Wednesday, May 1, 2019

The ABCs of Book Writing: T is for TITLE . . .

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. . . to capture your THEME.

"What's in a name?" asks William Shakespeare's Juliet. "That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet." Compelling though this sentiment is, what might apply to floral names does not typically work for book titles. In fact, an apt title enhances both the artistry and marketability of a book, while a poorly chosen title can subvert a book's intention and meaning, and adversely affect its reception. This is true of both fiction and nonfiction.

If an author has a conventional book contract, the publishers will often step in and insist on renaming the work. This can be a mixed blessing, as the publisher's title will often be catchier and more marketable than the author's but will not necessarily reflect the book's content with strict faithfulness. Publishers typically have the power to override the author's title preference but will usually concede the author's right to give input. My advice to any author faced with a publisher's title is to listen to your own instinct. If the new title sounds good to you, then run with it and everyone is happy. But if you strongly dislike the publisher's title, then risk being considered difficult and advocate for your own title. You might not win this battle but at least you will have the satisfaction of having stood up for your own creation.

Some writers appear to have a natural feel for a good title and are quick to devise one or more concise and compelling options for naming their manuscripts. Many others, myself among them, struggle with titles and never quite feel that we've chosen wisely. I know of no easy way out of this dilemma. But at least the possibilities for titles are numerous, and awareness of how others have successfully titled their books may set you thinking in some new direction that will eventually lead to a title that works for you and your manuscript.

Here, for both fiction and nonfiction, are some title categories and examples of each:

Novels


Humor/whimsy/irony/satire


The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
MASH
Catch-22

Concepts


Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Magnificent Obsession

Metaphors


Gone with the Wind
To Kill a Mockingbird

Literary references


For Whom the Bell Tolls
The Sound and the Fury
Brave New World

Biblical references


East of Eden
Song of Solomon
A Time to Kill
The Tower of Babel

Character names


- Moll Flanders
- Fanny Hill
- Joseph Andrews
- Jane Eyre
- David Copperfield
- Oliver Twist
- The Great Gatsby
- Rebecca
- Cross
- I, Alex Cross

Setting or place names


Wuthering Heights
A Room with a View
Hawaii

Single words 


The thriller writer Jonathan Kellerman is a notable contemporary master of the one-word title—

- Rage
Gone
Compulsion
Deception
Victims
- Motive

—to cite just a few.

Creative nonfiction


Also known as narrative nonfiction, creative nonfiction, includes such genres as history, true crime, biography and memoirs, and uses many novelistic techniques. This alliance of fiction and nonfiction is reflected in the many creative nonfiction titles that derive from sources similar to those that have inspired the naming of novels. Here are a few examples:

My Family and Other Animals (humor/whimsy)
The Russian Album (metaphor)
The Pebbled Shore (literary reference)
All Creatures Great and Small (hymn reference)
All Things Bright and Beautiful (hymn reference)
Angela's Ashes (subject's name)
Dietrich (subject's name)
Liverpool Miss (place name)
Lime Street at Two (place name)

Expository nonfiction


Expository nonfiction, such as self-help, how-to, and motivational books, tends to look less to outside inspiration for its titles and more to capturing the main content of a book. This imperative typically, though not always, requires the use of a title-subtitle combination. In today's world of Internet marketing, another consideration for titles is the need to provide meaningful keywords for online searches. Here are some representative examples of expository nonfiction titles and subtitles:

Stand-alone title: The Seat of the Soul
One-word title + explanatory subtitle: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
Short title + concise subtitle: The Wealthy Barber: Everyone's Commonsense Guide to Becoming Financially Independent; Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ
Short title + long subtitle: Necessary Losses: The Loves, Illusions, Dependencies, and Impossible Expectations That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Grow
-Title + shorter subtitle: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Brainstorming titles


Not inspired by the examples listed above? Then try brainstorming a range of words and concepts, and combining and recombining them until some potentially viable titles emerge. Just Google "book title generators" and you will discover a number of websites that generate titles either randomly or by your choice of genre and words relating to your book's content. To my mind, many such titles have an awkward or contrived feel, but title generators might nonetheless stimulate your thoughts and spark that just-right title for your book.

Book titles matter


As Google results and the sampling of titles given here show, when it comes to naming your book there are many sources and kinds of titles, as well as variations on the basic title-subtitle combination. This embarrassment of riches may or may not be helpful to you, the author, as you try to nail the perfect title for your work. Frustrating though the endeavor can be for some, even the most title-challenged writer can at least take comfort in knowing that the effort is worthwhile. As much as the content of the pages—sometimes even more so—the title is crucial both to representing the intent of your book, and to maximizing its appeal to readers.

Up next . . . "U is for UNITY"