April 2, 2008
A Rose By Any Other Name Might Not Grab Your Attention
Today I’m talking titles. I’d been cruising by Dear Author/Smart Bitches and voting in their March Madness tourney, when at some point it was brought home to me how important titles are. I freely admit to not being familiar with about three-quarters of the book choices in the tourney, so how did I go about voting?
By title. Alone. No going over the Amazon to check out the cover art, blurb and/or reviews. I just read the titles and made my decision. Bam!
I didn’t get what I was doing right away, partly because there were a few titles upfront that I was familiar (from reviews) or had sitting in my tbr pile; but as time when on I realized I didn’t have clue what most of the books were about and was too beat-assed tired to go trolling for info, so I went simply by title appeal.
Was something evocative/poetic (Wicked Lovely ) or to the point (The Billionaire Next Door)? Did it tell/hint at genre and tone (Magic Bites) or could it have been the title/name of any ole thing (Broken)? Without cover art, blurb or familiarity with an author’s work, the title is the only thing that will capture a reader’s fancy.
With my upcoming July release I originally had the title of DENIAL. Can’t you just hear Robin Leach doing the voice over on the book trailer? (where’s the ‘big hunk of stinky cheese’ smilie? And, drat, how did I forget the exclamation point? A title like that just screams for an exclamation and embossed foil lettering!)
After some revisions, I changed the title to FELICITY STRIPPED BARE. I think, without knowing another blessed thing about the book, the new title will (hopefully) elicit more interest than the previous tabloid-esque title.
So what’s your preference? The Mormon Mistress’s Illicit Italian Affair type titles (which tell you in exactly 2.3 seconds what type story you’re getting. Important when you’ve got a full shopping cart and 3 screaming kinds hanging off your calves–or so the Harlequin marketing whizards tell us), or something more along the lines of Almost Forever?
Big Spankable Asses or Mystic River?
For some more food for thought (and a hella lot of laughs) with titles, several of us had fun helping Amie with titles a couple of years ago.
I like the one or two word titles best, like Dean Koontz does: ‘Watchers’, ‘Darkfall’, ‘Brother Odd’, etc. Long titles usually repel me rather than draw me in.
Back soon……but i had to post this. WORST TITLE EVAH! INNOCENT WIFE, BABY OF SHAME –it’s a Harlequin Presents. When I looked it up on amazon.com to post here I even found another book circa 2006 (also Presents) that was titled BABY OF SHAME
Welcome to the stone ages
Bernard, I was making fun of my first title, but the short ones do command attention, don’t they? Good examles you’ve given there. I *think* my favourites might be the long ones, though, they reel you in, especially if they’re evocative. For example- Across The Nightingale Floor: Tales Of The Otori. On the other hand, I picked up Perfume because of the title (but in combination with the art work.)
Amie…..
*sigh* Harlequin/Silhouette are in a class by themselves. But their very savvy marketing teams knows what works. The titles might not be very memorable, unless they’re really bad, but for the harried shopper who’s just looking for a quick enjoyable read those titles are good-send. No need to even read the blurb or skimmed through a couple of pages. You know right away whether a book is about a guilty pleasure or holds hot button elements.
Thank you for reminding me of the crack-spackling marathon–lmao!!
(If anybody hasn’t read it, it’s a great laugh–check it out!).
For me, I’m also big on the short, succinct titles, generally speaking.
I used to have an artist friend who would entitle his paintings stuff like, “Drybridge Creek on the Cold Winter Morning of January 14th, Shortly After Sunrise And a Long, Sleepless Night”—and I’d want to STRANGLE him.
But otherwise, I’d like a little mystique with my title, thank you. At LEAST a little. “Felicity Stripped Bare” is a very nice literal/figurative title. “Nailed” makes me wonder, and want to check it out.
By now, anything with a billionaire, secret baby, or ethnic group mentioned just makes me smirk. Conditioning.
But something just blatant, like “Kin I Shove It Down Your Throat?” doesn’t work for me (unless it’s meant to be funny).
I’d take “Big Spankable Asses” over “Mystic River” any day. But then, that’s a genre choice … although I’d be interested in a book entitled “Big Spankable Asses over Mystic River”. And we at the bookstore LOVE the Harlequin Presents titles. While shelving them (when we have no customers, or customers we know who would get in on the joke) we’ll often read them out loud in a dramatic voice.
As for titles. I like a little of both - as long as the title isn’t longer than the book. Single word titles like Stephen King’s “It” can be very effective. And yet, Dixie Cash’s titles such as “Since You’re Leaving Anyway,Take Out the Trash” or “I Gave You My Heart, But You Sold it OnLine” are good. I bought a Sharyn McCrumb book totally by the long title of “If I’d Killed Him When I Met Him”(”The PMS Outlaws” works too).
Oh, and BTW, I’m with Raine, thank you for the memories - that was a weird day - I laughed all over again just reading them and remembering. And it’s been a long time since I’ve seen “Eve” on a blog. That alone tells me that it’s been too long since we’ve had that much fun.
LOL, Raine at your friends titles for this paintings. lol. I’m not sure what I expected when I did this post up. Probably asking what type of titles you prefer is a bit unfair and impossible to pin down. It might have been interesting if I compared English titles vs American titles for the same book, or the original title vs the eventual title. :-P
BTW, I think Last Man On Earth is a pretty darn clever title. ;)
“Big Spankable Asses over Mystic River”
lmao!
Bailey, I thought that day was one of the most fun times I’ve had with my fellow writers. *gg*
Well… looks like there’s no clear cut preference for anyone. But it was an interesting topic. For me at least.
Thanks guys for sharing your opinions.
I hate titles like, The Cowboy’s Pregnant Mistress. Or His Bestfriend’s Wife. I’m more of a one-word type of gal. It lets me wonder about what’s in the book, rather than having it all spelled out for me.
I forgot to come back! It’s been a harried day but I have to agree w/Bailey!!! And after seeing two Lehane book/movies I dont know if I could read him. They END depressing! There’s no happy ending, no HEA, no satisfactory ending even! *sigh* At least with Grisham’s The Appeal there was some satisfaction!
Personally I LOVE one word titles (duh), but a catchy title is a catchy title.
Jaq I’m sorry but that title just offends the daylights out of me
(I’m not mad at you–i get what you’re saying too but DAYUM!)
They might as well just tattoo a big S on that baby
How about “Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy”?
“Kin I Shove It Down Your Throat?”
Tanya, the titles are my favourites. I prefer the older harl/sil titles like A Tast of Honey, etc. But I understand the reasoning behind them and apparently many authors can testify to the more blantant titles being their best-sellers.
I haven’t read a Harlen book (though I love his movies) but just going by titles alone and not book subject/artwork etc, I like his titles.
Which title Amie? The Baby O Shame? lol. It’s a dumb title, I’ll say that much. Mebbe if he’d shoved it down her throat there’d be no baby of shame.
Jes sayin….
>>Mebbe if he’d shoved it down her throat there’d be no baby of shame.
Cece, you are SO bad.
titles are the hardest–my summer release had a title that inplied paranormal–which it is not. It took me many a gnashed night to come up with one that the dh didn’t laugh at and the editor like–we came up with TRADING FACES… it’s …catchy