Come on. Even here, in this blog post, A** looks silly. Worse, it wrecks the brand. We developed the title to distinguish our book from others about polygamy. It sets up a promise of humor and sarcasm that the book pays off. It allows readers to identify with Joanne—or not. That is what branding is all about.
This is not a book about sex. It is a book about the dangers of cults.
The use of “My Ass” is idiomatic. It means “I don’t believe it.” Nothing unseemly about that. (We found it interesting that AuthorHouse was fine with “Ass” on title pages and atop every page of text. If it’s OK for the inside, it’s OK for the outside.)
We said no to the cover change. Neither AuthorHouse nor we would budge, so they are no longer our publisher. Turns out they did us a favor. We found another way to get the book out, still in hard copy and e-reader editions and through all major distributors — faster and for less money. You should still be able to order your copy around the end of July.