Does ‘Vito: The Cat Who Wouldn’t Purr’ Sound Like a Children’s Book?
I’ve been pondering an email from a friend of mine who knew Vito and has enjoyed the first ten chapters on this website.
She writes, in part…
The title ‘Vito: The Cat Who Wouldn’t Purr’ sounds like a children’s book to me. I assume that you are aiming your book at a wider audience like the ‘Marley and Me’ crowd. Perhaps changing the title to something a bit ‘catchier’ … would appeal to a larger audience.
She brings up an intriguing point.
The title does sound like a children’s book.
But I’ve also received a host of compliments specifically on the title from people who knew full well that the book was never aimed at a children’s market.
So my question to you, good reader, is when you first heard the title, did you assume it was a children’s book?
And if so, what might be a better title?
So far I’ve come up with…
- Vito: The Cat Who Wouldn’t Purr
- Vito: His Dirty Live and Times
- Vito
- Purr
- To Purr
Other options include…
- Vito and Me
- The Seasons of a Cat’s Life
- Have Cat, Will Travel
- The Cat Who Came In From the Cold
- I, Vito
- The World According to Vito
And, of course…
- Of Mice and Men
Thoughts? Ideas?
Facebook comments:
My first thought was that “Vito” would be a children’s book. Books about cats and dogs generally are, and the “cat who would purr” appositive reinforces that notion. I did enjoy the first 10 chapters on an adult level, though, in spite of the fact that I don’t generically like cats. I recognize that animal companions teach us a lot about ourselves and I assume that’s where the book is heading. I’m looking forward to reading the rest.