I know most authors say your titles will be changed you don’t need to think too hard about them. But according to agent, Jessica Faust of Bookends Agency, that is the first thing that grabs her about a manuscript and will keep her reading. The title.
She says it should evoke the feel of the story and grab the reader’s attention. Granted most titles get changed when they are bought by a publisher, but if you have a good one, it will grab the attention of your first reader-either an editor or an agent.
So, I’ve been anguishing over the title of my historical western mystery. I had planned to use colors in the titles, but so far no one has liked the titles I came up with. Then I thought I’d just go with Mae Simon, Pinkerton Detective: Vanishing Heiress. To keep the series influence the Mae Simon, Pinkerton Detective would be on all the manuscripts with a title for each book. But that doesn’t grab the reader. Then I thought of “Au Revoir Esther” since at the beginning of the story the heroine throws off her old persona “Esther”, and she pretends to be a French Prostitute. But this doesn’t tell you there is a mystery involved in the story.
Faust also said your title should let the reader know a little about the story genre.
I need something that says historical, western, romance, mystery…
The title of a book, usually comes to me just like the characters and the premise, but for some reason this book isn’t jumping out at me with a title. Here are some of my other ideas. Any thoughts?
Improper Pinkerton
Chasing Dead Ends
Posse of Two
Cloak and Colt .45
How hard do you work to get a title that suits the book? Or do you just name it your character’s names and figure it will get renamed when it is bought? What is your method for finding the right title for your story?
9 comments:
Paty -- I suck at titles. That said, every once and awhile a title will grab me and I will be thrilled to death with myself. Though in my current situation, coming up with my own title is unnecessary, if I were approaching an unknown agent/editor I would definitely place a lot of thought into the title. An original, catchy title promises a good read before the first word.
I liked some of your ideas, but I think you're right to keep searching. Your other titles are clever; I'm sure one for this book will come to you in the dead of the night and I imagine when it does, you'll know it right away.
I found that sometimes it's a matter of twisting the words. One title I thought of was for a book a few years ago was "Betrayal in Paradise." Not good. Unwieldy, dull. A friend suggested making it "Paradise Betrayed." Better. Sorry not to be more help.
I think a good title is imperative.
I like Mae Simon: Pinkerton, Detective best w/o the subtitle. Let them worry about what to name the second book later :) :) I might change it slightly to:
Miss Mae Simon: Pinkerton Detective
This conveys both the Western (and historical) and gets across that she's single (romance ahead!!).
Undercover cowgirl?
Pinkerton in Petticoats (I know, I know, but I really like this one :))
I'll keep thinking :)
Hey Alice, I usually have a title within a week of coming up with the story, but this one- has eluded me. And it could be the most important title I come up with. Which is probably why it is eluding me!
Thanks for the pat on the back.
Wavy, I like Pinkerton in Petticoats too! But alas, people will think it goes with the other Petticoat titles.
Paty, It just occurred to me that I read a cozy mystery series written by Mary Daheim. The heroine runs a Bed and Breakfast in Seattle. The name of the first book was Just Desserts (a play on words, obviously) with a banner announcing it was a Bed and Breakfast Mystery. Subsequent books (A fit of Tempera -- a play on a fit of temper and an allusion to the victims artistic profession)all sport this same thing.
That's probably what you meant with the Mae Simon, Pinkerton Detective: Vanishing Heiress. Maybe if you left out the colon and set it up on the paper like this for instance --
A Pinkerton Detective Mystery
Vanishing Heiress
(or something else that is catchy for the title of this book) it would work. It would also announce straight off this is a series but that this book stands alone.
I'm not good with titles either. Make Me Believe was not a good title for my ms when I was submitting - hit the romance but didn't have much to do with the suspense angle. That said, I still got an agent with it, finaled in the GH AND sold that book, so if I were you I wouldn't stress too much over the title. Write a great book, write a kick-ass query letter, try to come up with a title that fits, but don't make yourself nuts over it.
One of the first discussions my editor and I had was over the title. (I knew it would change going in). She asked me for a list of suggestions. I came up with STOLEN FURY. They added STOLEN HEAT and STOLEN SEDUCTION.
Alice, That's kind of what I was going for with the- Mae Simon Pinkerton Detective: Vanishing Heiress. The cozy mystery style, yet the westerny feel with the Pinkerton wording. ~sigh~
Eli, I know you always tell me to forget about the title. And it worked for you. But to me, the book isn't finished until it has a title that works. And now I want one that makes an agent sit up and say, hey, this is something I want to read. So I'll keep digging away at ideas.
Thanks all!
I'm sooo not good with titles. Some people have a knack and can spit out ten great ones before I can come up with a marginal one, so you aren't going to find any help here. I spend a lot of time with Thesaurus.com when I'm working on a title.
I loved Make Me Believe. I can understand how it didn't work for Elisabeth's project, but I still think it's very passionate and powerful.
Kendra, I think titles are up there with synopsis in how a writer feels about them.
Aw, thanks, Kendra. I loved that title, too. And it fit the romance so well because the heroine had very strong belief issues (or lack thereof), but it didn't fit the suspense. Maybe if I ever write a straight romance I'll resurrect it. (Can you see me writing a straight romance, though, without killing someone off???? LOL)
Post a Comment