brainstorming by petite anglaise

brainstorming

14.12.2007 1:55 pmbook stuff

There’s a reason I do what I do, and don’t, say, design banner ads for a living. But I’m putting my fingers in an awful lot of pies at the moment: writing pitches, writing articles, dreaming up ideas for videocasts, podcasts…

So very much to do, so little time to write book two.

And then it occurred to me, in a blinding flash, that my readers might enjoy lending a hand. A few thousand minds have to be better than one. And when you see what I’ve come up with, you’ll realise you won’t exactly be hard pushed to do better.

So, the brief is that The Boy (whose considerable skills are not limited to the bedroom and kitchen) will make me several banners. One for use on the Penguin network (probably quite straightforward); several for use here and for readers to adopt, if they so wish. They will be relatively simple: a phrase, giving way to another phrase, possibly a third, then a picture and info about the book release date.

My first effort (taken from the book’s subtitle) is:

In Paris
In Love
In Trouble

my second was:

From blog…
…to book
petite anglaise

and my third:

When you write about your life…
does it alter its course?

I came up with a few more, all shot down by my dear friend and mentor, Meg, who suggested the following:

petite anglaise
take her to bed
in hardback

Hmm.

I would be terribly grateful for any suggestions. Scribble them on a postcard, or type them in the comments box below. Any suggestions I actually use will get a copy of the book signed by me and doodled on by Tadpole.

113 comments

From the blog that made her famous…
…a real-life tale of love and laughter in the City of Lights.

lisette | 2:30 pm
I actually like the one “When you write about your life…does it alter its course?”. It says a lot, yet leaves a lot for the reader to want to find out more.

Good luck with choosing…

Caffienated Cowgirl | 3:37 pm
Petite Anglaise.
Enormous problems.
Will she solve them?

Zinnia Cyclamen | 3:39 pm
Well I vote for “when you write about your life, does it alter its course?”, being that it’s intruiging and all. I would pick up a book with something like that written on the cover.

Joy | 3:50 pm
The blog you’ve heard about is
The book you’ll talk about
Petite Anglaise

Ali | 3:50 pm
Forgive me if I just brainstorm straight into your comments box - it might get a bit repetitive:

“She kissed a frog - the true story”

“The true story of what happens when a girl kisses a frog”

“She kissed a frog, had a tadpole, told the story, got fired - then her life began”

“The real life story of what happens when you kiss a frog.”

“Petite Anglaise.
Her boss fired her for it.
You will love her for it.”

“Petite Anglaise
Hard covers
Warm centre”

“My mummy wrote a book
please buy it
Love Tadpole”

“Kissed frog
Got dooced
Life began
Translation here…”
(With a click through to book details.”)

Oops - must go and do work now, or I’ll be dooced myself.

Damian | 3:54 pm
“Petite Anglaise
Tadpole’s mum…
You can tell by her bum….”

No?

Ok, I’ll think of something better……..

Dave of the Lake | 4:08 pm
Life…live it, write it and then edit!

Jane Turner | 4:15 pm
She’s a sharp one, that Meg! LOL Give me a day to think about some suggestions… just arrived in the States yesterday in an ice storm and completely jet lagged.

The Bold Soul | 4:19 pm
Your question: “When you write about your life… does it alter its course?” must have been inspired by the physicist, Heisenberg. The principle that the act of observing any phenomenon changes it.

You’ll get the ‘geek’ vote…

John Greenwood | 4:29 pm
Online/offline -
never the two shall meet.
Wrong. Very wrong…

Petite Anglaise,
big problems.
Now out in hardcover.

Petite Anglaise -
Blogging got her fired
and us a great book

From P.A. to Petite Anglaise
Your favourite blog is
now a novel

retailtherapist | 4:46 pm
“An unconventional romance in Pairs”

Jessica | 4:52 pm
I was very excited at the idea of scribbling on a postcard - maybe you like “real” mail as much as I do?

But despite a few clickings on your site, there is no address provided to send the postcard to, if I was so inclined to scribble upon one. Oh well - a minor disappointment.

french panic | 4:58 pm
I have to say, I’m actually a fan of the “In Paris/In Love/In Trouble” version, just because a) I like it visually, and we’re talking about a banner here, and b) sets up a structure that you could easily pull through in your follow-up books.

jen | 5:02 pm
I like the idea of one of the banners being the subtitle - it’s intriguing in itself, and links directly with the book, which can only help sell more books.

Meg’s idea of using ‘Petite Anglaise’ in the banner is good for the same reason: repetition = recognition = sales.

What about:

Petite Anglaise: dumped, dooced & outed (from your sidebar)

Or

Petite Anglaise: dooced & seduced in Paris

Peg | 5:16 pm
I like them all, but my favorite is the one that starts with “In Paris…”

If I didn’t know anything about you and I saw that on a book it would make me pick up the book more than the others because it actually says a lot about the content. It’s in the most beautiful city in the world and there is relationship conflict! Who doesn’t want to read about that? Ok, well men probably wouldn’t want to read about that, but every woman I know would.

Wide Lawns | 5:16 pm
Petite in Paris
Slice up your life!

Polly | 5:25 pm
There are an estimated [inset approx number here] on the net to date…Tadpole only appears in this one. Petite Anglaise.

Polly | 5:32 pm
Petite Anglaise wrote a blog about douce Paris.
She didn’t expect to get dooced for this.

Julie | 5:37 pm
A few suggestions: whether good….or bad.

Petite Anglaise: It might be a crazy life…but it’s my life. Pieces of me in Paris.

Petite Anglaise: Such a big World, such a big Life…MY LIFE. Pieces of me in Paris.

Petite Anglaise: A real life fairy tale in Paris.
OR: A real life fairy tale set in the most romantic city: Paris

Petite Anglaise: Love, Laughter….My life in Paris.

Petite Anglaise: My Romance, My Family, My Life.

Petite Anglaise: Romance, Love….Paris

Petite Anglaise: From England to Paris…Peices of my life.

Petite Anglaise: From Paris, With Love.

Petite Anglasie: A most romantic city….a most romantic life. Peices of my life in Paris.

My Life, My Journey, My Paris. Petite Anglaise

Kirsten Maxwell | 5:52 pm
I like this one from Damian : “She kissed a frog - the true story”
Good luck choosing !

CrainTyph | 5:55 pm
Paris
Mon Amour
& all her (Titilating) trials and tribulations

mindy | 6:26 pm
Taking on Paris?
Petite erreur?
No, Petite Anglaise…

Loopy | 6:40 pm
I tried French kissing…
and this is what it led to…
Petite Anglaise

Loopy | 6:43 pm
Writing about her life…
Altered its course.

or

By writing about her life…
She altered its course.

I also really like the one with the question, maybe just change the text like above to make it more immediate? It sounds magical! Almost like a reverse-version of ‘Atonement’, you know?

Rachel | 6:47 pm
I like n°1 and 3 of your original suggestions.
here are a few suggestions:

“From getting the sack
to getting a French boyfriend:
life-changing moments
by Petite Anglaise”

“Being a single-mum can be fun.
Read Petite Anglaise”

“Some MILFs are also good on paper.
Petite Anglaise is one of them”

est | 6:50 pm
I actually like Meg’s suggestion. It doesn’t sound like a sales pitch.

How about:
Petite Anglaise
Tadpoles, bullfrogs, and polywogs

Metroknow | 6:54 pm
Last semester at univeristy I wrote a final paper on Parisian Expats and I only wish the book would have been out then for me to use!!

On that note I chose books with Paris somewhere in the Title or banner sectiony thing ie. Paris to the Moon and C’est La Vie: An American Woman Begins a New Life in Paris and–Voila!–Becomes Almost French

I have no idea if you do indeed want to be including in college essays or the like but just a note!!

bohemianbailie | 7:22 pm
I agree that using In Paris/In Love/In Trouble would help your sales. But my favorite is When you write about your life does it alter its course?” I made me stop and actually think about the question being posed.

Karla | 8:12 pm
I *really* like “When you write about your life…
does it alter its course?”

Petite Anglaise
the frog that led to a tadpole
the blog that led to a book.

Sarah

Passementerie | 8:20 pm
how blogging improved my sex life!

grayarea | 9:45 pm
Wrong country, wrong career, ‘write outcome’.

geddit

PS. Can my doodle be of a whale, a large one!

Steve... | 9:56 pm
From Frog
To Blog
To Book
Petite Anglaise.

londongal | 10:06 pm
Life takes a turn. 30-something in Paris. Where love was all along.

Nancy | 10:08 pm
Adventures and Loves of a

Spirited English girl in Paris

Larry | 10:14 pm
Lover?
Mother?
Petite.

England to Paris…
Frog to Tadpole…
Blog to Life…

Parisian Amour (or Attraction)
Professional Angst
Petite Anglaise

Paris
Possibilities
Petite

A Seattleite in Paris | 10:16 pm
Petite Anglaise

A Bloggers’ Life In the City of Lights.

Dave of the Lake | 10:32 pm
I like the “When you write about your life……?” suggestion but I feel sure I remember it from ‘Sex and the City’. I t certainly sounds like one of Carrie’s musings.

Ruth | 12:02 am
i *love*

When you write about your life…
does it alter its course?

it makes me think of all those movies about time travel when the traveler is not directed not to change the past.

my contribution:

petite anglaise
what happens when the line
between life and blog
becomes blurred

s_inthecity | 2:02 am
Petite Anglaise
La Vie en Prose

Caryn | 2:45 am
I like everything you came up with, naturally. How about: “When your life is an open book, everyone’s a critic.” Well, I never said I was good at this. I’m just a fan.

Nicole | 3:30 am
Strumpet and Cream
Her ode to Parisienne joy
In the arms of the next boytoy.

Agony before Ecstasy
How a simple English sally
Learned to dilly and then dally

Les rues de Belleville
n’ont rien a cacher
quand Petite Anglaise se met a marivauder

SW France | 3:48 am
Between the covers
With Petite Anglaise
In bookstores everywhere

Franca Bollo | 3:59 am
One book or two
with a quip and a quander
while Tadpole so asks, “ce weekend mon fadder?”

From the irrelevant to the supine
A true tale of Paris
through the eyes of her Aphrodite

SW France | 4:05 am
Love
Lose
Write
Petite Anglaise

Lost inhibitions, lost job, wrote book.
Petite Anglaise

A decade in Paris: My story of love, trials, and blogs

andrea | 4:24 am
Hard to top Meg (though delicious trying):

Blasted into maternity
Dooced into fame
Petite Anglaise: What’s in a name?

or

Ze English are coming!
Petite Anglaise
A Little Brit with a Big Love Story

Kisses to you hon’ from Braziiiiiiiiil

Kermit | 5:31 am
Thinking you gotta get sex in there somewhere.

hmmm

Petite Anglaise:
The Eiffel’s
not the only erection in Paris

no, no — too many syllables

how about:

A little sex
goes a long way
when you’re a Petite Anglaise in Paris

Kermit | 5:36 am
“TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG in PARIS”…

By Petite Anglaise

Hilde

de hooghe | 8:38 am
Petite Anglaise:

douce, dooced and very funny!

Jan | 1:22 pm
Petite Anglaise: how blogging about living in paris changed her life forever…

tanya | 1:57 pm
Errrr… *thinks*

Une Belle Vie
Un Grand Amour
Petite Anglaise.

Maybe there’s not enough English in that one.
What about…

Petite Anglaise - staying sane on the banks of the Seine.

Sorry.

French Lovers
Work troubles
And Tadpole.
Petite Anglaise

*gets coat* I’ll be off then.

Suziboo | 4:42 pm
Mother, lover, secret blogger:
What happens when Petite Anglaise
Gets caught in her own web?

LKH | 7:50 pm
Yes, the “when you write about your life” one is from Sex and the City, but “La Vie en Prose” is fabulous, Caryn.

misfit | 8:58 pm
Petite Anglaise
A modern story of life, love,
and the infinite magic of living in Paris!

Petite Anglaise
She kissed a frog and wrote a blog!
(and has a Tadpole to show for it…..)

Petite Anglaise

A modern story of how Paris and the internet made one young woman’s wildest dreams come true!

Shelley | 11:31 pm
Here are a few of mine, get ready to cringe

‘Gay Paris? …Not quite’

‘Kissed the frog, got a tadpole, oops wrong fairytale’

‘Living in Paris was a young English lady called petite, who was your average woman on the street. She found herself a handsome frog, well away from the yorkshire fog. She kissed the frog and had a sprog but then met a man from her blog, to find out how the story unfolds…Click here on AMAZON!!

(Last one, is a tard long for a banner but it is amazing how one gets creative after a night on the razz

‘

sugar007 | 1:39 am
Your friend Meg’s suggestion is the best. By far.

faith | 1:58 am
if you use your first suggestion, i like this order better:

in paris
in trouble
in love

lauren | 6:14 am
Your idea of ‘crowdsourcing’ promotional tag-lines is brilliant! Aren’t you just glowing when you see what creativity you inspire?

Whichever banners eventually emerge, count on me for viral spread!

Sandlander | 7:06 am
“La vie en prose” - brilliant!

Zinnia Cyclamen | 8:13 am
Well, I discarded the first few e.g.
“living life in
the intermediate lane.” and
“When I found blogging
I found myself.”
Then I thought of
“Everyone has a book inside them
Mine has escaped me.”

Rebecca | 11:06 am
Petite Anglaise.
Small. English. Available 05/06/07.

–

Utter, utter crap, I know, but the best I can do on a Sunday morning (or any other time, probably).

Ricardipus, literary | 5:04 pm
Why don’t you visit the cafes and restos/bars held by representatives of different ethnic groups, talk to them and others there and see how they ‘live’ your quartier.?

Ali | 6:46 pm
La Vie en Prose-
Incroyable, Caryn. Totally the best I’ve read here so far.

Use it P’tite; you’d be crazy not to!

Cheers from Seattle

Beau | 9:11 pm
Life and shit
In Paris

La Vie en Prose is marginally better though.

But, judging from my perusal of banner ads, there should be some promise of penis enlargement.

laurence | 2:02 am
Oi. This could’ve turn’d out better, IMHO. The worst comments I’ve read in the past 2 years. (sorry folks- cheese extraordinaire.) My vote is - find someone who DOESN’T read the blog and ask them.

eric | 3:11 am
“A Little English, A Little French: A LIfe Complete”

Patricia | 3:39 am
petite anglaise
the alter-ego
that altered my life

or

petite anglaise
the alter-ego
that came alive

happyforyou | 9:12 am
” La vie en prose” - I like that! Short and to the point. Best so far…

Ruth | 10:45 am
Almost French
Almost Famous
Petite Anglaise

susie | 11:33 am
well, what about banners on french sites?

Petite anglaise
Si elle n’existait pas
Sarkozy l’aurait inventée!

Sarko’s next date
Une petite anglaise à Paris

Qu’est-ce que la flexsécurité?
L’histoire vraie d’une petite anglaise à Paris

Success Story à l’américaine
Pour une petite anglaise à Paris

David

PS: le last one can do well in english:
An American Success Story
For Petite Anglaise à Paris

David | 11:38 am
I like the idea of using the subtitle. Also Meg’s suggestion and comment #40 Or
From PA in Paris
To Petite Anglaise in Print

Beurk. Ok, I’ll stick to translation.

Claire | 11:50 am
Petite Anglaise is not american Bohemian bailie - hint regarding her origins is in the name ;o) And oh, gorgeous fools out there who think Paris is great - it is small, smelly, never changes and filled with an overwhelming amount of the most gloriously miserable and rude buggers the earth has ever born - quite often walking around with the kind of face that suggests that they have just caught a whiff emanating from one of the thousansd of dog turds through which one must slalom with gusto upon walking anywhere!Yes, I am a young curmudgeon! Not too keen on leering banners, talent, wit and humour are more than enough and Petite has got them in spades. Adore the “when you write about your life” existential question, “frog kissing” and “la vie en prose”:o)

Sophie | 12:08 pm
How about…

Frogs
Snogs
and blogs!

or

Sex and Frogs and La Tadpole…(alternative second noun is of course ‘blogs’)

or (quite Hollywoody, this one)

She started a blog to record her life. It ended up changing her destiny…Petite Anglaise.

suziboo | 12:32 pm
from the sack to into the sack with Petite Anglaise

dave m | 1:41 pm
I think any too complicated reference to blogging such as being dooced should be avoided, while you have a large readership of bloggers, you will confuse those who dont know what those things mean, and who may have found your book in a bookstore (amazon will never beat sitting in a bookshop for hours browsing the shelves)

Rather reach the wider audience - make more money that way!

jacqui | 2:22 pm
I like suggestion #2 and #3. #1 sounds too like a Hollywood rom-com, and you are so much better than that.

Here goes, and if it’s too awful just don’t approve the comment , please?

*Petite Anglaise.
A little woman.
A little blog.
Big problems. (for both)*

OR

*Small woman.
Small blog (at first, anyway)
Big problem….*

I know they’re awful..

Drusilla | 2:43 pm
I personally think ‘La vie en prose’ is fabulous.

Or, wait, since we’re on a music-and-movies kick- how does
Le Fabuleux Destin d’Petite Anglaise
sound? It’d probably only work in Francophone countries…

Drusilla | 2:47 pm
What fun! Hmmm….

Petite Anglaise: Frog kissing and tadpole rearing.
A Fairy Tale for the new millennium.

Petite Anglaise: Of Frogs and a tadpole.
The true story. The fairy tale.

Petite Anglaise:
Of Frogs and the tadpole.
A true story fairy tale.

Petite Anglaise: Frog kissing and tadpole rearing.
The true story fairy tale…

Petite Anglaise: Frogging, blogging and tadpoling.(?)
A true story fairy tale…

Petite Anglaise:
How many frogs must a girl kiss before she finds her prince?
Blogging the fairy tale in Paris.

Sorry, I seem to be stuck on the fairy tale deal. You can probably guess what I’ve been reading to my own tadpoles of late!

Best of Luck!

Laura from the States | 4:34 pm
Petite Anglaise,
whos life in Paris,
is an open book!

or

In Paris, In Love, In Trouble
…a novel blog by Petite Anglaise

or

From Frog Princess to mad about the boy
and everything inbetween
Petite Anglaise

or
Petite Anglaise
An engish delicacy
with a new french filling!

I`ll get my coat

David 43 | 4:48 pm
My suggestion: Leave the banner to the marketing professionals.

Passante | 6:38 pm
Or you could use Caryn’s wonderful one but change it slightly to:
Ma Vie en Prose

Beau | 6:41 pm
When kissing a Frog didn’t turn out happily ever after, Petite Anglaise took the tale into her own hands…

Sari | 7:30 pm
Here’s three titillating titles:

If you have a guilty secret…
…don’t put it on the internet.
Petite Anglaise: the blog, the book.

French kissing…
…and liaisons dangereuses.
Petite Anglaise: the blog, the book.

Paris by night..
…and what happened the morning after.
Petite Anglaise: the blog, the book.

stellamarais | 9:57 am
French windows
French dressing
French letters

James | 11:55 am
I agree that any reference to blog terminology will put off those who haven’t heard of the blog.

As another Expat Brit, I’m hoping that the book will explain how a girl from Yorkshire (not a bad thing by the way) ended up living her life in Paris, meeting a French man, having a child and then all the rest. I think that point would interest readers.

From Yorkshire to Paris,
From Secretary to Blogger,
Finding love, raising a child, losing a job, discovering life in the city of lights.

OK, like Claire, I’ll stick to my translations, but just a suggestion. I like the “la vie en prose” thing as well.

Final point, whilst most people would get the whole Frog (being a french person) I’m not sure the tadpole reference would make sense for those who don’t know the blog.
Anyway, good luck with it!
Rose

laroseanglaise | 3:33 pm
Badly inspired by the recent Alex Armstrong sketch show with the RAF officers talking in the same style as modern teenagers.

“It’s that book about that french girl - the one who got fired and shit”
“I used to thinks she was excellent but her daughter said has an arse like a whale”
“like a whale?”
“Standard”

Jonathan | 5:43 pm
In Paris
In Love
Out of Luck
Out now - in hardback!

Damian | 5:54 pm
Petite Anglaise : None of it written by Dan Brown.

Mr Angry | 6:09 pm
OK - I suppose I better join in [I know you’ve missed me - been on holiday]

In continent

In between the covers

Poking eye ……… now!!!

Daddypapersurfer | 9:45 pm
Do you want my address now or shall we wait a little while?

Daddypapersurfer | 9:47 pm
Petite Anglaise…she’ll always have Paris.

from Casablanca

Not looked at your blog for a while, the books covers look fantastic, and pleased to hear you won you case.

Heather | 9:54 pm
I like just a little revamp on your own suggestion:

In Love
In Trouble
In Paris

It draws the reader in, then states where the book takes place.

desireenb | 10:14 pm
I think #80 might be right. Surely the marketing people ought to be in charge of writing the marketing materials? Although having said that, there’s a certain je ne sais quoi about having the banners come from the comments box.

Peg | 11:06 pm
I love La vie en prose — but if I may add to it?…

La vie en prose:
French lessons

Isabella | 11:18 pm
I like the first suggestion at #83.

For the sake of balance, I’m not really too keen on La Vie En Prose. It brngs to mind ‘prosaic’ - Paris is more poetic, surely.

Le fabuleux destin de Petite Anglaise…

Best wishes.

LKH | 12:04 am
It is great to see you succeeding but it is wonderful because you are also being true to your self. Not many of us achieve that. Change, yes: but it is the honest cocktail of You, Paris, Romance and New Life that I love.

How about:

An English Rose..
flowers in the City of Romance
Et voila..

H | 10:55 am
Some great ideas on here - for my suggestion how about

In the City of Love
Life is a minefield
Can an english girl survive?

Andrew | 11:42 am
I like / love the above, In Love In Trouble In Paris.
That’s good.

Smov | 12:18 pm
Fille de France ?

Roads | 1:03 pm
One for the inevitable comparisons:

More authentic than Peter Mayle.
Wittier than Paul West.
Petite Anglaise.

OK, I’ll stop now.

suziboo | 1:20 pm
From on the shelf
to on your shelf
via Paris

Damian | 3:04 pm
What about this one?

Life through a blog - living and loving in Paris.

Anne | 3:09 pm
I love the original In Paris, In Trouble, In Love.

But Damian’s Sarkozy comment did make me chuckle!

Am just about halfway through the book… reviewing it for the magazine… I have to say I am completely and utterly hooked… expect a glowing report!

xxx

In Style Gal | 3:47 pm
i think for a web banner, the tagline for your book “in paris…” is the best. it’s short, which is good for bumper sticker type web banners, you can animate it in three parts, which is cool, and it ties back to your book and will probably drive some traffic to it, which is the whole point, right?

franko | 9:08 pm
Petite Anglaise Deux:

This Time, It’s Personal.

Dave of the Lake | 8:17 am
I usually give my blog posts titles after writing them, and the reason for this is that I usually name them after something that I have written. A line, a phrase, or even just a word……

Perhaps the best title for your book would be something you have written in it somewhere?

Sally Lomax | 11:48 am
No. 61 is brilliant! & Meg’s, of course.

tui | 12:32 pm
Oh my goodness! I nearly cried (I never cry so that’s the most emotion you’re probably gonna get out of me, ever) on the train this morning - got to the bit in the book where Jim in Rennes scarpers. It was awful! Can’t wait for the end of the day to finish the book…

xx

In Style Gal | 1:48 pm
A Yorkshire Pudding in Paris:
Turned over by the English
Devoured by the French
Eat my words, says pert little petiteanglaise.

All royalties to go to my favourite blogger

andrew | 1:25 am
dunno if anyone thought of this one…

From cover to cover…Petite Anglaise

ANG04 | 1:37 am
A diary
An Inquiry
They fired me
It inspired me….

Sophie | 2:21 am
Loved Meg’s
Liked 102 (Life through a blog - living and loving in Paris)
Preferred Ma Vie en Prose to La Vie en Prose but reckon that those with v little exposure to French won’t get it (and I can’t believe how many of those there are, especially in Oz)

Having the word Paris in it would be good

My suggestions:

Pieces of a life in Paris
or
Sex, Frogs and Blogs

Sophie in Oz | 5:00 am
Hi Catherine
Hope you’re well - sorry for posting, I’ve tried Penguin and they’re on voicemail so thought I’d message you too.
I’m a freelancer writing in house for Bella magazine and told them I’m reading your proof with great excitement!
They wonder if you’ve already got interviews planned with UK mags to coincide with the book launch and if not, whether you’d be interested in talking to them?
Give me a shout on email if you want to discuss
All the best

Jensie | 10:43 am

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