What makes a great book title? (Boek)

Reply by Gareth Wilson on January 16, 2011 at 1:52pm
To be honest its dependent upon what you're writing and the type of genre it appear in, for some its a key phrase within the title or something unusual within but finding something thats a hook is a good thing. Perhaps even a common phrase such as Simon Beckett used with "The Calling of the Grave."

Reply by RYCJ on January 16, 2011 at 10:09pm
Any line, phrase, or word that arouses curiosity. Your question actually makes for a great title... of course the question must be answered inside. I would like to think many people stumped on coming up with great titles would lap this one up!

Reply by Hannah Marshman on January 17, 2011 at 6:46am
Thanks for your comments, i relly like the idea of making a phrase my title, will give this one a lot of thought. Thanks

Reply by Gina D on January 21, 2011 at 8:03pm
I'll tell you what doesn't:

The title that gets used in the book, and when the phrase pops up in the text, it's so obviously awkward that it was forced there.

Reply by Max Nightjar on January 22, 2011 at 2:46pm
1/22/11

HI Hannah,

When I think about a title I try to remember what catches my eye in a book store and why. Usually it a personal preference or genre. But, something about the title has to hook you an make you pick up the book and open it. Then the first page has to hook U.The title is the vein or theme running through your work it has to do with the tag line in one sentence, what is your story about?What is the image for this tag line

My story is about : A little girl puts on a red cloak, picks up her basket and walks through the woods to her grandmothers house. What is your title?

The plot has to do with what's going on between the pages, the artery.

Remember, titles change a lot, so first find your beginning middle and end and try stating the tag line for at least a clue.

Thanks,

Max nightjar

Reply by Andrainea Silverlite on January 22, 2011 at 3:37pm
I think I am in the same rut, but for a different reason. I have a title or rather a working title, but the story has veered in a different direction than what I originally choose the title for. But, I do have a bit of advice for you.

When coming up with a title, think of the genre you are writing for. For example, if you are writing a Paranormal Romance book about a werewolf who lives next door to an average (but sexy) woman, you could call it 'The Howler Next Door'. Which would elude to the fact that it is about a werewolf and it is possible he lives next door. Which could mean a lot of sexy and steamy things!

I do hope that helped a little bit. Now if I can only come up with a better title for mine... I would be in heaven. XD

Reply by Tami Jackson on January 22, 2011 at 6:32pm
I posted whatever ideas I had for my book title on my Facebook wall and asked my friends to comment and/or help select their favorite one from the list I provided. (Thanks to their advice, I finally published: Ravena & The Resurrected.) I used the same strategy for selecting the best artwork for my book's cover as well. My Facebook friends have helped me a great deal that way, so I continue to use them as my volunteer marketing team!

Reply by bestcritic on January 23, 2011 at 1:14am
Anything related to darkness or the night added to the title makes it more catchy like silence, death, doom, moon, night. R.L. Stine has used these words in every one of his books and so has Stephanie Meyer. Also, one word book titles are very catchy, especially if that one word is a strong word like She, Heaven etc.

Reply by Karen on January 23, 2011 at 7:36am
I love quirky titles, they really catch my eye when I'm browsing for books. However, I do think that a book title should have some connection to the story itself. The best book titles that I have come across so far, are 'The Elegance of the Hedgehog' and 'Our Spoons Came From Woolworths'.

Reply by Celia Yeary on January 23, 2011 at 8:44am
Good question, Hannah--if only we had the answer. Titles that annoy me are those from popular books right now--The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, etc.. That just makes me shudder and I don't care what the book is about. Titles used repeatedly with only one word changed are just too much. There are numerous books--The....Daughter: insert Bricklayer's, Undertaker's, Fisherman's, Memory Keeper's; I could list more if I could think of them. I turn away. Titles with one word-someone said those are good, but don't usually grab me. I like phrases, and I like those used in the book (yes, I know, someone remarked how horrible those are--but I like to see them in novels, and I use them.) Just as covers are a matter of taste, so are titles. I enjoyed this discussion...Celia Yeary

Reply by Gina D on January 23, 2011 at 10:20am
I don't necessarily think a phrase from the book is always a bad idea. It's just that I have seen book titles that are phrases, and then when the phrase DOES come up in the text it feels incredibly forced and unnatural. It's like they came up with a title and then worked to find a place to jam it into the manuscript.

If it comes about the other way around, organically, that's completely fine. But it should feel natural. Like when you see the title in the middle of the book, you think "Oh! Aha! Lightbulb... that makes sense! Cute!" Instead of wanting to roll your eyes

Reply by SJ Rainne on January 23, 2011 at 10:00am
Hannah your question is a good one and a hard one to answer. Writing my first novel I didn't have a title for a while, but something my protagonist said after a horrible nightmare is that the nightmare left her on the edge of scared. It hit me then that the name of my 1st novel would be On the Edge of Scared. Not sure if that helps, but that is how my title came to be.

Reply by Heather Lynn 1 day ago
I think a good book title is something that makes you think throughout the story. So at the end of the book you can say wow the title really fit in with the story well! thank you- http://breathingbooks.blogspot.com/

Reply by Patrick Michael Murphy 1 day ago
I just went through a looong process of naming my novel. Actually, it changed three times. Bet all writers have had that happen... I have really no idea what makes a great title. I found myself going for something truly reflective of the interior, poetic, not too literal. I have books of all different name types on my shelf, so...it may be whimsy as to what I pick up one day to the next...I can say this, when I hit the name I finally settled on, I knew it the moment it rolled off my tongue. Hope it does/did for you as well.

Reply by Mary Houck 18 hours ago
I have a great title for my book because its a street fiction- 'A FRIENDS RAGE FOR REVENGE' by Mary Houck.

Reply by Hannah Marshman 6 hours ago
Thanks for everyone's comments. I've been jotting down a few words which i think sum up my book, and tried to come up with an unusual title or phrase. Have had a few ideas but don't think i've found the right one yet. I think this is gonna be a long process for me!