Comments on: Something Clever or What I Usually Name My Novel

By: Jill

Jill — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:22:53 +0000

As a kids’ writer, I find that book titles DO sell books to this market. Librarians may choose books from a data base with nothing to go on but the title if the author is an unknown, and kids will buy a book with an interesting title through the Book Order Club.

A prime example of an eye-catching title is Christine Hemmel’s Young Adult novel: ‘Get your tongue out of my mouth, I’m kissing you good-bye’.

By: lyda morehouse

lyda morehouse — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 21:33:47 +0000

My alter-ego says thanks for the kudos on her titles… alas, I didn’t think those up myself. Those are all the product of Shawn’s superior mind.

This has been a great discussion. Alyx, I love your tiles. That’s totally what I’m calling my works in progress from now on!

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 18:47:35 +0000

My works in progress always have the title “Working Title.” It’s a decent enough stand-in until the real title shows up.

By: Lynne Thomas

Lynne Thomas — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 15:52:26 +0000

As a romance reader, I tend to follow authors rather than titles, but every once in a while, a snappy title will catch my eye. The example I’m thinking of was Sandra Hill’s _Truly, Madly, Viking_. When I saw that title, I HAD to read it. The curiosity was too much. Enjoyed it, too. Funny titles often attract me in Romance. When I’m reading SF/Fantasy, though, I tend to work from recommendations, because I don’t think that the titles always reflect what’s going on inside, until *after* you’ve read it. I just finished Jacqueline Carey’s _Kushiel’s Dart_ and that’s a title that only makes sense after you’ve read the novel. I’d never have bought it just because of the title.

I do think, though that the Tate Hallaway titles are good–they reflect what’s going on inside (let you know what you’re in for), and they have a sense of humor to match what’s inside the covers.

Thus endeth my sucking up.

By: Alyx Dellamonica

Alyx Dellamonica — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 15:45:36 +0000

My works in progress always start out as an acronym ending in AFNA–Just Another F*ing Novel Attempt, Yet AnotherFNA, Still AnotherFNA, etc. The practice dates back to when you could only use eight characters for a filename, and it’s a little cranky, I suppose, but it’s stuck.

By: S.C. Butler

S.C. Butler — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 21:59:09 +0000

>Still, I wonder… has any one even not bought a book >because the title was so hideous?

My experience (as a reader only, I hope) is that a book with a truly awful title generally has truly awful cover art as well, and is just as bad on the inside. A crappiness trifecta. So, it’s never just the awful title that keeps me from reaching for my wallet.

By: Karen Wester Newton

Karen Wester Newton — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 19:52:28 +0000

My agent says not to stress about the title because editors so often change them, but she does think that the title should fit the genre in which the book will be marketed. I can see the sense in that.

And I often don’t have a clue about the title until I’m a good way through the book.

By: Marie Brennan

Marie Brennan — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 14:16:15 +0000

“If I’d Killed Him When I Met Him”

I tend to be more attracted to titles that are evocative rather than eye-catching in this way. Personally, “eye-catching” often translates for me into “gimmicky.” But it’s a good example of how everyone’s mileage varies.

By: Patricia Bray

Patricia Bray — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 12:43:43 +0000

Titles can catch the eye– I remember discoverng Sharyn McCrumb because the title “If I’d Killed Him When I Met Him” stopped me in my tracks and made me pick up the book to see what it was about.

That said, I don’t think I’ve hit the same level of “Look at Me!” for my own book titles, though naturally I try.

Usually I brainstorm a list, then consult with friends and my agent. Sometimes a title grabs me, and sometimes I’ll wind up sending in a ranked list of several possibilities to my editor and letting her pick which one resonates best with her (and marketing).

I see titles serving the same function as a good cover–they signal to the reader the type of experience they can expect, which hopefully inspires them to pick the book off the shelf and take a look at it. After that, it’s up to the quality of the back cover description, and, of course, my own writing inside, to make them want to buy & read it.

By: lyda morehouse

lyda morehouse — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 12:01:03 +0000

Still, I wonder… has any one even not bought a book because the title was so hideous?