What a Difference a Title Makes
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 So I announced a few weeks ago that we've pulled the title The Happiest Days of My Life for my third book, and I'm pleased to report that we're getting closer to selecting one, but, oy, this has not been easy. It's gotten me thinking about title-selection and the importance of a book's moniker, and how authors (or their agents/editors/marketing teams) select one.
I've told the story here before that The Department of Lost and Found was originally titled Round Trip, but that was deemed not catchy enough, and thus, when I couldn't really find anything that WAS catchy enough, my agent's boss actually suggested TDLF. Editorial and marketing teams were pleased, and thus, a title was born. (Incidentally, I did go back and tweak a scene or two to make the title more fitting...I liked it but thought the metaphor might be too esoteric.)
Time of My Life was easier: I scrolled through Napster looking for inspiration (I often look at song titles for help), and damned, if this one didn't seem to fit perfectly. Everyone agreed immediately, and even now, two years after picking the title, I still love it. It captures everything that the reader is going to experience in the book AND highlights the protagonist's journey as well. It is, to me, just perfect.
This third book is tricky, as, I suppose many titles are. When you're picking a title, you're not just looking for something that represents the book to readers. You're also looking for something that will stick in their minds when assulted at the bookstore with hundreds of other books. You're looking for something that rolls off the tongue, that gives readers a sort-of intangible but tangible sense of the book, of something that People magazine editors, etc, will think, "Well, yeah, this is going to be a great book, and let's cover it."
So, like many things in the book biz, choosing a title isn't just about art, it is, of course, also about marketing, and like a book's cover, finding the right one can be tricky. I'm curious to hear how you authors out there came up with your own titles...hoping for a little inspiration maybe. :) And anyone else want to chime in on what some your favorite titles might be? In the meantime, I promise to keep you posted when we've finally named this baby.
Industry
Reader Comments (11)
I can totally sympathize with this, as I'm awful with titles! For my debut, I had a working title of -- oh, God, this is embarrassing -- "The Way She Moves." My agent called me before submission and said, not unsubtly, "We need to talk about your title." We eventually called it "Way Beyond Compare" for the submission, but I figured that would change. I also looked through song lyrics, begged family and friends for help, etc. Then my editor called me and asked if I'd be willing to change it. My brilliant editor finally came up with the title we're using: "The Opposite of Me." I love it. It captures everything I wanted to convey, which is that it's catchy, has a bit of mystery, and sounds kind of friendly. My book is about twin sisters who are complete opposites -- or so they think -- and the title just really works for that message.
I think the queen of great titles is Jennifer Weiner. She came up with "Good In Bed" and "In Her Shoes" on her own. There's a new book out getting a lot of buzz that has an interesting title -- something about the Hothouse Flower... -- it's actually quite a long title and I obviously can't remember it, but I'd know the book if I saw it. Which I guess is the point!
LOL, Sarah. Oh my. The Way She Moves...is...terrible. :) But I love The Opposite of Me! Excellent choice.
I have many WIPs that are titled. But I'm going to focus of my four Nano/Julnowrimo ones and how I picked them out of a hat. The 24-Hour Chain Reaction is my first Nano ms I'm currently editing for the 5th time. It's part psychoogical thriller with part police procedural. It's the only one I have so far of that kind. I kinda hyped it like "24" , since it takes place in one day, and "Drive", which had high octane action-packed scenes, though that show have been canceled by Fox in 2007. One thing leads to another in each scene, every chapter, with a gripping hook and a powerful cliffhanger. Each scene is broken up by fifteen minutes, and then in part two, by half-hours, even with the final 5 minutes. My second one is Venom, my first eco-thriller, which I hope to query this fall after I finish editing. Venom deals with snakes, snake bites and anti-venom, from the prologue to the epilogue. It was a natural title. My second eco-thriller came from this fall's past Nano, Double Exposure. It's original title was She Knows Too Much. This deals with a double entrendre meaning. Double Exposure is a photography term, which deals with overexposing photos with a hidden image. It also refers to a double exposure of a chemical spill in the ocean by bad politicians and eco-terrorists. And the eco-thriller I'm writing now is Specimen, which deals with shells of a rare find, when poachers are after it to sell to the black market. I do have two future ms title for another time for Nano.
Two days before NANOWRIMO last year, I learned about it for the first time. I decided to give it a try since I was really bored with the mystery I'd been struggling to write for a year. I had no concept, no characters, no title, but the NANOWRIMO site convinced me that this was just fine. So the morning the event started I woke up in a panic. I made a snap decision- whatever was the first thing I heard said to me that day was the title. No backing out.
Well, my beloved husband was running around getting ready for work. We had just one banana left on the kitchen counter. He piped up "Are You Gonna Eat That Banana?". Yes- it became my title and I had a blast writing the book! It was nothing like my mystery, in fact could have it's own genre..65,000 words in under 30 days.
So- there you have it, but what will I do for a sequel? I had a title- computer crashed and it was lost-- and danged if I can remember it!
Laura :)
I agree that Jennifer Weiner is the queen of titles (and her cover art team is stellar as well!) -- and glad to hear the search is on for your new title, Allison. I did a double-take when I saw that on your site, I must admit....it struck me first as a title tweak to a new edition of Time of My Life. :]
For my novels, I had the title "It's My Wedding Too" -- about a battling pair of mother of the bride and mother of the groom -- before I had page one written, and luckily it stuck. I find that it goes right to the heart of the bride who's cruising the bookstore for some retail therapy, since you can't find a weddings message board without that phrase bolded, italicized and capped at least a thousand times.
My second novel's title took a hit. The sales team piped in with "It's Not My Wedding (But I'm in Charge)" which is actually about the *assistant* to a celebrity wedding coordinator. This one has the proverbial cement shoes on, sinking to the bottom of Amazon, since buyers probably think it's about a diabolical parent or some such offender.
Agreed, we only have so much power when it comes to the titles of our books, but I still cringe a bit when I recall the day -- out of sheer exhaustion and just wanting to get the thing on the shelves already -- that I said Okay to that title. Although I must balance that with the knowledge that I shot down 'The Wedding Helper' [and I quote, "We want to elicit thoughts of J Lo's 'Wedding Planner'"]
And Sarah, if I may, "The Opposite of Me" is fabulous!
My title, REAL LIFE & LIARS, came to me while I was brushing my hair or some such thing. Actually, the line of dialogue came to me, for a scene that I knew wouldn't come until late in the novel, though at the time I was only about 1/4 of the way through the first draft. I then knew that phrase -- taken from the whole line of dialogue -- would be perfect. I like how it's alliterative, and people always seem to go, "oooooh," when they hear it, as if they're rubbing their hands together, waiting for something really juicy.
Originally, my title had the "and" spelled out, but I think the ampersand looks better on the cover. And since I adore my cover, I'm all about the ampersand.
I love to get titles from quotes and song lyrics etc. My next book is titled THE LIFE YOU'VE IMAGINED which is from a (mis)quote by Thoreau: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined."
Thanks Sharon! I wish I could take credit, but... well, we all know titles are not my strength!
I know when I am browsing for books its either the title or the cover that gets me to pick it up. My memoir BREASTLESS IN THE CITY was actually named by my husband and I hated it when he first told me about it! My story is about my experience as a young widow dating online during breast cancer treatment, including a mastectomy and chemo, and how I met my current husband. I warmed up to it and now love the title. I feel it really expresses the story and feel of the book with my sarcastic humor as well as the dating aspect of it. My first publisher kept the title and for its re-release with a new publisher they loved it as well. I was hoping they did, unsure if they would change it. The cover redesign is awesome as well. Now I hope that it gets people to pick it up!
Such an exciting time for you Allison! I look forward to hearing the final title!
Oh boy, do I know it. SIMMER has already changed titles four times, and it's not even bought yet! I'm comforting myself by accepting it'll just change again, so there's no point getting all het up about it. Ahhhhh.
For me, I like titles that are short and sweet that give a tiny taste/tease of what the book is about and are somewhat poetic:
Some of Sarah Dessen's are my fav:
That Summer
Keeping the Moon
This Lullaby
The Truth about Forever
Emily Giffin's Baby Proof, Something Borrowed, Something Blue come to mind
Sara Zarr's Sweethearts
Jodi Picoult's The Pact
Anita Shreve's The Pilot's Wife and Body Surfing
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
I love Time of My Life - it is such a good title (reminds me of the song lyrics.. I hope you had the time of your life...
(and Department of Lost and Found was catchy, loved the metaphor)
And Sarah - The Opposite of Me is perfect!
The Department of Lost and Found is such a great title. I also loved The Time Traveler's Wife, and Jitterbug Perfume (my favorite title of all time).
Favorite of my own was an accident. The book was originally called Cooking for the Dead, which I liked and my agent loved, but sales folks thought it sounded like a mystery, maybe. So I was writing the next book, which I thought might be The Lost Recipe for Happiness, and realized it would be perfect for the Cooking book. It's one of the few times that I've actually come up with a title myself.