tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post8884225951863115324..comments2024-03-27T01:07:03.944-04:00Comments on The Roses of Prose: How Important is a Title? by Alison HendersonAlison Hendersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-91752426568372505412018-01-06T13:22:48.416-05:002018-01-06T13:22:48.416-05:00I thought the article was fascinating, too, Leah. ...I thought the article was fascinating, too, Leah. I'm glad you found it useful.Alison Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-69838980566090314482018-01-06T13:22:08.667-05:002018-01-06T13:22:08.667-05:00Thanks, Alicia. I just keep tinkering and tinkerin...Thanks, Alicia. I just keep tinkering and tinkering until I'm satisfied with every element. I even changed the cover for the second book in the series several months after initial publication.Alison Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-62552387798834652142018-01-06T10:09:16.251-05:002018-01-06T10:09:16.251-05:00That is fascinating, Alison. I had no idea. And I ...That is fascinating, Alison. I had no idea. And I think Problem Child is a much better title. I've read the first two books and am looking forward to this one! As far as titles in general, I'm really lousy at them, but I'm going to put more thought into it. I'm thinking of having some of my old covers redone and it would be a perfect time to redo titles as well.Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004006100786260893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-26081470246819263912018-01-06T09:47:19.619-05:002018-01-06T09:47:19.619-05:00Great article, thanks for sharing. I love how you ...Great article, thanks for sharing. I love how you turned your title into something more engaging, with more tension. Problem Child is much more enticing. I'm not great with titles, but this article will help me be a little more thoughtful about them. Love the cover!Alicia Deanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003539473772776004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-31774013399861504432018-01-05T18:59:21.268-05:002018-01-05T18:59:21.268-05:00I love your alliterative titles, Diane, but I see ...I love your alliterative titles, Diane, but I see what you mean about their length. I try to stick with short so the words are larger on the cover and easier to read in the thumbnail on Amazon.Alison Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-23847885039288640592018-01-05T18:57:57.737-05:002018-01-05T18:57:57.737-05:00The whole article was interesting, Andi. You shoul...The whole article was interesting, Andi. You should check it out if you haven't. I've never been asked to change a title, but this one gave me more trouble than any other so far.Alison Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-71149991004720219232018-01-05T18:28:53.954-05:002018-01-05T18:28:53.954-05:00I love Problem Child. All kinds of questions come ...I love Problem Child. All kinds of questions come to mind, which would make me buy the book, even if it wasn't yours. ;) Short titles are the way to go. Just ask me.<br /><br />When I started my PI mystery series, I wanted a title that sounded like a throwback to the days of Sam Spade. The Case of... And I wanted alliteration. So the 1st book about a missing sibling became The Case of the Bygone Brother. Then I had to continue with that phrase to connect the series. As "cute" as I thought the title was, it took up so many characters. When Twitter limited us to 140, I couldn't say much. I wished I'd thought longer about the title of that 1st mystery. BTW, I did have fun coming up with the other titles, esp. Meddling Mama.Diane Burtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03754105332297068271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-69458385532164292582018-01-05T18:07:05.911-05:002018-01-05T18:07:05.911-05:00Really interesting post, Alison. I've never t...Really interesting post, Alison. I've never thought about the importance of titles other than in respect to their relevance to the book. I've only been made to change a title once, on my first book, and i still regret it. I think 'Child's Play' definitely would have drawn a different reader to 'Problem child.'Andrea Downinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11553961600937196102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-2384183298107670062018-01-05T12:43:27.548-05:002018-01-05T12:43:27.548-05:00Song lyrics can make great titles, Betsy. The fami...Song lyrics can make great titles, Betsy. The familiarity resonates with readers, like common adages and phrases. I love the titles for your "Un" series. They tie together, yet each says something distinct about the book.Alison Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-10941708290610515312018-01-05T12:39:52.934-05:002018-01-05T12:39:52.934-05:00Like Jannine, I went with a song title for my seri...Like Jannine, I went with a song title for my serial killer story, Eyes Without A Face. Thank you, Billy Idol. For my Mad Max series, the song titles were only the working titles. They bit the dust before submitting to my agent and publisher. We did, however, decide on a singular cover design (after not being able to mimic the first cover with the second book) and a two-word formula. The first word begins with Un, as in Unintended Consequences and Uncharted Territory. The third book is Unsafe Haven. In each case, the title carries great weight in the story itself. So, yes, titles matter.Betsy Ashtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06871010122475160477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-28541062396498982182018-01-05T12:31:05.296-05:002018-01-05T12:31:05.296-05:00Vonnie, your books have such a unique flair, it...Vonnie, your books have such a unique flair, it's a shame to weigh them down with generic or run-of-the-mill titles.Alison Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-50716291543911091752018-01-05T12:29:47.117-05:002018-01-05T12:29:47.117-05:00I prefer shorter titles, too, Chris, and since the...I prefer shorter titles, too, Chris, and since these are genre fiction I don't want something lofty or poetic.Alison Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-62147826674625293472018-01-05T12:28:22.232-05:002018-01-05T12:28:22.232-05:00Rolynn, I never worry about choosing a title that&...Rolynn, I never worry about choosing a title that's completely original. That's almost impossible these days. I just try to find something that hasn't been used TOO many times. I also don't worry about someone thinking it might be non-fiction. No reader is going to buy my book without seeing the cover, and that makes it pretty clear.Alison Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-44825466152986235312018-01-05T12:25:46.662-05:002018-01-05T12:25:46.662-05:00Brenda, titles used to be much easier for me. I di...Brenda, titles used to be much easier for me. I didn't run into a problem until this book. I want to have the titles in mind for my next series before I start writing it, and they're giving me fits--probably because I'm not sure yet exactly what the tone of the books will be. Oh, well...Alison Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-74536567157294958842018-01-05T12:23:51.098-05:002018-01-05T12:23:51.098-05:00Jannine, I always love your titles. I thought you&...Jannine, I always love your titles. I thought you'd find the article interesting. Since I advertise these books on Amazon as Sponsored Products, I was encouraged to see readers actually spend time looking at those, too.Alison Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-40025822481798388472018-01-05T12:23:03.057-05:002018-01-05T12:23:03.057-05:00I'll admit to not buying books that have title...I'll admit to not buying books that have titles with more than four words. Wordy titles make think the book is going to be wordy too... as if the author doesn't just get to the point. Great post!<br />Christine DePetrillohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00527942532875216883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-40175645473478660142018-01-05T12:20:49.638-05:002018-01-05T12:20:49.638-05:00My publishers change all my titles. In my opinion ...My publishers change all my titles. In my opinion they chose idiotic ones but, hey, I'm only the writer. An editor at WRP made me change one, but this is one publisher that typically leaves mine alone. My independent works have the weirder names. Thanks for reminding me to take more time to think through a title.Vonnie Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04636934830795471572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-45276561327602547872018-01-05T12:01:40.451-05:002018-01-05T12:01:40.451-05:00Thanks for the interesting article, Alison. So ma...Thanks for the interesting article, Alison. So many titles are 'taken'...by rock groups, mostly :-) that it's hard to find something new. We try show the genre of a book with our cover/title...but sometimes our title implies non-fiction and our books show up in strange places...yours may end up in child psychology...my LIE CATCHERS shows up in non-fiction searches as well. That may not be a bad thing...but something to consider.Rolynn Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09504770204968969467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-23035062670759521012018-01-05T10:50:31.908-05:002018-01-05T10:50:31.908-05:00Jannine and Alison you two rock when brainstorming...Jannine and Alison you two rock when brainstorming titles. I might have to ask for some ideas on this next series. TWRP pretty much leaves me alone with titles but if they do have issue we have a running conversation. Works well.Brenda whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11046023091470525960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-26102104168099495792018-01-05T09:47:04.769-05:002018-01-05T09:47:04.769-05:00I agree titles are huge! My last two series, I wen...I agree titles are huge! My last two series, I went with song lyrics. They have the recognition factor going for them, and people gravitate to the familiar. With my new series, I chose suspenseful words that went together...Buried, Lost, Hidden...and imply something is missing since that's a common thread. Then I picked the second word to further reflect the story...Truth, Innocence, Secrets...all again have that suspense factor. I hope they work to attract attention. So far my pub hasn't hassled me about titles except to change the "Lost and Found" series name I'd planned since it had been done a million times, and they had other books with that name. We went with the name of the town instead, Siren Cove, which still has an urgency to it. Titles are hard, but I think Problem Child works a lot better than Child's Play. Really interesting info about what readers look at.Jannine Gallanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01047728297429025804noreply@blogger.com