Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Titles and Conundrums

I'm nearing the end of edits on Gabe & Jess's Story and I still don't have a title.

Usually, I have some idea of what will work for a book and I did have a title when I proposed this story. But my original title isn't going to work with how the story's gone (which is why I began referring to it by the characters' names). I figured that would free up the imagination to come up with new and exciting titles. Nothing yet but I can always hope.

Do titles influence your buying choice if you're looking at work by an unknown author? Would you be more likely to pick up a book with a 'hooky' title that told you exactly what you were getting, like for example, The Sicilian's Mistress (I just made that up on the spot), than a book with a more general title? What are some titles that have stuck in your mind?

And last but not least, for those of you who are writers - how do you come up with titles?

7 comments :

not12complain said...

When Secrets in the Marriage Bed out?

Nalini Singh said...

And I thought you were supposed to be my friend!!!! ;) It's out in the States in March, so you should be able to find it in Barbara's Bks in NZ around April. I haven't got a release date for the Aus/NZ edition yet.

K.A.S. said...

Honestly, I usually ingore the titles. Author name and the back blurb are what I want to see. Especially with the series books, the titles all start to sound alike anyway. How many fresh ways are there to work bride, virgin, boss, millionaire, and cowboy into the title? ;)

I've been reading some of the Brava "Bad Boys" books, and I was telling a friend the other day how goofy I think the titles are. Honestly, at first I didn't even want to pick them up. Glad I did, because I've really liked the ones I read, but sometimes I do wonder just what the publishers are thinking.

katie g. said...

I find the description on the back of the book much more important than the title. One of my most favorite books - Shades of Twilight by Linda Howard - did neither. It turned out to be one of the best reads ever (and if you haven't read it, do). Also, half the books I read don't have anything to do with the title (which is irritating, but that is for another post). I say don't worry about the title so much, but have a really interesting description.

not12complain said...

I am!!! I have every single one of your books... published AND unpublished! Yeah! you know the ones!!! I can blackmail you with them! muah hahahahha *evil laugh*

Anonymous said...

Nalini,
Don't worry so much about the little. I am agreeing with Katie a good back cover description will do it for me. Also the front cover can be very catchy too.
Good luck

Nalini Singh said...

Thanks for the cover feedback everyone. It's nice to know that even if the title isn't the height of brilliance *g* readers will pick it up.

not12complain and anyone else from Down Under - I obviously have way too much on my mind. The NZ/Aus release of Secrets is in April. (As it says on my very own website - honestly, where is my brain these days?)

And everybody - don't believe a word not12complain says. ;)