We’re getting down to the fine strokes, and it’s now time for me to consider the title of my memoir. I thought I would throw this out to the larger community for feedback.
Many of you probably already know something of Chris’s and my story. Consider putting yourself in the shoes of someone who isn’t familiar with this blog. If you were in a bookstore seeking hope for yourself and for your seventeen year old son or twenty five year old daughter, would you eagerly pick up a book with the title Holistic Recovery from Schizophrenia: A Mother and Son Journey or would something make you hesitate? If so, what would that be?
We could also scratch the bookstore and think only in terms of the virtual bookstore. If you were looking for help, what terms would you put into your search engine?
What does this book title mean to you?
Your feedback is welcome. Feel free to suggest new ideas. I’m here to learn, not defend.
The word holistic is off putting to some. I would do something different. I will think about it.
I like your working title, Rossa, because it’s so descriptive of what the book is about. I would have snapped up a book with this title for sure had I seen it 10 years ago when I was desperate for hope. I think it’s good to have the word “schizophrenia” in the title, even though I don’t believe in the validity of the diagnosis. Families who are just being thrown into turmoil by that diagnosis are not going to relate to phrases like “extreme distress.” On the other hand, maybe there’s a catchy way to distill what the book’s about. Like Susannah Cahalan’s book title. She had anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, an actual physical illness of the brain, but it would be a mistake to put THAT in a book titile. ha ha. Her book is titled:
Brain On Fire: My Month of Madness. That title really grabs you, it’s really descriptive of what the story is about, and it WAS a NY Times bestseller.
http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Fire-My-Month…/dp/1451621388
How about “Weller than Well: A Son’s Victory Over Schizophrenia Diagnosis” ?
I think both the words Holistic and the word Schizophrenia might limit your market in terms of sales. My understanding of your story is that it is a quest for knowledge, wisdom, shared humanity, connection and love. It’s about freedom, it’s about society, it’s about systems, and it’s ultimately about life and who and how we want to be in the world. While the backdrop is holistic recovery from schizophrenia, the themes are much bigger, and have more mass appeal. Somehow, I think a title that speaks more to the lessons learned rather then the “backdrop” might be best, though off hand I can’t come up with anything…