And the winner is...

We have a winner in the race for Accidental Mentors subtitle!

Thanks so much for your input on the Accidental Mentors subtitle. I’m impressed and pleased that so many of you had an opinion. What’s painfully obvious is that the subtitle I originally chose, “Inspirational Stories of Women Who Shaped My Life Without Even Trying” was definitely not a winner. Only 11% of you chose that one.

On the other hand, 57% of you chose one of the two variations of “Inspirational Stories of Women Who Shaped My Life by Being Themselves,” or “by Just Being Themselves.”

I had some other comments that are worth considering. One reader suggested:

Women Who Shaped my Life Unawares

Another reader wrote,

I think this simply says it all: Stories of the Women Who Shaped My Life.

A reader wrote,

I feel like "Inspirational Stories" is implied, or you wouldn't be writing this! How about this: "Women Who Shaped My Life By Being Themselves" or "Women Who Shaped My Life By Living Theirs?”

Inspirational or not?

I’ve given a lot of thought to whether I need to include the word “Inspirational.” I see the reasoning that it’s implied and I’d like to think that. However, I’ve come down on the side of leaving it in. I chose not to write about some women who shaped my life by being negative influences. They definitely impacted my life but weren’t inspirational at all!

I want to make it clear to future readers that this project is designed to inspire them to think about the positive influences in their lives as they read about women who’ve inspired me. So, “Inspirational” stays.

The winner then is: Accidental Mentors: Inspirational Stories of Women Who Shaped My Life by Just Being Themselves. Here’s a (very) early draft mock-up of the book cover.

Thanks again for being part of the Accidental Mentors family. And remember to submit your stories so we can spread inspiration even further!

Accidental Mentors Submission Guidelines

With appreciation,

Annette

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