tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post3258799545719885481..comments2023-11-02T06:57:11.400-04:00Comments on BookEnds Literary Agency: Choosing a TitleBookEnds, A Literary Agencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06287278822065839469noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-65303470075077248532011-02-10T16:32:12.114-05:002011-02-10T16:32:12.114-05:00I am in the process of finishing my first book. I...I am in the process of finishing my first book. I believe the title I have chosen is a real eye-catcher but I'm concerned it may be too dark. My book is nonfiction or should I try to come up with something softer. I don't want the title to scare people off.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-72725597744249039582009-09-21T23:04:50.725-04:002009-09-21T23:04:50.725-04:00I work in a library, and was surprised recently by...I work in a library, and was surprised recently by the sight of a new book titled <i>Eclipse</i>. (For those who don't know, one of the books in the Twilight series has the same title.) I guess it was just vague enough.Anica Lewishttp://www.anicalewis.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-68427492871561868502009-09-21T22:29:15.586-04:002009-09-21T22:29:15.586-04:00I'll always remember when I saw the title of m...I'll always remember when I saw the title of my favorite book on a front-of-the-shop table, propped up all shiny and new. "An American Tragedy," called to me, but as I approached I realized it wasn't the Dreiser masterpiece. Instead, it was a book about Nicole Brown Simpson and O.J. ew.lfk911https://www.blogger.com/profile/09260213612198973151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-88448475234853979012009-09-21T22:26:11.752-04:002009-09-21T22:26:11.752-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.lfk911https://www.blogger.com/profile/09260213612198973151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-1295521103768353922009-09-20T21:31:14.770-04:002009-09-20T21:31:14.770-04:00Agreed. I've only been able to keep 2 original...Agreed. I've only been able to keep 2 original titles out of my 6 books. I do give my books titles, though, helps me talk about it. Although I know full well, it might be changed by the publisher.Heather Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-54726667608709160162009-09-20T19:05:19.943-04:002009-09-20T19:05:19.943-04:00My current WIP has been giving me titling headache...My current WIP has been giving me titling headaches almost since I began it. I can come up with really catchy titles...as long as I haven't already written the story. If I have, the best I can do is a working title. Uninvoked is a working title that stuck. -.-Uninvokedhttp://www.uninvoked.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-76555343154730395312009-09-20T02:44:47.757-04:002009-09-20T02:44:47.757-04:00Great post.
I love the Predjudicial Twilight Code...Great post.<br /><br />I love the Predjudicial Twilight Code. Has a certain ring to it.Shirley Winenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-56680346804774821182009-09-19T19:45:41.463-04:002009-09-19T19:45:41.463-04:00I love my WIP's title - I was frantically tryi...I love my WIP's title - I was frantically trying to get the first few pages ready for a contest and realized I needed a title to submit it. I asked my husband, who jokingly suggested something off the top of his head - and it totally fits! I'm trying not to get too attached to it, but I guess I just have to sell the book first . . .Wendy Quallshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09738672242498685175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-33958851013813878392009-09-19T16:35:30.547-04:002009-09-19T16:35:30.547-04:00There is an old saying that pregnant women shouldn...There is an old saying that pregnant women shouldn't name babies and I guess now I could add writers should name books. Case in point, two (in)famous Publish America books:<br /><br />1. I Wish My Kids Had Cancer (a book about autism)<br /><br />2. Why Do I Feel Like Crap? (a book about sleep disorders, PA put a roll of toilet paper on the cover)<br /><br />Yes, writers should be part of the process, but sometimes it's better to let someone else who can be objective have the final vote.<br /><br />Great post!terrinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-57847436462078445232009-09-18T23:50:39.484-04:002009-09-18T23:50:39.484-04:00Becke--I've got a heroine who is in her late f...Becke--I've got a heroine who is in her late fifties and first appears in Wolf Tales V, again in VII and VIII and some of the Sexy Beast novellas as well. My characters, once introduced, all tend to show up again later in the series, but Millie West is a fairly pivotal character. <br /><br />Angie, I love it! And must admit, I still think your first book, The Accidental Demon Slayer, gets top honors for great titles!Kate Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05486916548114546095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-45216626037139066902009-09-18T18:44:44.681-04:002009-09-18T18:44:44.681-04:00I remember the recent rash of fiction books that u...I remember the recent rash of fiction books that used the titles of pop songs. This bugged the HECK out of me. I refused to read them. Another thing I can't stand is when an author uses a name that already has a place in literary history. BAM! Right against the wall.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-49176984457844270722009-09-18T17:46:39.920-04:002009-09-18T17:46:39.920-04:00Great topic. It's very much easier in lieterar...Great topic. It's very much easier in lieterary fiction to be really creative (Eggers' Staggering Work of Extraordianry Genius is beautiful, as are titles like Elina Hirvonen's When I Forgot, or Banana Yoshimoto's enigmatic n.p.).<br /><br />The master, though, wasn't an author at all but a screenwriter - the much maligned Joe Eszterhas (whatever you think of his material). Back in the bad old Simpson/Bruckeimer days, there was pretty much one rule if you wanted a killer title for a high octane film: two short words - "Basic Instinct", "Fatal Attraction", "Jagged Edge". See, that's where he went wrong with Showgirls...<br /><br />There's a lot to be said today as well for considering the rhythm, cadence, and impact of the words you use. Not just for the two-card trick, but for all genres. The old rule of "say it out loud" is even more important for titles than every other sentence you write.<br /><br />But don't listen to me, I called my last 2 books "Songs from the Other Side of the Wall" and "The Man who Painted Agnieszka's Shoes"Dan Hollowayhttp://www.danholloway.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-64269630969252736612009-09-18T16:10:57.813-04:002009-09-18T16:10:57.813-04:00As usual, your thoughts hit home right when I need...As usual, your thoughts hit home right when I need them. I've been struggling to rename a MS for various reasons and think I've finally hit on one that will work.<br /><br />My spam word is "endin" -- Hope that means the end is in sight!Silver Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15606837105470988646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-18916930523527037742009-09-18T15:41:16.782-04:002009-09-18T15:41:16.782-04:00How about "The Twilight and Prejudice Code&qu...How about "The Twilight and Prejudice Code"?Livia Blackburnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15805379309049803903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-91386313380073888702009-09-18T15:01:37.692-04:002009-09-18T15:01:37.692-04:00"I have yet to find a book with my title. It&..."I have yet to find a book with my title. It's called 'Lessons from the Monk I Married'. I have a blog by the same title. It's a non-fiction book I am working on. It seems to grab the reader's attention!"<br /><br />Ah, this is a winner. It says it all, you've got the credentials -- (and I don't know you, I'm just assuming). Very wise. <br /><br /><br />For that person who used a publisher's critique service...? That doesn't sound very good to me. Check out preditors and editors.<br /><br />Me, I get the title before I start writing page one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-76638950808374341452009-09-18T14:30:26.503-04:002009-09-18T14:30:26.503-04:00Gee, I can go back to my original title? I didn&#...Gee, I can go back to my original title? I didn't know I could use a title that already exists. Newbies are so ignorant. I will learn...Lillian Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13488638666900705015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-49212743916121099912009-09-18T13:05:11.845-04:002009-09-18T13:05:11.845-04:00It's amazing you'd post this today, becaus...It's amazing you'd post this today, because as I was writing in my wip this morning, I came up with a possible title for my next book. I immediately Googled it and found there are several previous releases w/that title. I thought, "Well, that takes care of that!" Now that I know titles can't be copy written, I think I'll go with it. <br /><br />I also love the title to the book I'm currently querying. It's a mystery, so the title fits well. Although, as with anything along the writing process, I'm always willing to revise!Debra Lynn Sheltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08238268767406623274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-68804625237236618352009-09-18T12:37:53.831-04:002009-09-18T12:37:53.831-04:00I have yet to find a book with my title. It's ...I have yet to find a book with my title. It's called 'Lessons from the Monk I Married'. I have a blog by the same title. It's a non-fiction book I am working on. It seems to grab the reader's attention!Katherine Jenkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16732133918969183030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-58191452184120912772009-09-18T11:40:53.180-04:002009-09-18T11:40:53.180-04:00Yes, Kate. Before I even knew you, I'd heard a...Yes, Kate. Before I even knew you, I'd heard about Wolf Tales as a series. In your case, your title basically became your brand. That's something we can all aspire to achieve.<br /><br />In my case, I look at titles like I looked at advertising headlines in my old job. What would make me want to pick this book off the shelf and take a look at back cover copy? <br /><br />So far, I've gotten to keep all of my titles and I'm with a New York publisher. Then again, I try not to get to attached because I know my luck has to run out sometime.Angie Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05843918280581285622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-32888340741118999092009-09-18T11:39:15.675-04:002009-09-18T11:39:15.675-04:00Kate - is number 11 the one you were telling me ab...Kate - is number 11 the one you were telling me about, with the 50ish heroine? I'll have to get a copy. (Sorry for going off-topic!)Becke Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05347467350985614111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-18414966664330804912009-09-18T11:24:32.710-04:002009-09-18T11:24:32.710-04:00This one's tough for me because I often get th...This one's tough for me because I often get the title before I get the story--the title essentially becomes my launch pad, but I will admit that when my new Kensington editor told me my entire series would be called Wolf Tales, I thought she was nuts. I mean, that was the name of the first book, not the whole series. Well, I'm getting ready to write Wolf Tales 11 (Roman numerals got too cumbersome) and I take back all the evil thoughts I had about Audrey's idea. In this case the title has become the brand and it's obviously working.Kate Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05486916548114546095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-12837104044324958922009-09-18T11:21:10.350-04:002009-09-18T11:21:10.350-04:00Thank you for this post. I am in the naming proces...Thank you for this post. I am in the naming process right now and am trying to stay away from anything remotely like "Second Chances". Not that I was considering it, but I didn't think it was that widely used. It would be very interesting to see a list of the most common title submissions.Regina Quentinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16541489650098107512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-46388759302613310742009-09-18T11:07:43.261-04:002009-09-18T11:07:43.261-04:00My new WIP started with the title - ie I thought o...My new WIP started with the title - ie I thought of the title and then came up with the premise to fit around it. Strange way, I know, but for some reasons that's the way it happened.Alli Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00363202163419352155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-91831814003695504082009-09-18T11:03:55.495-04:002009-09-18T11:03:55.495-04:00A unique title can be a double edged sword. An age...A unique title can be a double edged sword. An agent didn't like my title, but an editor asked for the full based on it.Linda Banchehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18143074276306710646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-83192187904506841602009-09-18T10:56:47.699-04:002009-09-18T10:56:47.699-04:00One of my beta readers gives me ideas for titles a...One of my beta readers gives me ideas for titles after she's read a rough draft. Often they're bang on, because she's calling it strictly from the reader's perspective.Karla Doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17951720163661226897noreply@blogger.com