to attract as many readers as possible in order to sell lots and lots of books. This post of six tips from Ingram Sparks is a prime example, of this advice and a good place to start when considering your market plan. 

As many readers as possible seems axiomatic. I was surprised, therefore, when I read the author’s notes in the latest Jan Karon book, where she says she writes “to just one person: you.” 

Huh? Just one person? A letter is written to just one person, usually, but people who write (and sell) books want thousands to read them. Even Jan Karon admits that she hopes for many readers. Yet she targets her writing to “one.”

The idea of imagining the one person who will read our books can be scary. How many authors have you heard worry that “my mother might see it” and tone down their bawdy heroine? How many authors use a pseudonym to avoid that “one person” who insists that a work of fiction is an autobiography? There are good reasons why an author might want to write to a huge but anonymous audience.

Still, writing for only one reader raises intriguing possibilities.

While we’d all like a wide audience — “anyone can enjoy my book,” may be true but it won’t get your story into a publishing house or find readers through independent publishing–in order to sell your book, you need to appeal to a reader’s particular taste.  Anyone can enjoy a story that features a unicorn, but only a certain segment of the population will make that the sole criterion for purchasing a book. 

So, if I’m considering the “one” person I write to, who would she be? I say she, because I expect my audience to be largely female. The first choice she’ll make before  buying a book is between fiction and non-fiction. Since I’m a romance writer, I aim my work toward readers of fiction. Now, I choose between literary or genre fiction. In my case, I write genre fiction, specifically romance, and even more specifically historical romance, set in Canada. Each of those choices I make, narrows my audience, but it also allows me to visualize the “one” reader I’m writing for (to).

My books will be shelved in the “romance” section of a book store, or on-line retailer.  If I consider I’m writing for “anyone,” I’ll have a hard time getting my book to market.  Sadly, there is no section of a retail outlet that says “anyone.” Even shoppers who like to browse a variety of shelves, have certain biases. A reader who wants a Scottish setting, might try my book because she also wants romance and historical. The reader who wants a thriller will probably never see my titles. After all, if I want new shoes, I won’t shop in the grocery store.

Some publishing advisors recommend creating a profile of your ideal reader. For me, that reader is likely female, likely middle-aged or older, likely of European extraction, likely a history buff.  But even with those broad strokes in mind, I can write to a more specific reader. Maybe she’ll have a soft spot for cats. (There are millions of cat videos out there so clearly cats are a big seller!) Since I’m a cat owner of many years standing, I’m speaking from experience if I write a cat into story.

So now I’m writing a letter (book) to an old friend who shares my culture and my love of cats. As I imagine myself talking to this one person, my story-telling becomes deeper and freer. I don’t need to over-explain everything, because I’m just writing to a friend. I can uncover secret longings and confess to failures, because I’m writing to a friend. All of this will shape the story, colour the character of my protagonist, and make the story connect more on a personal level with my one (hopefully many ‘ones’) reader.

Early in my career, the “elevator pitch” was a hot topic.   Many writers obsessed with packing as much of the story as possible into one short paragraph that could be recited at top speed to an editor or agent as they rode the elevator together at a conference; in other words, a hard sell. But if you think of pitching your story to one old friend, the “sell” part diminishes. You want your friend to like your book, so you tell her the stuff that will interest her. And that’s the stuff the editor wants to know, too.

Maybe this writing to one reader isn’t as odd as it sounds. I note that Ms. Karon uses “to” instead of  “for.” I find that word choice interesting.   If I write “for” a multitude of readers, it feels like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks. If I write “to” you, I’m forging a relationship. We’re partners in this book. I put down my vision of the story, and you read it through your experience. 

I’m not suggesting writers should ignore all the marketing advice about building a brand, or the craft advice about voice or character arcs, or any of the many, many skills that go into building a profitable career. But I think the idea of writing to “one” friendly reader is worthy of consideration.

What do you think? Click the comment button at the top of this post to share your opinions.

 

 

Writing Motto for 2026

January 28, 2026 / / 0 Comments

According to the puzzle page in my daily newspaper, today is world daisy day.  Daisies have a day. Who knew?

According to the encyclopedia Britannica, plants called daisies are distinguished by a composite flower head composed of 15 to 30 white ray flowers surrounding a centre consisting of bright yellow disk flowers, though other colour combinations are common.

Whatever the botanical characteristics of a daisy, their happy faces always make me smile. I guess it is that “bright yellow disk” thing. I have several clumps of Shasta daisies in my flower beds. They can be a bit of weed, but I can always count on them to survive a hard winter, to thrive on neglect, and to nod in gentle greeting whenever the wind passes by. Reliable, cheerful, resilient — those are the characteristics I’d list if I were writing a text to define “daisy.”

Those same characteristics describe my reading choices this month. I don’t want edgy, or dark, or mafia, or several of the other categories the book stores list. I want books that read like the daisy, — reliable, cheerful, resilient. Another blog I follow has a segment called “Good Book Thursday,” I’ve noticed that many of the comments are from folks re-reading their favourite novels and authors. Maybe it’s the daisy-effect. Whatever their personal taste, readers are looking for “reliable” reads. 

I’ve just finished two books from my Christmas haul that land in that category. The authors deliver a reliable story, told in a predictable style with characters the reader expects. Re-reading means the book-lover is not reading for story alone, but for voice and style and comfort. Louise Penny’s readers love “Three Pines.” They want to go to that imaginary village and just hang out with the characters they’ve come to know.  Alexander McCall Smith’s readers find themselves in Africa or Scotland so place is not so significant, but they can anticipate long rambling passages that discuss life and philosophy — a slow read. Considering Smith’s legions of fans, we can assume that “slow” is okay in the right hands.

As writers, finding fans who love to re-read our book is like getting a gold star — and a cash prize at the same time. Those loyal fans will talk about your books, promote them to book clubs, give them away as gifts, and generate new readers for you.

As I consider the authors I read again and again, I try to pick out the elements that I might use in my own writing to please my fan base. Penny’s mysteries are edge-of-your-seat exciting. I know that is not my forté, but creating a village where readers can hang out — that is more within my grasp. Prospect, the town in my gold rush romances, has potential along that line.  The gold rush town has a frontier appeal, there are recurring characters who have distinct personalities, the geographical setting in the Rocky Mountains has a romantic appeal. These are elements I can build on, either in another Prospect book, or in a new series.

I’m afraid I’d put readers to sleep if I spent page after page philosophizing but there are topics — like love and family — that I could develop as recognizable themes in my writing. My Christmas short story, “The Man Who Loved Christmas” is an example of family and the bonds that hold it together.

As I ponder a new chapter of writing in 2026, I’ll make “reliable, cheerful and resilient” a motto, just like the daisy. 

What about you, dear reader, how do you plan to approach 2026 both in your writing and in life. Click the comment button at the top of this page to share your thoughts.

 

Health and Happiness

January 14, 2026 / / 0 Comments

I just looked at the date on my last post here and realized I’d missed the whole month of December.  Although, I missed posting here in December,  I was very engaged in “life.”

As usual, Christmas came too early. I like to have my presents for mailing done by the end of November, but in 2025, they weren’t ready until the second week of December, and that required some marathon sessions with needle and thread, not to mention sweat and tears.  The cause of my angst is pictured above. Every year I make tree ornaments for the “greats” in my family. Usually I crochet, cross-stitch or quilt a small item. This year I embarked on hardanger embroidery.  Although the actual stitching goes fairly quickly, there is one stage of the process where you have to cut away the backing, in the middle of your stitches. That is where the sweat and tears come into play. Anyone who has ever done hand embroidery can understand the near panic I felt when taking scissors to the inside of my work.

Anyway, the project did get finished and was delivered in time for Christmas Eve. Whew! And, I learned something new. Learning something new is cited as important for health and happiness by numerous experts. Here is one example. 

Another key to health and happiness is gratitude. I know this one from personal experience. Several years ago I committed to keeping a journal that listed three things I was thankful for at the start of every day. I embarked on this adventure by following Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts. I had a great year. Even on the gloomiest mornings, I could conjure up gratitude. Our earth is so full of blessings, if we only look. Seeking and naming the things I was thankful for, made for a great start to the day. Once the year was over (I made it to 923 gratitudes) I looked around for something else for a morning exercise, but nothing was as successful in leading me to health and happiness.

Now it is another year. The world is still full of abundance and blessings, but I’m aware of a miasma of fear too.  While I’m resolved to start the day with gratitude,  in the back of my mind there is a “but . . .”

All is not well in the world at large, or in my particular corner of it. I hope that gratitude will overwhelm my fears, but they are still there. Hiding what disturbs me is a form of lying, and study after study confirms that lying is bad for our health. Lying is stressful and puts strain on the heart and lungs and brain. We live in “fight or flight” mode when we tell lies. The bigger the lie, the worse the stress. 

Fiction writers often joke that they tell lies for a living, but creating a novel is not the same as lying to the teacher, or falsely accusing a friend, or cheating on a spouse. Those kinds of lies damage us both physically and emotionally. 

The Sunday sermon at my church urged us to be honest with God and with each other. “Tell the truth,” the preacher said. If the answer to “how are you?” is not “fine,” then don’t say you are. Admit to loneliness, or fear, or pain, or want . . . By being honest, and naming that which is not “fine,” we reduce the stress on our own bodies, and we make ourselves available to receive help from others. 

So, in 2026 I’ll continue to learn something new, I’ll start each day with gratitude, and, in my journal,  I will name one thing that causes me distresses. That is my recipe for health and happiness in 2026.  Petting the cat is a proven stress reliever.

How about you, dear reader? Please click on the comment button at the top of this post to share your hints for making the most of the year ahead. 

Danger, Reader Ahead

November 20, 2025 / / 1 Comment

Beacon BooksReading

The books that have resonated with me this past two weeks are books about reading. In one an important “personage” discovers reading later in life. Of course, she has always read — letters, recipes, documents, assignments– but at this stage of her life she discovers books as a window to the world. She reads indiscriminately, taking whatever volume the librarian hands her. She has not planned  what type of book is worth her time. History, fantasy, travel, romance, classics, foreign language — all are equally welcome on her bedside table.

The more the “personage” reads, the more she explores her own feelings. Because, that is what books do. They invite the reader into the world of another person. They help the reader to experience the events and feelings, of that person’s life. Our “personage” finds her values, inherited and always unquestioned, begin to soften as she gets inside the mind and heart of the characters in her books. 

In the beginning, reading was a guilty pleasure for our heroine. As time goes on, and more books are studied, she looks on the people she meets in the real world with more understanding. She hears their comments from a place of vulnerability. Through the reading of books, our lady of position becomes more human.

The second book, I referenced in my last blog. In this case, the heroine of the story works with words and books all the time, but is forbidden to read them. Over and over she is told her job is “to fold the pages, not read them.” But she has a longing within her to know what the words mean, to know what knowledge they impart, to read the complete thoughts of another.  She knows that she is missing something. Every time she folds a book, gathers the sections and sews it together, she wants more. She wants to know what the author said, what aspect of humanity is laid down on the written page.

Without giving away too much of the plot, I will say that, by the end of the book, she is allowed to read the books, not just bind them.  

Unlike the protagonist in the first book, who discovered humanity through reading, the second heroine discovers herself through reading.

AI

In between reading these lovely books, I read several articles about the rise of AI (Artificial Intelligence)in the world and what that means for writers and artists and other “creatives.” The forecast is not hopeful. The potential for AI to replace real people in the arts is enormous — and disheartening.

AI is not human. AI can sort and regurgitate inputs at a tremendous rate of speed. A reader can order up a book in the style of Nora Roberts, set in Australia, and featuring a blind protagonist and get a readable result in minutes. What they don’t get is Nora Roberts’ understanding of the human condition. They don’t get insight — they get a distillation.  They don’t get real, human emotion, they get a simulation of emotion. Remember when intellectuals scoffed at the “Reader’s Digest” version of books? They held that these condensed books missed out on the value of the writing and merely presented a summary of the story. Well if a condensed book was unworthy, AI is even worse.

Give me books that plumb the heights and depths of the human experience. Give me books that enlighten. Give me books that create empathy. Give me books of original characters that will live in my mind for days or even years to come. Only a skillful, human writer can produce Tom Sawyer, or Elizabeth Bennet, or Cinderella. Characters that have become part of our collective conscience.

AI can mimic them.

It cannot create them.

I hope that we readers, are like the characters in the two books I described–folks who explore the human condition through the imaginings of a human author. The world of the individual will improve and the world of our collective society will benefit.

Please drop a comment here.

The Art of Book Binding

November 5, 2025 /

My book club choice this month is The Bookbinder of Jericho. The story concerns a young woman who works in the bindery in Oxford in the WWI era. The first few pages of the book confused me because they talked about “folding” and “gathering” and “sections” and “text blocks.” In order to enjoy the book, I needed to learn something about book binding.

I scoured the internet and my own book shelves and learned about a whole world I hadn’t known existed. As writers we spend so much time thinking about the story and the use of language, that we may overlook the craft of the book binder. However, when I open a cheap mass market paperback and the margins are so narrow I can’t read the text without turning the book on edge, or I get a cramp in my hand from trying to hold it open, I start to appreciate a well-made volume. 

In the early 20th Century, text was printed on large sheets of paper, 19 inches by 24 inches, using movable type presses. These sheets were then folded, once, twice, three times or four times, each fold at right angles to the last. The job of the typesetter was critical. He (it was always a man) had to arrange the type so that, when the page was folded and bound, the text ran in the right direction from left to right, the pages were in the right order and everything lined up evenly. Many experienced pressmen could read upside down and backward because the type had to be a mirror image of the finished product. What a skill!

sections on sewing frame

The printed sheets were taken from the presses and sent to the folding tables. This is where the women worked. They had to take each sheet and carefully line up the printers marks, then make the folds, using a “bonefolder.” It was a tool, kind of like a ruler, that helped to make the folds sharp and straight. Each folded sheet was called a section. When the book was ready for binding the sections were gathered in order, and put onto a frame for sewing. A cloth tape was applied along the spine. Then the book was sent back to the men’s side of the bindery to be trimmed, covered and finished, sometimes with the thinnest of gold leaf applied to the embossing in the leather cover. The gold leaf, as describe in the story, is so thin the craftsman cannot pick it up. Instead, he blows on it gently so that the top leaf floats into the air, where he can catch it on a spatula and transfer it to a working surface.

Today a writer can produce her own book at home with a computer, a printer and some trimming machines. Certainly cheaper than the old-fashioned bindery of Pip Williams’ story but I love the craftsmanship and skill of the book binder portrayed in her book. 

A search of my own books turned up this newish volume (pictured at the top of this post)  that was produced with sewing and tape. You can sort of see the tape at the inside top of the spine.

When I hold the book open, with the pages hanging down, I can see that they naturally separate into sections of four leaves, meaning the original printed sheet had been folded four times, to produce eight printed pages.                              

  In my library, I  also found an old book that had been read so many times the threads holding the sections together had loosened, giving me a good look at how the volume had been put together.

This was a children’s book and not of the highest quality, but even so it is easier to open flat than most of today’s volumes.

One other prize I discovered was an old, leather bound book of poetry. The leather is so soft it feels like doeskin in my hand. The book falls open with no effort, it’s weight and texture inviting the reader to explore the text. The physical characteristics of the book are a work of art all by themselves, even without the poetry displayed on the pages. It even has that thin gold leaf nestled into the embossed cover. 

In my youth, I occasionally came upon a book where some of the pages were uncut — meaning they weren’t properly aligned when they were put into the trimmer. I considered these prize volumes because it proved that no one had opened the book before me. 🙂

The world of books is endlessly fascinating, opening our minds and enlarging our understanding with the words and worlds of the author’s imagination. They are also works of art — treasure for humanity.

Pip Williams exploring the book binders trade.

Drop a comment here.

Choosing Your Story

October 21, 2025 /

My book club selection last month was a book I loved and hated. I loved the writing. It was brilliant. Word choice, syntax, voice, clarity, emotion . . . they were all there in shining splendour. But the story! Oh my goodness. The story was horrible. The main characters were depraved, the weak were exploited and the innocent defiled. Even the ending felt hopeless. I searched and searched for one redeeming quality in the MC’s — after all the “experts” say even a villain should have a soft spot somewhere. Not in this case. I tried to find a better tomorrow from the sacrifice of the ‘good’ characters, but couldn’t find it. The story left me depressed and feeling besmirched. 

I’ve turned to one of my favourite “gentle” reads as a palette cleanser. I need to read about moral people. Characters who act on high principles. Story-lines that encourage and enlighten. A book that lets me sleep at night without bad dreams.

But, the experience made me wonder how authors chose their stories. How does a person sit down with a pen and a blank sheet of paper and decide I want to write “this” story. In genre fiction there are certain reader expectations that must be met. e.g. romance needs a “happily-ever-after,” mystery needs a solution, murderers must be brought to justice . .  . But, even within those parameters there are millions of stories that can be told. What makes an author choose the one that goes onto the page? Or what makes a reader decide to enter the world of “that” story?

Author’s are often advised to “write what you know,” but the author of the book I hated is not a bad person. He has not killed, he has not unleased immorality on a town, he has not exercised unbridled power to destroy his rivals. In fact, when asked why he’d written this book, he answered that “it just came to him.” And once he had the idea, he went with it.

In my own books, I wanted to tell a story about my country and it’s history. I also wanted to write a romance, so the Prospect Series was born. Jane Austen must have taken delight in exposing the foibles of her society. But Emily Brontë? What made her want to explore the darkness in Heathcliff’s soul? She was the daughter of a clergyman, brought up in gentile circles and surrounded by loving siblings. Was it the wildness of the moors that inspired her to write Wuthering Heights? By the way, the book was ill-received upon first publication. It was considered too wild and savage. Only years later was it added to the list of great English novels. 

Readers have diverse tastes, and I rejoice that there are books to meet every need. I’m glad my book club presses me to explore different books. And I’m really happy that I have the freedom to read the books I like and set aside those I don’t. What a sad and straight-jacketed world it would be if everyone had to conform to my idea of a good book. 

The Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest book fair in the world,  just wrapped up. The five day event included 1000 authors from 92 different countries and around 200,000 visitors. Three cheers for authors and publishers! May we all continue to thrive and find our happy place between the covers of a good book.

How do you choose a story? Drop a comment here.

Piano Lessons

September 18, 2025 /

My book club meetings have started up again. Back to school anyone? We reviewed The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart. This is an old book that came into my possession via a little free library. The words “piano” and “left bank” caught my attention so I brought it home. Turns out, I loved this book — so much that I recommended it for our reading list this year.  My fellow readers really enjoyed it as well. We had a great discussion and, because I have a little grand piano in my house, we opened the lid and examined all the working parts, checked out the maker’s insignia, found the gold cording around the edges and made sure there was a stabilizer bar attached to the pedals. Those of us who had had piano lessons at some point in our lives got to discuss various teaching techniques and recital disasters.

But from a purely literary point of view, I couldn’t find a reason that this book held such great appeal to me. The prose is accessible but not extraordinary. The plot — if you can find it — meanders. There are no high action scenes, grand pianos do not drop from balconies onto unsuspecting pedestrians. There is a very muted romance as a sub-plot but only in the last few chapters. Yet the book inspired me to start practicing scales and arpeggios again.

None of my fellow book club readers could help me out, but I have a theory. I believe we are all intrigued by expertise, even when the subject is not our favourite.  We are drawn to people who are knowledgeable and passionate about their pursuits.  In this book, the reader was permitted to enter the highly specialized world of piano making and restoration. We saw pianos from the mechanical viewpoint of the craftsman and we saw them from the artistic perspective of master musicians. We also got to walk along with the author who is an amateur — like us. Remember that the word “amateur” originally meant “lover.” In modern times it is used in a pejorative sense, in that the “amateur” is less than the “professional.” One can turn that definition around and say the “amateur” is the true artist because (s)he does it for the love of art not for payment. 

Having participated in many “amateur” performances, I place great value on the term as “lover of.” In the world of story-telling, we consider writers who can make a living, i.e. get paid, as the ones to emulate. But in the real world the number of writers who write for the love of it  far exceed the number writers who get paid. If you are one of those who cries over yet another rejection letter or sighs at depressing sales records, take heart. You are an amateur. From Wikipedia: “Historically, the amateur was considered to be the ideal balance between pure intent, open mind, and the interest or passion for a subject.”

Consider the Olympics. Here are the very best athletes in the world, competing for love of the sport. They are amateurs!

I’m very grateful to the author of The Piano Shop on the Left Bank for reminding me of the glories of the piano, bringing me back to joy of playing on those black and white keys, and confirming that amateurs (lovers) are a blessing to the world.

https://www.alicevaldal.com/piano-lessons/#respond

Small but Beautiful

September 4, 2025 /

School’s back in session, so time to settle down to a regular routine at my writing desk.  September landed on the calendar so abruptly I feel as though I’ve been caught with my homework undone. I’m used to a few days grace before Labour Day and the back to work schedule. I guess the upside will be in December when Christmas falls on a Thursday. Mid-week holidays seem easier to me than those that fall on Monday.

Anyway, back to this week’s blog. I came upon this article about Indie Publishers.. I think we used to call these small presses, whereas “Indie” meant self publishing. Just a reminder that change in the world of publishing is faster than ever and taking a summer off means I’m out of the loop.  The line in the article that really caught my attention was this: not only are there fewer editors at the Big Five available to pitch, but that their imprints are becoming more generic. “We’re seeing imprints lose their brand identity,” she says. “It’s more common that imprints under the same groups share marketing and sales resources.” 

I was complaining to a writer friend recently that I can’t find romances that appeal to me in the way the old Harlequins of my youth did. I remember the excitement of picking up a new offering and keeping the light on until late, late at night as I followed these characters to their HEA. Along the way I explored Scottish Inns, Italian villas, Dutch tulip fields and Australian sheep stations. Each story was a revelation. Now, I know those books were formulaic but from my experience they were much more original than today’s offerings. 

The romance field has segmented into little boxes. We’ve got erotic, spicy, wholesome, medical, glitz and glamour, small town, paranormal, religious, Amish, . . . Amazon lists 42 categories of romance. In other words, the parameters of the genre are so tightly honed, there is no happy surprise awaiting the reader, no new discoveries on the next page. Editors send rejection letters saying “we don’t know where to market this story,” meaning that it doesn’t fit within one of those pre-determined segments. So a story that might thrill me, won’t get published because the author coloured outside the lines.

At least, that’s how it seems to me. 

So, that is my “back to school essay.” What did you do over the summer? Did you discover a new author or publisher that has made you lose sleep? Please share.  https://www.alicevaldal.com/small-but-beautiful/#respond 

 

 

What’s in a Title?

June 11, 2025 /

doing homeworkWent to the movie, “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life.” I hadn’t read much about the show but the title intrigued me so much, I joined a couple of female friends — no husbands wanted to come — and had a girls night out. The movie was not what any of us expected. To begin with, it was in French with English sub-titles. The scenery was beautiful and the plot  . . . took some work to find.

But the movie got me thinking about titles. The theatre sold three admissions because of the title alone.  A quick glance at my bookshelves reveals generic titles like, Venetia, Sylvester and The Grand Sophy — clearly I own these books because I’m a fan of Georgette Heyer. There are also a number of titles with “Vinyl Café” in the title, because I’m a fan of that series too. However, if I didn’t know the authors, I doubt I’d buy the book, or see the movie, based solely on the title.  How about The Sound of Life’s Unspeakable Beauty? I really enjoyed that book, but I can never remember the title when I wish to recommend it to a friend. It is a translation so perhaps that’s why it is cumbersome in my ear.

The first title in my Prospect series is The Man for Her.  The title was chosen by the publisher and didn’t ring any bells for me, but others said it was a “great” title so what do I know? The subsequent titles, Her One and Only, and Her One True Love were chosen to be consistent with the first.  Would you buy any of those books based on the titles alone?

So, what makes a “selling” title? Musical references are a favourite among romance writers. A quick glance at Amazon shows many titles referencing Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender.” There are many, many titles using the “Mail Order Bride” motif. I really like that trope, but there are so many books to choose from authors have had to add qualifiers to distinguish themselves. So now we have The Sheriff’s, the Doctor’s, the Rancher’s, the Cowboy’s etc. Mail Order Bride. Similarly Harlequin Romance has put “Billionaire” into many of its titles. These practices certainly help readers who want a particular trope to find their next read quickly and predictably. 

A look at Amazon’s “best seller” list revealed The Lost Bookshop: The most charming and uplifting novel for 2025 and the perfect gift for book lovers!  That one had me at bookshop — I’m a sucker for books about book shops! The tagline in the title seems a bit over the top, but it probably has something to do with Amazon’s categories and keyword marketing strategies.

What about the classics? Great Expectations, Wind in the Willows, Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, Two Solitudes, 1984. If you didn’t know about those books already, would the title alone tempt you?

As usual, the decision rests with individual tastes and interests. You can’t please all of the people all of the time, but it might be worth considering the people you want to please when choosing a title. If you’re writing adventure stories putting Jane Austen in the title isn’t going to be a great marketing strategy, but if you’re looking for middle-aged female readers (or movie goers) it works like a charm.

I’d love to hear about your favourite titles (not books, just titles) and what draws you to them. Please drop a line in the comments section to share your thoughts.

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