A Rose by Any Other Name...
...might not sell as well.
We spend a lot of time here discussing cover art and the like, but it's rare we sit down and talk about titles. Often, though, you hear or read the title long before you know anything else about the book, which makes the title rather an important part of marketing. In fact, authors will often agonize over a title, only to have the publisher decide it's not quite right and pick something of their own they think will sell better.
I know there are times I've picked up a book solely because of the title. Monks In Space and Trollbridge: A Rock 'n Roll Fairy Tale are two of the ones that come to mind immediately as books I picked up because the title tickled me so much I couldn't possibly leave it on the shelf there, all lonely and such.
How about the rest of you? Does the title ever feature in your purchasing decision? Do great titles stand out to you, or do you not care?
We spend a lot of time here discussing cover art and the like, but it's rare we sit down and talk about titles. Often, though, you hear or read the title long before you know anything else about the book, which makes the title rather an important part of marketing. In fact, authors will often agonize over a title, only to have the publisher decide it's not quite right and pick something of their own they think will sell better.
I know there are times I've picked up a book solely because of the title. Monks In Space and Trollbridge: A Rock 'n Roll Fairy Tale are two of the ones that come to mind immediately as books I picked up because the title tickled me so much I couldn't possibly leave it on the shelf there, all lonely and such.
How about the rest of you? Does the title ever feature in your purchasing decision? Do great titles stand out to you, or do you not care?