What's in a Name?

Naming a baby is an important job. We want a name that sounds just right and one that will still sound good when the baby becomes as adult. We want a name that isn’t easy to make fun of. We don’t want our baby to be the brunt of jokes because of the name we picked. We don’t want a name that’s all used up. Different is good, but not too different.

Naming a book is another important job. The title needs to sound just right and tell us something about the book. The title needs to speak to you. It should say pick me up, read me, buy me. We don’t want a title that’s already worn out. Different is good.

Because a book title is so vital to the marketing of a book, most publishers reserve for themselves the final say on a title. My publisher told me that they only use about 5% of submitted titles. Most titles are changed. I have heard that big name national publishers run their titles past Barnes and Noble and Borders for approval. If they don’t like the title, it’s a no go. I guess Borders is out of the running now, so maybe only Barnes and Noble holds such power.

I love short snappy titles. Some that have caught my attention lately are The Help, and Speak. A one word title that is loaded with meaning is an attention grabber. I named one of my picture books I’m Not Scared, and later changed it to just Scared.

What are some titles that speak to you? Have you ever grabbed a book just because the title was intriguing? Did the book live up to its title? Have you ever rejected a book based on its title, and later changed your mind?

Choosing a great title is an art form. What’s in a Name? A lot.

Linda Garner

And the Winner Is.........

Thanks to everyone who has spread the word about the No More Secrets Walk. This is going to be a fun day. Following the Walk/Run which starts at 11:00 we will have free food and entertainment, interspersed with drawings for some great prizes. There will be face-painting, balloons, and games for the kids. You won’t want to miss the magic show, or the fabulous entertainment. The fun lasts until 3:00. If you can help us with the weather, we would really appreciate it.

This morning friend-husband and I had a private drawing for those who entered our advertising contest. Thank-you, thank you for spreading the word. And the winner of a $25.00 Barnes and Noble Gift Card is….(drumroll please)…Stacey. Thank you everyone. Stacey please send me your address, so that I can send you the gift card. You can send it to lindagarner@somesecretshurt.com.

I hope that y’all have marked April 17 on your calendars and that you will join us in preventing child abuse. You can still register for $5.00 at ahealingplacemonument.org. On the day of the walk, registration is $10.00, so be sure to register early. We still have a few t-shirts, so hurry. When they’re gone, they’re gone.

Check back tomorrow for details about our fabulous entertainment.

Remember: Together, we can make a difference.

Linda Garner

You CAN make a difference

Everyone wants to make a difference. When we hear about children who have been abused our hearts ache. “How did it happen?” we wonder. When it ends in tragedy we feel deep sorrow, and regret. Could something have been done? Can we do something to prevent child abuse? Can we make a difference?

Because I believe that we can stop this madness, I am involved in child abuse prevention. I invite you to join us in that effort. You can start by participating in the No More Secrets walk/run. You can sign up today. You can help us spread the word. You can encourage your friends and family to sign up.

Our contest for a $25.00 Barnes and Noble Gift Card is still open. You have until Friday at midnight to block, twitter, or facebook about the walk. Each of those earns you one chance to win. Respond to this post to tell me how many chances you have earned. I’ll throw in an extra chance to anyone who does a mass email about the walk. Send it out to everyone in your address book. If you get us a spot on the radio or in a newspaper, I’ll give you three chances to win.

I could use your help lining up entertainment. Some of the folks we expected to come through for entertainment haven't, and so I am scrambling to fill some time slots. After the walk we will have free food and entertainment, along with drawings for cool stuff. This is a family friendly walk, so we want family friendly stuff. Do you know any performers who would enjoy the chance to make a difference?

We also need sponsors of every kind. If you know of a business or an individual who would like to donate food, prizes for drawings, or money, let me know. Everyone who donates will get their name on our website and be recognized on the day of the walk. Anyone who donates $100 will also have their name on the back of the t-shirt. Good advertising. Sponsors for the t-shirts need to be in this week, so that we have time to print the shirts.

Do you have a service or a product that you could donate for our drawings? Do you have a business who could use this kind of advertising?

I would love for you to come participate in the walk on April 17. It's just $5.00 if you pre-register. At the walk it will be $10.00. You can pre-register any time before April 17. If you register by Friday, you get a free t-shirt. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Why not walk with us to prevent child abuse? Register at ahealingplacemonument.org.

Oh and by the way, did I mention…We’re gonna have a good time! Come join us. We’re gonna make a difference, and we're gonna have fun!

Our goal is No More Secrets, because Some Secrets Hurt.

Linda Garner

Contest!!! Win a gift card to Barnes and Noble

Please help us spread the word about our No More Secrets Walk. If you mention our walk and link to the No More Secrets post and ahealingplacemonument.org you will be entered in a drawing to win a $25.00 gift card to Barnes and Noble. Cool, huh?

You can do the magic on your personal blog, twitter, or facebook. If you do all three, you get three chances to win. Reply to this post, telling me how many chances you have earned. Be sure to say we are walking to prevent child abuse. The deadline is April 1. Go bloggers!

P.S.
The walk is a 5k. It takes 3 loops to make 5k, so if you want to do only one or two loops, you can.

If you missed the No More Secrets post, It's right here. Just scroll down.

A Big Surprise!

Brandilyn and I got a big surprise last Saturday. My son called and asked if I knew my book was out. “Of course not,” I said. “It won’t be out until September 16.”

“I know that’s what you’ve told us,” said Nate, “but it is out. It is on the shelves at Deseret Book, and it is available at deseretbook.com.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Positive,” he said.

Well, you can imagine what happened next. I made a flying trip to Deseret Book and found that Some Secrets Hurt is indeed on the shelves. Next we checked websites. Besides deseretbook.com, we found it available on barnesandnoble.com. Amazon.com and borders.com have it available for preorder with the September release date. BYU Bookstore has it on their shelves, but not on their website.

I called the local Barnes and Noble to see if they have it in stock. “Not yet,” I heard, “but we can order it in.” The South Town Barnes and Noble has ordered one. It will be here Friday. You could be the one to get that book.

Curiosity got the better of me, so I asked my Shadow Mountain friends, “what’s up with that?” Of course I am crazy with delight, to see my book on store shelves, but how did it happen, and when does the publicity start?

It seems the book was ready early and Deseret Book was already shipping early for Education Week, so they decided to ship early to their stores as well. The publicity will wait for the official September 16 release date, but in the meantime Some Secrets Hurt is on store shelves now.

Why wait? Get your copy today. Today is the perfect day to share it with someone you love. Remember that keeping kids safe is everyone’s job.

Linda Garner

And the Winner Is...

What an exciting day this is for the writers of Paper and Parchment. We have so much to celebrate. At the top of our list today is our love for you, our faithful readers. We salute you and celebrate your support. Thanks for hanging out with us and responding to our ramblings. Whether you have visited our blog once or 100 times, we thank you and we invite you to stick around for more.

And the winner is (drumroll please)…Melanie J. of the Write Stuff blog. Congratulations to Melanie. Do the happy dance, Melanie, a Barnes and Noble gift card is headed your way. At precisely 12:01 this morning Melanie was selected out of 19 entrants (one of the 20 comments was our own) and notified by email. Thanks to all who participated. Though we can only give away one gift card, we think you are all winners.

Please come back tomorrow for my regular post which will be a follow up on the t-shirt blog from last week. If you didn’t read it, there’s still time. It’s called Stand Up For Kids. Feel free to scroll down and take a peek. I would love your response to a couple of important questions. Tell all your friends.

Linda Garner