Guest Blogger Addresses Titles

 

A BOOK BY ANY OTHER NAME

By Christina Hamlett

When it comes to book titles, my author clients tend to fall into two categories: (1) those who refuse to even start a new project until they have the perfect name for it and (2) those who are so wedded to a fledgling title they refuse to give it up even after the plot develops, matures and outgrows it.

Let’s call the first group what they really are: Procrastinators. No one is going to know the computer file name you label your project unless you tell them. Call it Unknown. Call it Opus28. Call it My Book. Just call it something and start writing in order to conquer your fear of the blank page. Before you know it, the book itself will reveal how it wants to be known. I also advise procrastinators to jot down title inspirations whenever/wherever they occur, even if they’re not currently writing something. If you’ve ever said, “Wow! That would make a great title for a book,” it likely would; you just have to wait for The Plot Muse to catch up. Make a note before it gets away.

The second group is often comprised of those who pen “passion projects”—cathartic, semi-autobiographical works masquerading as fiction. Their titles run the gamut of obscure to profound and usually have deep meaning only to the author (i.e., A Prairie in October). The belief that the title is part of their core identity as a wordsmith makes it hard for editors to tell them otherwise, much less inform readers of the book’s genre. While you can cling to that dear little title all you want, is it really one which will sell the story? Test it on your focus group. Do a survey on Facebook. Pay attention to the answers you receive. Also keep in mind that if you have to embed your word-for-word title in a line of dialogue for it to make sense, it is not a good title.

How, then, do you find a title which will be a smart match?

FILL IN THE BLANKSThere’s a reason romance novel titles all sound vaguely the same. They are often generated in-house by algorithms which follow these patterns:

The (character) and The (character)

The (character)’s (quest/conflict/secret)

To (verb) A (character)

(Character name)’s (quest/conflict/secret)

A/an (object) For (character name)

(Character name) of (setting)

To demonstrate how simple this is, your practice list of characters is comprised of the following:Buccaneer, Duke, Prince, Highwayman, Cowboy, Scullery Maid, Duchess, Witch, Princess,Adventuress. Your verb choices are: Seduce, Bewitch, Kidnap, Fool, Marry, Tease, Romance.

The quest/conflict/secret is related to reward, revenge, escape or something the character does not want to be found out. Likewise with “object.” The character name can either be the hero or villain. The setting is where the majority of the storyline transpires.

Silly as this exercise is, the results easily convey who’s in the book, what’s the conflict or quest, and where it takes place.

Algorithms are also used in online book title generators such as:

https://blog.reedsy.com/book-title-generator

https://www.imagineforest.com/blog/book-title-generator

https://www.ruggenberg.nl/titels.html

https://thestoryshack.com/tools/book-title-generator.

Granted, some of the titles they produce are on the doofy side (Death of the Winged Pygmy, Lonesome Skeletons, The Sallow Swamp) but at least they’re a starting point. Just swap out the nouns, adjectives, verbs and settings to suit your own purposes. Say it out loud to ensure it sounds euphonious. The suggestions on these websites are all free for the taking but although titles are not subject to copyright, be sure to check whether an exact title you like hasn’t already been grabbed by someone else.

KEEP IT SHORT

Readers may totally love your epic tale of Lady Lillian and How She Rose From DismalObscurity in Post-War Belgium to Become Queen of the Chocolate Cartel, but do you really think they’re going to remember all of that the next day at the water cooler when someone asks them if they’ve read any good novels lately? A good rule to remember is that if your title were displayed on a freeway billboard, people should be able to recall what it said after only one glance and going 65 miles an hour.

BUT HOW DO YOU SAY IT?

Choose a title that’s easy to pronounce for regular workaday people. If they have no idea how to pronounce Ghffellyweedwikin's Fllrppschwig, they’re not likely to buy it. I also urge authors touse caution in choosing a title which may look fine in print but could be misconstrued if spoken out loud. A case in point was when the editor of my romantic suspense novels decided to change one of my titles to Knight Dreams. Do you really think anyone is going to go up to a bookstore clerk and ask, “Do you have…?” Had she gone into science fiction, I can only imagine what she’d do for a title if an author wrote about Uranus.

SUBTITLES

Fiction editors typically frown on subtitles, the exception being if a subtitle is deemed necessary to clarify a book’s genre. To return to the earlier example of A Prairie in October, the following subtitles would actually be useful: A Trixie Codswaddle Mystery; Two Dogs on a Journey Home; Her May-December Romance.

NONFICTION

There’s more latitude for creativity and even a little ambiguity in fiction titles. Not so with works of nonfiction. Readers want to know exactly what they’re getting into; specifically, what are they going to learn, what problems will be addressed, and how will the content add to their knowledge base. Accordingly, many nonfiction titles embrace the five journalistic Ws: Who, What, Where, When and Why.

Who Can I Trust With My Heart?

What Happened to Roanoke Island’s Lost Colony?

Where Are the Best Places to Retire?

When Will the Workplace Return to Normal?

Why Am I Always So Tired?

These Ws also lend themselves to subtitles if, for instance, you wanted to respectively title theabove examples: Limited Engagements, Aliens Among Them, Life in the Slow Lane, I Miss My Cubicle, and ZZZZZZZZZZZs.

Numbers are likewise effective sellers for nonfiction works, especially those in self- help/educational categories; i.e., 101 Plots for Stage, Page and Cinema, 50 Ways To Ace Your Next Job Interview, 6 Months to a Debt-Free Life.

**********

Former actress and director Christina Hamlett is an award-winning author whose credits to date include 44 books, 261 stage plays and squillions of articles. She is also a script consultant for stage and screen and a professional ghostwriter. www.authorhamlett.com.