Blogger: Etta Wilson
Location: Books & Such Office, Nashville
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In the further exploration of titles, what makes a good one, and what makes an appropriate one, I’ve resorted to my Oxford Universal Dictionary on Historical Principles, c1933. (Yes, it was a bit dusty.) That source says the noun form of “title” derives from the Latin titulus, and at that point it applied to the honorific word(s) given to an individual. The word’s use as it applies to books seems to have blossomed in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries–just as the printing press was developed in 1578. The word was often used by Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), though not in reference to books!
In the more modern 11th edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, two of the definitions mention motion pictures, television, or “a filmed production” in addition to book titles.The amazing thing to me is that with so many recent changes in the way information is disseminated, the meaning of “title” has stayed firm. On every online site I’ve seen for books, the screen asks for the title or author.
I’m also wondering if the formation of the word has anything to do with its longevity. Like the word spittle, the le at the end gives away its adoption from the French and the peculiar pronunciation of the last syllable. How do we describe the motion of the tongue when we’re sliding over a syllable so it’s not quite separate? I can’t remember.
All of this to say that titles for our work can be extraordinarily important. I’ve had the experience of selling a manuscript after it had been declined simply by changing the title and nothing more. That’s rare, but anything we can do to catch the eyes of over-worked editors is good, and it may save them a lot of time and hassle (did you see that le ending?) when they take the manuscript to pub board for acceptance.
What are some eye-catching titles you can think of?
Every where I turn it seems I’m hearing about titles. You’re so right though. A title or cover is what first catches my attention at a store. For my birthday (awhile back) I got to go and buy some books. The ones I chose? Sinner and The Reluctant Groom. Both of them had great titles and cool covers.
I think Stephen and Alex Kendrick’s title “The Love Dare” is both clever and appealing.
A few others that come to mind:
The Five Love Languages
The House at Pooh Corner
Green Eggs and Ham
The Whipping Boy
Paddle-to-the-Sea
To Kill a Mockingbird
Sometimes I’m not sure if I like the title or if it’s really the book I liked and just associate the two.
One of my favorite titles in picture books is Mrs. Tibbet’s Typewriter. Also up there are The Paper Bag Princess, Stinky Cheese Man and And God Created Squash.
I think you’re right, Etta. CBA titles, at least for children’s books, definitely lack some of the spice found on the general market shelves. Can I ask why you suppose that is? Is it because the CBA publishers think that’s what their market expects? A publishing rut, so to speak? Or some other factor that we writers can address?
On another note, there’s fun “title tester” at
http://www.lulu.com/titlescorer that will compare your title to others and see what it’s chances are. The Da Vinci Code didn’t fair well.
I’m currently reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. You think, “What on earth? What can they have to do with one another? And what’s a potato peel pie anyway?” Then you pick up the book to find out.
For nonfiction, The Blue Parakeet is an excellent example in my opinion.
Teri, your last words about not being sure it’s the title or the book you like is so true after you’ve read the book. To Kill a Mockingbird was a very symbolic title and probably meant little to prospective readers when the book was first published. Maybe a case of the book making the title memorable which does happen fairly often.
Etta
Kathleen Woodiwiss is one of my favorite authors. I like to buy books and reread them over and over again if they are good. Her book, “Petals on the River,” was aptly named. It was the theme throughout the entire book. I loved the title and the book itself is amazing in its visualization and plot.
Valerie, I think CBA titles have come a long way in their creativity in the last few years. Just looking at the new titles for the religious market in a new Publisher’s Weekly makes that clear. Even in children’s books there’s improvement, as we see in Dandi Mackall’s 2007 picture book “A Gaggle of Geese and a Clatter of Cats.” But a publisher’s perception of the market for a book and how to reach that market is the dominant thing in selecting a title.
Etta
Teri, did you know that April 28 (1926) is Harper Lee’s birthday?
Etta
Heather, that is one title I meant to mention as probably the most oblique of the last 5 years! I had exactly the same feeling when my book club selected it last fall. But what a story!
Etta
My favorite CBA childen’s title is The Bark of the Bog Owl. That one called to me. I had to buy it and was not disappointed!
I love the title A Gaggle of Geese and a Clatter of Cats. Dandi Daley Mackall has a great ear.
Other titles I’ve liked (not CBA):
The Musical Life of Gustav Mole (My favorite PB ever.)
Amelia Bedelia
Amanda Pig and Her Brother Oliver
The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread (I had to buy the book–and I was glad I did.)
Time Waits for No Mouse (Bought the book and never read it, though I started it twice.)
The Whipping Boy
A Wrinkle in Time
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (This title combined with the book’s first line is hard to beat, I think.)
Artemis Fowl
I can never get the Guernsey potato pie title correct, but everybody seems to know what book I mean–which tells me the title was memorable enough in its audacity to claim the reader. 🙂
I always loved the title “Goforth of China,” because of it’s odd verb–until I learned the book actually was about Jonathan Goforth, a missionary!
Other titles I’ve liked:
Stones from the River
There’s a Train Going by My Window
The Magic of Ordinary Days.
Here are some titles that I love:
A Seahorse in the Thames
Why the Sky is Blue
When Crickets Cry
Here, there be Dragons
Color the Sidewalk for Me
Healing Stones
Kristen, that’s a great list of enticing titles. Makes me want to read the books right away. The interesting thing to me is that most of the titles could be applied to children’s or adult titles.
Etta