Eye Opener Press: Two of the most important aspects of getting a buyer to be interested in a book are its intriguing title and its eye-catching cover design. How did you choose the title, Becoming Fearless: Finding Courage in the African Wilderness?
Brenda: The main part of the title was easy. In a memoir, the author describes a life-changing transformation they’ve experienced. For me, that change revolved around fear. At the start of the story, I feared anything unknown or unfamiliar. And not just scary things like monster-sized hippopotami and crocodiles, but new places, strangers, changes in ways of doing things. I felt more afraid than most people of so much. I knew that about myself, but I didn’t know why. It was a mystery.
Eye Opener Press: In the book you travel to places that not only you but most people would find terrifying. How did that help you become fearless?
Brenda: Sometimes you just have to face your fears. Take a leap of faith. On this trip, I spent time trying to understand why I had become such a fearful person and I actually had a sort of epiphany. It really opened my eyes and allowed me to pick a different, more fearless path for my life. You’ll have to read the book to see how that all unfolded.
Eye Opener Press: How did you go about picking your subtitle?
Brenda: I wasn’t convinced that I needed a subtitle, but my editor recommended I follow that standard for titling memoirs. At first, I liked “finding myself in terra incognita” for the double entendre of physically finding myself in a strange new place, but also finding an explanation for the fears that lived deep inside me. But terra cotta is not a well-known phrase, so I ditched that idea. Instead, I brainstormed a few ideas and decided to get some help to figure out which worked best.
Eye Opener Press: What kind of help did you get?
Brenda: Well, I’m a believer that more brains solving a problem will come up with the best solution. So, I sent a poll with 10 potential subtitles to 22 people I knew who were avid readers, to see which subtitle was most enticing to them. I also asked them to tell me which keywords they found appealing.
Eye Opener Press: How did that poll work out for you?
Brenda: It blew me away. Of the 21 responses that were returned, 13 people, including my editor, picked the subtitle Finding Courage in the African Wilderness as their first choice and 2 others ranked it as their second choice. I couldn’t argue with a 70% consensus rate. I only hope this title will be as appealing to other readers.
Eye Opener Press: We hope so too. In the next post Brenda will share how she selected her book cover design. In the meantime, if you’d like to be notified of promotions when you can pick up a free Ebook of Becoming Fearless: Finding Courage in the African Wilderness, click More Info below and we’ll add you to our E-mail list.
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