According to Romeo, it's not the name that matters, but the person it identifies. That may be true for people in plays, but what about books? Does a particular title turn you on or off about a book? While we're admonished against judging a book by its cover, do we instead judge by its title?I'm going to venture Yes on this one. In my experience, I've had two publishers who haven't liked my titles and asked me to change them or made suggestions that were either mundane or spoilery and I had to politely reject their suggestions while wracking my brain for a better on. For example, my novel originally called PROJECT RUNAWAY needed to be renamed so people wouldn't think it had anything to do with the TV show. It went through iterations of RUNAWAY GROOM and THE WEDDING WRECKER until eventually I hit upon SEX, LIES & WEDDING BELLS and they liked it. I admit, it's definitely my favorite and I'm still amazed I managed to come up with it. Which title does the most for you?
My upcoming release VENUS ENVY is in fact a m/m story, but my publisher was concerned the title might make people think it's a het story. Since it's a tale of Venus exacting revenge on a man who refuses her, it was a perfect title. The publisher decided to go with it in the end, and we'll see whether or not I made the right decision. (By the way, Storm Grant came up with that title for me. She's a title genius!)
As you can see, I'm not one who enjoys the process of finding a title. To make matters worse, I've realized that I need to come up with several in case the first one isn't to the publisher's liking. Recently, I found a fun solution to this problem by having a contest. I asked my readers to suggest titles, chose my favorite 10 and let people vote on which ones they liked the most. It was a huge success. I had over 50 entries and had just as many people voting. I ended up with some fantastic titles, far cleverer than anything I came up with on my own. Thus, BEDKNOBS & BEANSTALKS was born. Check out the other wonderful entries.
There was a slight downside to what seemed a huge success. I had a few comments that implied I wasn't doing my writerly duty in coming up with a title by asking others to do my work for me. Considering my lack of imagination and the amount of fun the contest entrants and votes had, I think the end result justified any "lack" on my part. Not only did I get a better title, but I got a lot of readers interested and excited about the book, and best of all, they felt they had a part in creating it. What's not to like about that?
Back to the original question: how does a book's title influence you? What are some of your own experiences and examples of retitling? How about a book that you would run a mile from just because of the title? Have you heard a title that made you want the book immediately?
Discuss.
And please check out my latest release: PUBLIC EXPOSURE (formerly titled something completely different!) How does that title grab you?
EM Lynley
http://www.emlynley.com | http://emlynley.livejournal.com | http://twitter.com/emlynley
10 comments:
I think it was a great idea to get the input in selecting the title (though I voted for another one). Titles are tricky, and selecting them is an entirely different skill than prose writing. It takes a kind of precise magic. Sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn't. The title of my novel CHASTITY FLAME was a joke at first. I thought I would come up with something less obviously a joke on MODESTY BLAISE, but in the end it really fit. My current novel has no such clear title and I've been asking beta readers for suggestions. No shame in that!
For me, it's a combination of title and cover and blurb, really. I've gotten more selective as I've gotten older. LOL
I can't say that any of those would send me running, but if all three rubbed me wrong in some way, I'd likely not buy.
That said... yes, title is important in a lot of ways. It's the first written representation of what is really a written medium. I like a title to be clever in some way, or at least relevant to what the story is about.
I've never been prodded to change a title (yet), but God knows I've changed enough of them on my own. Possibly days ahead of being asked to. LOL
And for the record, I don't think it's cheating or whatever to ask for help with titles. At all. Your poll for the antho title was a good idea. :) And you're right. It got people involved, which is never a bad thing when you hope they'll buy at some point.
Chances are, they're going to remember the title when it's out, which is never a bad thing. :D
CMK--
I think you're right that you can evoke an idea around your book by using a particular name, and yours really does work that way.
A bad name may get you as much exposure as a good one, and you do want it to be memorable, right?
Thanks for your comments!
TC--
Thanks for your comments!
Definitely some pieces are easier than others to title. Everyone gets a slightly different idea of a book from a title, so I can see publisher input being important.
Torquere has never asked me to change a title, which either means they want to leave it up to author or they actually liked the ones I came up with. But from my experience, they are the exception.
THe contest was a good publicity tool, though that wasn't how I intended it. Just a great positive externality. Also, getting feedback on which titles clicked with people or what ideas they conjured up, helped me decide which ones were most or least appealing.
Getting feedback on all aspects of your work is vital. That was my response when questioned about my writerly duties.
In the past I've had people vote on titles I came up with and I was really surprised to hear their comments since they didn't like my favorites, but with valid reasons I hadn't thought of.
I had a few comments that implied I wasn't doing my writerly duty in coming up with a title by asking others to do my work for me.
Seriously?! I thought it was a great idea and wondered how often I could steal it! Course, I voted for a differet one, but hey, majority rules and all.
I'm no good with titles, myself, but admit that the title does make me want to look at the blurb. I can do without the cover, though I agree it's important. But I've been nurned too many times by a shiny cover.
I love it when a title can give me a quick snapshot into the book. Sometimes a title encapsulates the book in just a few words: Grapes of Wrath, or A Midsummer Night's Dream, for example. Other titles do well as long as the reader knows what the book is about: Jaws, for example. Now, if you didn't know that book was about a gigantic man-eating shark, the title would flop. But, most people do know about the whole human eating great white, so that single word title really packs a punch!
Isabel--i did a poll of readers asking them how much the cover affected purchases. Most said the blurb was the main thing but they could be turned off by a bad cover and never read the blurb. Not many people let a pretty cover influence them if the blurb didn't interest them. I didn't ask about titles in that poll, which is why i'm trying to get some info today in a very unscientific way.
time for a new poll.
I"m also glad you enjoyed the title contest and voted.
Elle-- when Jaws came out in the 70s I think there were a lot of one-word titles: Airport, springs to mind though I can't think of others.
It's best when the title gives you a good idea of the content. I think it doesn't necessarily have to, but it shouldn't give you the wrong impression.
Thanks for your comments.
I HATE coming up with titles. A few times one's magically come to me (like with my Fantasies series that practically named itself), but other times I use a working title until I come up with one (or someone helps me).
I've had the same experience as you re. publishers, with some letting me call books whatever I wanted to and others (one in particular) asking for changes. I've always been pleased with the changes, though.
My first published book actually got its title as a joke. I named it Bat-boy and the Wolfman a la those old monster movies, fully expecting to have to change it. The pub went with it though! Now it's out with a different publisher, with the much more fitting title Outcasts: Saving Ciaran.
I freely admit I judge books by their covers and titles sometimes. A really funny or intriguing title will make me look at the blurb. A really lame or confusing title might make me think twice, although if I liked the blurb or author I'd probably buy it anyway.
I can deal with weird titles, especially since titles are so hard for me to come up with; I feel the author's pain on that. Covers, well, having seen how one person's vision gets translated by an artist into a cover, I will be more forgiving in the future. It's the blurb that gets me or loses me the most. If all three strike me as @_@ then I will pass.
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