When do you trust others, and when do you trust your gut?
In 2011, Portfolio Penguin bought the rights to two of my books. The working title of one of them was The Little Book of BIG Innovation Ideas.
The publisher loved it. I hated it.
The publisher was the expert, so I should trust them. Right?
I didn’t.
I generated and submitted 100 different titles. I wore them down until they accepted one.
Best Practices Are Stupid.
To this day, I think it might be the best title of any book I’ve written.
For my next book, the original title was You’re Not Playing with a Full Deck.
I loved it. I even have t-shirts that say, “I’m not playing with a full deck.”
But when I shared the title on social media, most people felt it was too in-your-face. Too insulting. So I softened it to Are You Playing with a Full Deck? Then, even further to Playing with a Full Deck.
Here’s what was interesting.
When I shared the softer titles verbally, they landed flat. No reaction.
When I shared the original, people laughed and then said, “That’s a book I have to read.”
So once again, I’m trusting my gut.
It’s not that the experts are wrong. Part of it is energy. I have to like the title. I have to be proud of it, even if it negatively impacts sales.
And honestly, being a little insulting hasn’t hurt the “Dummies” books or “The Complete Idiot’s Guides.”
When do you trust others, and when do you trust your gut?