And what to do when the chosen name is not right for the
work? Sometimes when the baby arrives she looks more like an Edith than a
Mirabelle.
That’s what happened to me. My WIP has gone by the working
title Temptress Moon which my beta readers
informed me was wrong, wrong, wrong.
“The title sounds like a romance novel which it is definitely NOT,” one beta wrote.
OK, so time for a new title.
As I started brainstorming titles, I decided to research
what others think is a good title. No, not a good title, a great title.
What did I find?
All the good ideas are taken.
That A to Z thing that Sue Grafton has going on? Sweet.
Would anyone else look like a total copycat trying it? Absolutely.
The number thing? Janet Evanovich has that sewn up over 21
books, from One for the Money to Top Secret Twenty-One.
Colors have worked for several authors from Walter Moseley (Devil in a Blue Dress, Little Green) and
John D. MacDonald (A Deadly Shade of
Gold, A Purple Place for Dying).
Many mystery writers have turned to other writers for title
inspiration. Several of Agatha Christie’s titles were inspired by great
writers: William Blake (Endless Night
from Auguries of Innocence), Tennyson
(The Mirror Crack’d from The Lady of Shalott), and Mother Goose (A Pocket Full of Rye, And Then There Were
None, Five Little Pigs (also known as Murder
in Retrospect), Hickory Dickory Dock,
Crooked House, and Three Blind Mice).
Biblically inspired titles are as numerous as the stars in
the sky: Dorothy Sayers’ Clouds of
Witness (Hebrews 12:1), O Jerusalem
by Laurie R. King (Psalms 137:5), and A Time to Kill by John Grisham
(Ecclesiastes 3:3) are just a few examples.
Shakespeare’s work has inspired scores of titles if the
Wikipedia page of Titles Inspired by Shakespeare is anything to go by. Hamlet alone has inspired Perchance to Dream by Robert B. Parker, And Be a Villain by Rex Stout, Put On By Cunning by Ruth Rendell, Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde, and Murder Most Foul by several authors.
Goodreads has a list of the best book titles. Coming in at number one is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick. This list
is a good reminder that a great title is no guarantee of a good read. Judging
from the reviews, number seven, The Hollow Chocolate
Bunnies of the Apocalypse does not live up to the sheer joyful genius of
its title, though that is one terrific title, isn’t it?
As I mull options, two wonderful writer friends discussed my
title ideas. Their input? Don’t worry about it too much. Publishers have a way
of changing titles.
How did you decide to name your novel?
My first novel (as yet unpublished) started with the title Actuarial Gains. It fit perfectly, except it was a bit esoteric. Since Sue Grafton had already use the "A is for..." approach to the alphabet, I needed to use the poor man’s approach and start each novel with a new letter. So the title became Ant Farm, which came from a line Paddy said to his father, Seamus. I’m contemplating rewriting that story and perhaps changing the name to All In to reflect Seamus’s approach to life.
ReplyDeleteThe second book I titled Bad Policy because it related to a bad insurance policy. Unfortunately, given current politics (which ever ones you don’t agree with), "bad policy" gets people thinking about government.
Cabin Fever fit the third novel and people seem to like it, and I’m using Doubtful Relations as the working title for the next in the series.
~ Jim
This "poor man's" approach is cool! And I like All In…Ant Farm makes me think of Animal Farm (flash back to high school English class).
ReplyDeleteShari, I think your friends have given you good advice: consider any title a "working title" until the publisher has a say.
ReplyDeleteJim, I'm so glad to hear about the missing "A" to Seamus' story. I hope you will consider rewriting and seeking publication.
If you have a main character, you can use that name plus a title for the particular book, but the main character has to be memorable. My two novels about Abraham Lincoln start with his name.
ReplyDeleteShari, my first book was titled "Murder at Elmwood Gardens" for most of its years before I published it. Then on my 2nd retreat at Seascape, when all of the groups got together on the last night, Hallie Ephron thought my title didn't work for the book. She suggested "The Blue Rose" which is the theme of the book. I changed it and haven't been sorry for it since. Now all my books have a flower in the title except for the third, which has garden club.
ReplyDeleteAs for ongoing theme, C.C. Benison is using the Twelve Days of Christmas for his theme. The first is "Twelve Drummers Drumming" the next is "Eleven Pipers Piping" and the third is "Ten Lords a Leaping." Of course, that limits the series to only twelve books. He's a Canadian author, who has his books set in a little village in England and they are sort of in the vein of Agatha Christie, but much funnier and more up to date.
Paula and Warren - good advice!
ReplyDeleteGloria - I do think The Blue Rose is evocative and mysterious. And you won't be limited to just twelve titles like CC Benison.
Thank goodness for that, Shari, because I still have so many plot ideas.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, I'm great at titles; sometimes I think and think and think and still just can't be happy with anything I come up with. But I do find that bouncing ideas off my beta readers is really, really helpful!
ReplyDeleteSo true, Sarah, my beta readers have saved me from some embarrassing mistakes.
ReplyDeleteFinding the perfect name for anything is tricky! I'm sure that when you and your publisher put your heads together you will come up with a title that feels "right."
ReplyDeleteFinding a good title is not easy! I like my titles to reflect the genre and be relevant to the story. Steeled for Murder has a murder in a steel fabrication plant; Fostering Death is about a foster mother who has been killed, etc
ReplyDelete