What's in a title?

[Catherine]

How much influence does the title the title have on your choice of book? I'm planning to simply use the name of my heroine for my next novel.
How well does that work? Should I think up something more intriguing?

[Abigail]

What a dilemma titles can be! A really intriguing title can draw me to a book, setting my mind alight imagining the possibilities implied by it. But titles can also mislead in frustrating ways; I’m starting to realize that the title of my current work-in-progress might set up expectations that the book has no intention of fulfilling. The deception is intentional, but maybe still counterproductive.

Using the name of the heroine seems safe but maybe a little flat? Depends on the name, I suppose. “Susan” might be boring, but a more unusual or “exotic”-sounding name might not. On the other hand, if one avoids the name and uses a more thematic title, one risks limiting the context for the reader.

Publishers have their own ideas about titles, and they shift with fads. A few years ago, many titles of books and movies had to be a single word—but then before long they were running out of evocative words! Now it seems to me that they want hot-button words in titles: “secrets” “lies,” something that sounds forbidden, conflictual, and/or alluring. Of course, if your subject is not forbidden, conflictual, and/or alluring, such a title can backfire.

Biblical terms or phrases are perennial favorites, as well as terms/phrases from classical literature or Shakespeare. If you have some themes in the novel that are clear in your head, you could try Googling those words in connection with “quotations” or “literary references” or some such terminology, and see what floats to the surface.

Getting to a good title can be the hardest part of writing a novel! Good luck with it.

[Helena]

Keep search engines in mind. A title or subtitle should give readers a hint about the period and the context so that readers interested in, say, 18th C. Scotland, can find your book (if it's set in that period). Even if it's only in the subtitle, it will help new readers find you.

[Premanand]

For me yes, title matters a lot. Along with cover, title is the first thing that I, well for that matter all of us, see of the book. So if the title of the book is simply the name of a person and there is an enticing cover, I will definitely be curious to know what that book has to offer. Consequently I would go to the blurb to know more about the book. It is in these 30-40 seconds that a book either hits it or misses it, at least for me. Hope this helps and all the best for your book!

PL

[Teri-K]

I rarely pick a book just for it's title, unless it's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, or something really clever and intriguing like that. Personally I'm fine with titles that are MC's names. They make it easy to remember. :) Since I'm all about character, there's a good chance I'll look at the blurb for more info.

But a title can turn me off if it sounds cliched or dull. "Her Winter Wedding" is an example of dull, "His Surprise Baby" is cliched. (Sorry, I don't know why I could only think of romance examples. Maybe because they're everywhere.) Also, I dislike titles that don't directly relate to the book. "Arrows of the Queen" is a book I really like but have never been able to remember, as it doesn't have any arrows and the Queen isn't much a part of the story.

So I'd say if you like the idea of using your MC's name, go for it. Though a subtitle, as suggested, isn't a bad idea.

[D.B.]

Helena wrote: "Keep search engines in mind. A title or subtitle should give readers a hint about the period and the context so that readers interested in, say, 18th C. Scotland, can find your book (if it's set in..."
That's a bit of a quandary for me as my title is nearly always my inspiration. (Shannon's Land popped into my head one day, the content followed. Good luck, Helena, and trust your instincts!

[Hamid]

I respect all the above comments.
A title should be related to the book's content and it should be catchy. However sometimes you have to change your choice because of some cases. For example I had to change a title because the publisher noted that the title I chose, had been used before that. I had to add some phrases to the title or change it. I hated titles with additional phrases, so I changed it.

[Abigail]

Isn’t it frustrating when that happens? I worked for years on a book that I called Second Impressions (yes, a reference to the original title of Pride and Prejudice, First Impressions). The week I was submitting the manuscript to the publisher, a book came out with the same title. Practically cut my throat!

[Hamid]

Yes, but that may be a blessing. You might find a new title that would be better than the previous one. Anyway, we should try to underestimate our problems.

[Margaret]

As a reader I select books by the reviews and recommendations; then download samples to my kindle. What is important then is that a title should be memorable or perhaps meaningful so that I will select it to purchase and read. Since I often sort them alphabetically, it might help to have the title starting with letters near the beginning of the alphabet.

[Mary]

I like what I call WYSIWIG titles, that aren't too cute and clever. I want the reader to have a fairly good idea of what they're getting into, just from the title. "Imagining Violet" was exactly that - a book about a real person, but totally fictionalized.

[V.M.]

I think titles are important. My publisher changed the title of one of my books because he thought it would attract the wrong audience. His title was much better.
I'm stuck for a title for one of the 2 books I'm currently working on. The only thing I've currently thought of is the name of the mc, but that does seem a bit boring and says nothing about the story. The other title was easy. Its set in Viking Britain and has Viking in the title.