For the second time, I have listened to those whose opinions I trust, and changed what I believed was a good book title. This book is still in the hands of beta readers and being edited, with a target publish date in January. Thankfully, no ISBN number has been created yet.
At this point in time, the working title Dirty Little Family Secret is now The Whisper. The original title came from a remark made by the protagonist which only occurs once in the book, but is one of the major points in the story. The Whisper, on the other hand, is a continuing thread throughout and no doubt, better, but possibly not the final one.
So back to the question, what’s in a name? It is vitally important to a book, in my very humble opinion. It’s a promise of the story inside, it’s part of the cover, it’s a part of what makes a reader want to investigate further.
Do other authors have this dilemma or do you begin with a title and let the story flow?
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4 comments
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Kathryn Burke
December 26, 2011 at 8:05 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
For my first book, the title was critical. I had a general sense about what should be included in the book, but the title gave me a sharper focus. It also helped to filter out the unnecessary extraneous stuff. But, my book was also a narrative non-fiction book. Fiction may be very different.
I have heard from other authors frustration when publishers change the title of their book to something they think is more commercial. At the end of the day, I think that the title is an integral part of the book — something which must be determined by the author.
NancyP
December 27, 2011 at 12:44 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I try to think of the title as a micro-flash to the inside of the book. In this case, the deciding factor was that The Whisper speaks to the majority of the story, one of the deciding factors in the choice of name.
Angela Scott
December 26, 2011 at 9:24 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I like either of those titles. Both are great.
Book titles are difficult. They’re very important and so it’s hard to know. I usually go with my gut and then I just hope it works.
Best of luck to you.
NancyP
December 27, 2011 at 12:41 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I agree Angela. I’ve tried to go with both my head and my heart this time. If it doesn’t work, I’m just going to have to give one of them a good talking to!