For four years now I’ve been writing and revising and looking for an agent for my memoir. And for four years I’ve been calling this memoir Boundary Street.
That’s a pretty cool photo, right? (I commissioned this photo from the inimitable Randall J. van der Woning in Hong Kong.)
But then after a few friends and my independent editor read the manuscript, they agreed that while Boundary Street is a solid title, it might not be the right title for my story.
So I started thinking of other titles and suddenly one stood out among others: A Good Chinese Wife.
Of course, I didn’t even know what it meant to be a good Chinese wife. But I made up my own definition and used it as a guideline to justify why I put up with certain cultural differences in that marriage.
Last week on Facebook I put out a little survey. Did people like Boundary Street or A Good Chinese Wife? The results were pretty even. My oldest son suggested I post this question on my website, too.
So what do you think? What do you think would be more likely to catch an agent’s eye: Boundary Street or A Good Chinese Wife?
Definitely A Good Chinese Wife. It has immediacy and is catchy. Boundary Street is too intellectual and won’t catch the eye or interest of the ordinary reader. I bet you A Good Chinese Wife will sell more copies than Boundary Street any time.
Thanks so much! That seems to be the consensus, but I’m still anxious to hear what people think!
Difficult choice. Subjectively I think I prefer Boundary Street for its subtlety and mystery (it helps that I know what Boundary Street is). But I’ll admit that A Good Chinese Wife is livelier and probably more effective in general.
Thanks so much! I had the same thoughts, but wonder if A Good Chinese Wife is too close to other titles.
Boundary Street, story of A Good Chinese Wife or
A Good Chinese Wife in the middle of Boundary Street
Others have suggested similar combinations!