I have a new story "At the Café Sabarsky" at Beat to a Pulp. Thanks to David and Elaine once again.Charles Gramlich is wrestling with various ideas for a title for his new book. I am always wrestling with titles, too. What makes a good book or story title? Is a title even important? What is the best book title you've ever heard? Was the book as good as the title? Or did the quality of the book enhance the title?
I prefer titles that describe the book and are short. I am too old to remember titles like: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
I also like place names for titles: Gorky Park, Starvation Lake, L.A. Confidential, Miami Blues, Shelter Island, Mystic River, Fargo. Setting is important.
What do you think about titles? Did a title alone ever make you buy a book? Did a poor title put you off?
30 comments:
I would argue that the title ought to embrace the theme of the book, and--at the same time--it ought be something the readers easily recognize within the book. Consider, for example, some of my favorite titles of favorite books: NEVER LET ME GO, MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN, LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA, WISE BLOOD, and THE SUN ALSO RISES. My list could go on and on and on, but perhaps my several examples give you the idea.
They are all great titles. Sometimes it's difficult to sum it up so poetically, I think. The last must be borrowed from the bible or Shakespeare. Have to check it out.
Yes, titles can help I guess. I know authors spend a lot of time trying to come up with good ones (and I know sometimes publishers change them anyway).
Good ones?
Dancing Aztecs (Westlake)
Childhood's End (Clarke)
But how much about what we think of titles is tied to what we feel and know from reading the books?
On the Beach
The Maltese Falcon
Jeff M.
Yes, my favorite titles are often from my favorite books. The Great Gatsby, A Gesture Life (Chang Rae Lee), Never Let Me Go (Ishiguro) all of the John D. MacDonald titles, How Like an Angel (Millar), Because of the Cat (Freeling), Atonement (McEwan). If you don't like the book, you don't remember the title. Unless of course, it's famous. Didn't like DaVinci Code but I do remember the title.
Science fiction writers seem to come up with some memorable titles. I love Cordwainer Smith's "The Dead Lady of Clown Town." Harlan Ellison was famous for his titles: "I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream," "The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World," and the famous " 'Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman."
Well, they have more imagination to begin with probably. They write out of fantastical visions I would guess. I AM LEGEND is a good one. SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES is just dynamite.
I never could get my comment o work at BTAP but I LOVED the character progression of your story. So true to life and chocked full of insight.
Thanks, Travis. David emailed me he was having trouble-hopefully later.
Thomas Pynchon's GRAVITY'S RAINBOW was initially titled BRAIN DAMAGE. Stieg Larsson's THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO original title was MEN WHO HATE WOMEN. What a difference a title makes...
Patti, I'm reminded of the author (whose name escapes me right now), who wrote a book exposing his life as an attorney for organized crime, and how much he regretted it. He called it THE PRICE OF LOYALTY. When he finally got a publisher, they said his title sounded like a self-help book, so they immediately changed it to MOB LAWYER and sold a ton of books.
Men Who Hate Woman was a real downer although it certainly sums up a lot of the book, doesn't it.
Mob Lawyer is blunt and has no poetry but it makes you pick it up more than The Price of Loyalty.
My favorite novel title is "Dreams of Sleep", a first novel by Josephine Humphreys published in the mid-80s. I liked the title so much I tried the book and couldn't get into it. It must have made some impression, though, cause it's still in print 25 years later.
Loved THE FIREMAN'S FAIR by her. Another good title. Alliteration perhaps?
A title can pull in or push away a potential buyer, just as can the cover art. Most of the titles we like are after the fact (we've read the book) but some catch our attention enough to get us to buy the book, provided there is nothing else associated with it (bad review, disliked author, ugly cover, negative word of mouth).
I agree with George on I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST SCREAM, one of the most effective titles ever.
Many times a title needs to inform of the books' genre and topic, as readers have expectations. A title such as The Meow Murders will attract a different person than one titled The Machete Murders, while Death at an Inconvenient Time would be an example of a title that doesn't convey much except that it's a mystery.
Publishers have long been aware that there are key words which can be put in titles to draw readers, such as "Dragon" in a fantasy title.
Short story titles are more difficult, they should hint but not give anything away, and they had darn well better make sense to the reader when the story has been read.
I think perhaps the title "Dreams of Sleep" has a special resonance for insomniacs, of which I am one.
Me, too, M.P.
For every good title that is forgotten because the book is, there are bad titles that don't seem to effect sales. An easy to remember title is important for readers over a certain age. There are several titles I cannot keep in my head for one reason or the other.
There's always the technique of using quotations to make your titles, a la John Steinbeck (except LOG FROM THE SEA OF CORTEZ; that's more descriptive, I'd say). Or getting them from other stories; a book I love gets its title from an Andersen fairy tale, THE GIRL WHO TROD ON A LOAF.
Other good titles: Ursula Le Guin's masterpiece, ALWAYS COMING HOME; Peter Rushforth's A DEAD LANGUAGE; Anca Vlasopolos's final and original title for her memoir (NO RETURN ADDRESS and ORAL TRANSGRESSIONS, respectively).
NO RETURN ADDRESS so perfectly captures the book, doesn't it? I need to read more Le Guin. Haven't read one in decades. Funny how we drift over time.
Titles can make me curious, but usually I choose books based on the writer and/or reviews by bloggers I trust.
So titles are not that important to me, but I prefer titles that go with the subgenre you write (dark titles for noir, funny or humorous titles for cozies etc).
It's funny, George. I was going to mention the Ellison title too - I guess it really was memorable.
I know The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is memorable but I don't really get it as a title. I did like the book and the sequel (another unwieldy title), The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag.
Jeff M.
Strikingness and memorability are good. I think of Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth, But I Must Scream" and James Maxey's Absolutely Brilliant in Chrome.
I have bought books just because of titles. All Heads turn when the Hunt goes by is an example. I love good titles and they are hard to find. But a good evocative title really sets the stage for a reading experience, I think.
Yes. A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield.
A Bad Day for Pretty is darn good, too.
A friend says she always avoids any book with a title that is in the form: [Noun] of the [Adjective] [Noun](as in, say, HOUSE OF BLUE PAPAYA--not sure that really is a title, but it sounds like one). Her claim is the writer (or the publisher) is trying to be too clever.
Interesting theory--and it did make me notice there are a lot of titles that follow that format.
Doesn't exactly seem clever but I guess formulaic perhaps.
Patti - Oooh, titles! I actually do pay attention to tiles. I agree, too, with R.T.'s point about titles capturing the main theme or point or conflict of a book. I think that gives the reader a helpful clue as to whether it's something s/he wants to read, to tell the truth. I also think titles should be relatively short. That's what I love about Megan's title, Queenpins. Inspired!!
Since authors have so little say in titles and publishers change them arbitrarily when published in other countries, I'd say titles are more of an attention grabber like a cover as someone else mentioned. They can help identify a particular author's works. Bad titles can be awful even if the work itsel may be good. One word titles can be powerful. Titles can have more than one meaning after one has read the book and been "clued in." One of my favorite titles is from a book I read last year: THE BOOK OF UNHOLY MISCHIEF by Elle Newmark.
Margot-that was the title that came easiest. The others took more effort.
And yes, the first title was changed by the publisher.
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