As the long-running readers of this blog will know, when I finished the first draft of my first novel five and a half years ago (to be honest, it feels more like a decade), I bought a celebratory fountain pen.
Possessing moderate quantities of that desirable intangible, self-control, I resisted the urge to repeat the procedure every time I finished a draft. But self-control is none the worse for having the occasional treat, so once I was within hailing distance of getting The Wound of Words off my hands (not just the first draft but the whole thing, published and all), I ordered another celebratory pen. (Just a tiny one…)
I’ve been sitting on an idea for some time, like a hen on an egg, and I’d like to hear your views on it. (Addled, or ready to hatch?)
I’ve trawled through the first seven years of the archives of this blog, cherry-picking all the really good bits. The idea is to compile them into an ebook – with some extra material – and make it available to the public at a minimal price.
The questions are as follows:
One: do you think this is a good idea (i.e. do you think there’s a market for it)?
Two: do you have any suggestions as to the title? I’ve had ideas including:
Eccentric Ethic & Aesthetic (a former tag-line for the blog)
Unconventional and Slightly Strange (the definition of eccentric)
Old-Fashioned Fruitcake (the present tag-line of the blog)
Sinistra Inksteyne: The First Seven Years (fairly self-explanatory, though Sinistra Inksteyne isn’t the site name any more and there’s always a problem with misdirecting people to the old site which still has that in the url)
Some of these might need a subtitle explaining what the book is (truth in advertising!). The possible BISAC codes include Humor/Form/Essays, and Literary Collections/Essays – or possibly even Literary Collections/Women Authors (though I don’t know if I qualify for the latter, being woman singular).
The overall feeling is one of light-hearted amusingness and oddity with the occasional more serious post for a bit of chiaroscuro. Rather like the blog as a whole, but more so – the cream of the jest scooped off the top, as it were.
Funny and cute? Or creepy?
Three: do you have any suggestions for the cover? The above looks fun (or is it creepy?), but a lot also depends on the title.
So there are my three questions, and I’d love to hear what you think about any or all of them – or anything else that strikes you as relevant.
