Finding the Right Title for a Book

 When it comes to titling my books, it’s usually an easy task. For the GHOST Group series, I decided to call the books The GHOST Group because that’s the name of the paranormal investigation group in the stories. For Parenting Pauses, I titled the book after my blog series that ran under the same name.

 

Some titles, however, took a little work. I had to do a lot of thinking and brainstorming of ideas until I got the title for my nonfiction book, A Ghost on Every Corner. And with the children’s book Wolf Whispers, I had to think some more about that one and really focus on the main element in the book, which was a special kind of wolf helping a little girl find comfort while grieving the loss of her mother.

 

When brainstorming for ideas for a title, I ask myself these questions:

 

What is the book about?

 

What is the theme of the book?

 

What is the one thing about the book that really stands out?

 

Are there any words or phrases in the book that catches the eye?

 

Is there a phrase that can use a little wordplay that will match the book’s theme or story?

 

If I don’t get title ideas from my answers to these questions, then I try to think about what it was that gave me the idea for this story or book in the first place and what I can draw from that as far as a title goes.

 

I tried all of that with a children’s book I wrote recently. I got the idea for this book years ago and commissioned the illustrations for it. Took a long time before I was finally able to write the story.

 

Coming up with the title took me even longer.

 

All of the usual tricks didn’t work when I was ready to title the story. I couldn’t think of a title before I wrote it and I couldn’t think of a title after I wrote it.

 

For this reason, it was stuck in production. I could not take it into print until I had the title! That was all that was missing.

 

So I tried reading a bunch of articles about how to get a title for a book. None of that helped.

 

I tried looking at a bunch of books for the same audience, in the same genre and with the same theme. I scanned through all of the titles but it did not inspire any ideas for my own title.

 

I spent some time brainstorming again, writing down a bunch of titles. But none of them looked good, either. None of them grabbed me. It was just “blah.”

 

And that’s the thing about a book’s title. It needs to grab me. They are the words that stand out and the words that say “I am your title!”

 

But I just didn’t see anything there.

 

Then I tried something else: I wrote the book’s blurb. I figured, I have to write one, anyway. Might as well do it now. I don’t need to have a title to have a blurb! I can have the blurb right now, since the story is written.

 

So, I wrote it. Funny thing happened while I was writing that blurb: Some of the words really stood out. They just hit me like an oncoming train, blaring: “TITLE!!!”

 

I looked at those words and I all of a sudden had my title. Yes! I hurriedly wrote it down on another part of the page in my notebook and it definitely seemed like the right fit for the title.

 

It was perfect.

 

Even so, I ran it by my crew first. I just needed feedback that it sounded like a good title for a children’s book. And, thankfully, they said it sounded good.

 

Yay!!

 

So, from now on, I have a new trick in my bag to use when I am struggling with a title for a book: Write the book’s description. Just write what the book is about. There just may be something in those words that will stand out and work as a good title for the book.

Titling a poem before it's a poem

I am subscribed to this poetry newsletter in which I receive one poem to read each day. (I actually subscribe to two of these types of newsletters, so that’s two poems to read each day.) With one of the newsletters, it includes a poet’s comments about the poem. There was one poem I read last week which I found particularly enjoyable.  When I read the poet’s comment on her poem, she said that she had titled this poem first and that titling her poem first was “unusual for me.”

That made me think, this is unusual for a poet? I have done this before. It’s possible other poets have titled their poems before writing the poem.

I have done the same thing with my own poems quite a few times. Sometimes, it’s just a phrase that grabs me and I want to turn it into a poem. Or, other times, a newspaper article inspires a poem, and something from the article becomes the title. The first case happened with a poem in my WIP, a collection of general poems. The phrase caught my eye, but I had no idea what the poem would be about. That would come later. With the second instance, I was so moved by an article I read in the online edition of a newspaper, that I created a poem based on the article. The title, “Among the Dead,” came from the article. (This poem is in my poetry book, Remember the Soldier.)

As mentioned, sometimes I won’t know what the poem will be about, only that there is a title. So I’ll write this title down in my writing notebook then figure out the poem later. Or sometimes the poem will eventually come to me after I write down that title.

Figuring out the poem that should go with the title can be tricky. So I’ll ask myself, what does that title make me think of? What does it represent? What kind of images and feelings do I get from that title? All of this can help me create the poem. But failing that, it’s also helpful to just give the poem time to grow. I’ll figure it out at some point.

Then again, writing down the title without the poem doesn’t always mean I don’t have a poem to go with it. I may be too busy to write the poem but want to get that title down before I forget it. I’ll end up walking around with that poem stuck in my head until I finally have a chance to write it down.

There’s nothing wrong with creating a poem’s title before that actual poem. I imagine quite a few other poets do this, too. There’s some kind of “mystery” when you have a title for a poem before the actual poem. It can be an interesting challenge in figuring out just the right poem to go with that title. The right poem for that title is there and can be found; it's just a matter of working with the title and what it brings to mind. The above tactics have worked for me. Perhaps other poets out there have figured out their poems in some way or another, too.

Working titles

Last week, I was reading the issue of WritersWeekly when one of the letters to the editor caught my eye. In the letter, the author thanked Angela Hoy for her piece on the importance of watching out for trademark infringement in our work. The writer noted that she did research on her book’s title and discovered that another book out there already has her title. She therefore proceeded to change her book’s title, just to be on the safe side.

This reminded me of my own ongoing love/hate relationship with book titles.

Several years ago, I wrote a novel (unpublished) with the title Dead Ringer. The manuscript caught the interest of an acquisitions editor at a publishing company but, unfortunately, the editor didn’t do anything with that manuscript for 5 years. (There was no contract; she did express interest in it and wanted me to rework it before a contract was signed.) During this time, the popular bestselling novel with the same title by Lisa Scottoline came out. I was devastated because now I’d have a title problem if my own book came out. So I got to work finding a new title for my novel. Fortunately, I was able to come up with one, but I was still steaming because I liked the original title best. (And everyone tells me they like the original title of November’s Child best, too, but the new version of this novel, which will be published in the near future, must have a new title, so there’s not much I can do about that. At least the new version does have a “part” of the story called “November’s Child.”)

But it was no huge loss, really. That novel remains unpublished (never got the contract with that publisher after all) and so there’s no harm done, really. I’m not upset over this anymore and I look forward to fixing up that manuscript and submitting it when that time comes.

This still had me thinking about the whole title thing, though.

So the next thing I did was a little research on proposed titles I have for WIPs (works-in-progress). One title was already taken and the scary thing is that, when I read this book’s description, it sounded a lot like my WIP with the same title. (This book was published in 1989 and written by a psychologist.) I had never read this book. Never seen it. But here we were with a book eerily similar to mine. So I’ll have to not only change the title of my own WIP but also check out that book JUST to make sure mine is not the same as what he wrote. (Gosh, I hope not! But, I’m not a psychologist, so maybe my approach as a layman can benefit this work.)

With this in mind, I decided that maybe it was best to remove proposed titles I have on my web site, on the “Current Projects” page. No title is set in stone, and I just may change a book’s title when it’s time to submit it. So I removed all titles from that page on my site, saying only what the book was about. (I also removed the title from Martha’s book, which I am helping her out with. I never asked her if it was okay to share that title, anyway. I don’t know how she feels about that.)

While it’s true that two books can end up having the same title, I think it’s best if the author tries to have a title for their book that stands out. Something that can stay with the browsing customer. Something that is a little bit more different than the competing title. You can’t copyright a title, true. Just as you can’t copyright an idea. But I think it’s better to try to have a new and “fresh” title for your book all the same. After all, your book is different from that other book, and having a different title than its competitor is just one way to let readers know they won’t be reading the same thing in your book as the other book that has what used to be the same title.

Adventures in Title Land

This morning, I came across author Katie Ganshert’s blog post on book titles. I thought it was interesting that I saw this right after I commented on another author’s blog about how important a good title is. But reading this blog post had me thinking about my own adventures in coming up with a good title.

My debut novel, which unfortunately went into limbo after the publisher went bankrupt, was titled November’s Child. This title came to me in a dream. (More details on all of that in October, where you can read more about how that story came to be in an interview I’ll be featured in on another author’s blog.) Dreams are helpful when it comes to titles. Another dream I had told another story that turned into a manuscript I wrote, and the title was in this dream, as well.

I have had other dreams about my WIPs, and sometimes I would see title candidates in those dreams. However, for one other manuscript I wrote, I don’t think “Where is Laura?” would be much of a good title. But if something grabs me in a dream, I’ll use it.

Alas, November’s Child was a title that didn’t stick around for very long. With the demise of this book, I brought it back to life in a new version of the story and the manuscript was picked up by Gypsy Shadow Publishing. During the time I was trying to figure out what to do with my book, everyone I talked to told me the same thing: It will need a new title. I spent months trying to come up with something. Then I started to ask myself, what is this book really about? What’s going on with the main characters? The heart of the book is about the Druid observance of Samhain. Hmm, Samhain. Must use that. Then I looked at the characters and I realized, you know, it’s like they are haunted by the past. Like the past is a huge shadow over them. Wait a minute, shadow? Ding! That’s how I got the book’s title: Shadow of Samhain.

The one and only book I have co-authored (so far!) is the haunted houses book with Martha Jette: Totally Scared: The Complete Book on Haunted Houses. But neither of us can take credit for the title. Actually, my good friend, Peter Bowerman, came up with that title. (Thanks, Peter!) Up until then, I’d spent months brainstorming for a title. Family members even tried to come up with something. But nothing worked. I’m glad I finally asked Peter for help, because it’s definitely a great title!

Family members have also helped me work on other book titles, as well. My daughter and I spent some time brainstorming for a title for my haunted cities book. Because the contract was cancelled by the publisher, I figured that if it was going to be with a new publisher, it’s going to have a new title! Eventually, I came up with “A Ghost on Every Corner.”

For my poetry ebook, Songs of the Dead, that one was also a team effort. My publishers suggested I use one of the poem titles as a title and I threw at them a list of the ones I liked best. They picked “Songs of the Dead” and I was happy with it. (Thank you, Denise and Charlotte!) In a way, it fits the overall collection of poems.

Despite these successes with book titles, however, I still occasionally struggle with titles for my books. There is one manuscript I have, a paranormal mystery, that has a temporary title: “Imprint.” Which I think is better than the working title it used to have: “The Haunted Carpet.” (I still chuckle over that one! LOL) This manuscript is still being spiffied up, so hopefully during the revision process, I will manage to come up with some other title.

If not, I can always ask around. Or hold a “title this book” contest with my readers. It’s an idea.

Using the elevator pitch to come up with a subtitle

In the July/August issue of Writer's Digest Magazine, Patricia Holt discusses creating a sales pitch for your book, as part of her "Your Publishing Survival Guide" article. In this section, she noted a pet peeve:

"I'd like to throttle whoever started calling this effort [creating a sales pitch] an "elevator pitch." Writing conferences and a lot of lousy books are very big on this. An elevator pitch is that 30-second description of your book you're supposed to have ready if you find yourself in an elevator with a potential agent, editor or booker of the "Today" show. The idea is, you pin them back by their lapels and yammer your pitch quickly and loudly before the elevator gets to their floor. They're supposed to stumble out in love with your book -- but instead they regard you as a mentally ill escapee. So none of that."

As much as she dislikes the 30-second "elevator pitch," it still comes in handy for some writers. Mainly, writers trying to get a grasp on what exactly their book should be about and/or what exactly it should offer readers.

I have a new title for the Revisions book. I call it the "Revisions book" even though the word "revisions" is not in the title! Haha. But I call it that to get it across what kind of book I am talking about here. Hey, at least I'm not calling it "the TTF book" anymore. (Just a heads-up: TTF=Trimming the Fat. That's the book's OLD title. It just sounded too much like a dieting book rather than a writing book. And for future reference, RGT is "Real Ghost Towns." But that title is getting a makeover, as well.) Anyway, this new title is one I am a little unsure of, but something tells me it's catchy enough to grab interest and maybe (hopefully!) invite a browsing bookstore customer to at least pick it up, check it out and see what it's about. The title kinda makes me chuckle and blush, even though it comes from a song title, but people might think something differently when they see it. But again, my instincts are saying, "KEEP IT! It works!"

So, the title thing was not the problem.

But the SUBTITLE was! AAH!!

Not every single nonfiction book out there has a subtitle (The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking, Gem Trails of California by James R. Mitchell), but the subtitle does come in handy. The subtitle sort of acts as the anal version of that snappy title that caught a browsing customer's eye in the first place. After all, A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer is a title that made me do a double take. It caught my attention. I see that title and think, Huh? What's THAT about? And then I read the subtitle to find out: One Child's Courage to Survive. That got me interested in reading this true story. (And I read the whole book the very day I bought it!)

Now even as I had a TITLE for the Revisions book, I didn't have a good subtitle. The subtitle can be the "anal version" of your main title, but it still has to stand out just as the title stands out. It needs to be interesting. It needs to invite readers further. It needs to get a reader thinking, "Wow, I could use that info!"

So I had to REALLY come up with something good. A subtitle that would "work" just as well as my title did.

I sat down with my notebook and started to think. My muse was busying herself with this obstacle, so it was a challenge I had to tackle NOW! You cannot keep the muse waiting. And if she must wait, don't make her wait for too long!

With that little rant on elevator pitches stuck in my mind, I decided to use it to my advantage. If I was in an elevator with an editor, what would I say to grab their interest in my book? (A publishing house already has expressed interest in seeing this book once complete, but for the purposes of coming up with a subtitle, I had to imagine I was trying to "pitch" it all over again.)

Hmmmm. Let me see...what EXACTLY will this book do for readers? What does it have to offer them? What is THE main thing they will take away from this book? What will this book give them that others don't?

I started writing ideas down:

How to Take Your First Draft to Polished Piece with Editing and Revision Tips from the Pros

Hm. That one kind of put me to sleep. And it's too sloppy. I was tripping over words by mid-sentence.

From First Draft to Polished Piece

Hm. Not enough information there. And I think I'm getting too attached to that whole "polished piece" pairing. (Gah! Somebody stop me!!)

How to Turn Your First Draft into a Polished Masterpiece with Editing and Revision Tips from the Pros

Note how I stroked the writer's ego in claiming they'll be able to turn their writing into a "masterpiece"? It helps to do that, but I need to be wary of making promises I can't be sure I'll be able to keep. I WANT to help writers create a "masterpiece" out of their work, but I need to be careful that my mouth doesn't write any checks my butt can't cash.

Also, it's too long.

How to Supercharge Your Revising Skills with Tips From the Pros

I wasn't sure if "revising skills" worked better than "revision skills." (Yay! I got the word "revision" in there somewhere! Woot woot!) And the whole "Tips" thing makes it look like some repeat or knock-off of my 365 Tips for Writers book. This book is NOT similar to that book!

How to Revise Your Writing Like a Pro with Advice from the Pros

Hmmmm.....maybe? I don't like the repetition of the word "pro."

How to Revise Your Writing Like a Pro

Maybe that will work.