What's in a Name (and a Jacket)?

Monday

Jul192010

Monday, July 19, 2010 at 4:00AM in

I have a confession: I long for a world where the content of a book speaks for itself -- where the reading experience is entirely subjective and organic, where a reader actually has to read Book C by Author Number 62925 before deciding what "kind" of book it is.

I know: I'm in la-la land. Readers want to know who wrote the book. But would I have a different audience if I published under, say, Ally Simpson instead of Alafair Burke? And readers want to know a genre. But am I mystery or thriller? Women's suspense (whatever the frack that means) or procedural? And readers want to know some basic information about the plot. But should the jacket description of 212 emphasize the stalking of a college student, the murder of a celebrity bodyguard, or the death of a real estate agent who was leading a double life? These choices we (or our publishers) make about what to put on the book jacket send signals to readers about the contents of the book before they've even broken the spine.

Arguably that signal begins with a book's title.

I've mentioned elsewhere that I struggle with character names, but when it comes to titles, the struggle reaches epic, paralyzing proportions. Why? Because I withdraw from every decision that purports to typecast the book I have written.

I'm in title hell right now with my next book, my first stand-alone. I ran a couple of contenders past my kitchen cabinet advisors (i.e., Facebook friends). The comments cemented my gut instincts: one sounded thrillerish, one sounded chick-ish, and both sounded vaguely familiar. "[Suggested title] sounds like a cheesy book I wouldn't read under threat of bodily harm," said one. Another reader said one title sounded like a Harlan Coben novel, the other like Nora Roberts. Same book, two pretty different impressions.

See? This is why I hate the pressure of a title. Pick a couple wrong words, and you just might lose the readers who would have loved that book.

But here's what I'm learning about titles: They don't exist in isolation. They are backed by an image on the jacket, and, as the cliche goes, a picture says a thousand words.

Consider some recent examples:

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell. I'm not sure what the title on its own would say to me, but the quirkiness of the jacket "matches" the tone of the book.

Then there's One Day by David Nicholls. Kind of bland. Kind of makes me want to sing "One day, one where, we'll find a new way of living," but I do have an annoying tendency to break out in song, regardless of lyrics. But check out the jacket:

Gets your attention, right? Flip it over and learn that the novel depicts two people on one single day across twenty years? Suddenly it's a perfect title.

Or how about "Caught" by Harlan Coben? Pretty good title. I always like those one-word things. But take that single word, and drop it against this background:

Then read this first sentence: "I knew opening that red door would destroy my life." Awesome!

I recently finished a little book called The Glass Rainbow by some guy called James Lee Burke. I confess to talking some serious smack about that title when I first heard it. The Glass Rainbow? The only book I could imagine was a memoir of Kurt Hummel's early years:

But add the jacket art, and The Glass Rainbow suddenly looks like a JLB novel. Read the book, and the title truly works. (Blatantly nepotistic plug here: The book's fabulous and just came out last week!)

So folks, I'd love to hear your thoughts about some of your favorite book jackets and titles. Send links to images if it's not too much work. And, oh, if you happen to have a good standalone title for someone who writes sort of like me, let me know!

(I'll be on a plane today on my way home from a wedding in Santa Fe, so I may be slow to post replies, but I can't wait to read your comments!)

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Reader Comments (37)

I've not written anything big enough to have to worry about a Jacket, but in my short stories I tend to go for enigmatic titles ie: The Lack of Something ( relationship going south), Blind Ambition (a guy dealing with loosing his sight) It's just how my mind works. They make me curious but don't tell you much. A few titles by authors I like are Rain Fall (Barry Eisler) http://amzn.to/aflpxR when I first walked by it in a book store The Jacket didn't tell me anything and the title made me think whats a book about weather doing in the mystery/thriller section. So I picked it up and read the flaps and got hooked. After the first Rain book, the title only required Rain in it somewhere. I was going to buy it. Another that comes to mind is The Monkey's Rain Coat by Robert Crais http://bit.ly/cIvK0o The title made me go, "What the h..." And the Jacket looked like an add for a tropical vacation. Crais actually just about made a habit out of titles that bordered on being an inside joke (Voodoo River, Indigo Slam-which harkened back to a John McDonald/Travis McGee book) but again, by the time I had read the first novel, I looked for his name and Elvis Cole/Joe Pike and not the jacket art. As for helping out an author ho writes sort of like you with a stand alone title, well you are on your own. Sorry

July 19, 2010 |

Robert Carraher

Love the blog. Very interesting! So many to choose from. Here's an oldie I recently read. This book was very hot in its day (mid 70's) and I do NOT want to give away the massive twist. Levin (Rosemary's Baby, A Kiss Before Dying) was jaw-droppingly good, and if you haven't read him yet, do not hesitate.

Anyway, The Boys From Brazil deals with Nazis who have fled to South America, hence the unique font...(book jacket here: http://irishgothichorrorjournal.homestead.com/boysfrombrazil.jpg )...and colors used. But the safety-pin...perfection. To understand why, you need to read the book! ;-)

July 19, 2010 |

Chuck

Alafair, you doubted the strength of the title "The Glass Rainbow?" It's wonderful and it's pure JLB. Consider it's ancestors:

The Neon Rain
The Tin Roof Blowdown
Last Car to Elysian Fields
A Stained White Radiance

and perhaps best of all, In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead

They are so much of a family, these titles, that I would know them as JLB books even if his name wasn't on the cover. And they are so reminiscent of his writing that I knew I would love the books if they came from the same brain those titles did. (Can't wait to read the new one.)

July 19, 2010 |

Louise Ure

I'm coming to discover that finding the title of a book is a deeply personal experience for me. Boulevard came instantly and it seemed obvious for the story - the Boulevard is the addiction and it's also where the addiction plays itself out. My second book title was a huge struggle and by asking everyone I knew to help me find a title it took that "personal" journey out of my hands. I finally had to take ownership again and insist on the title that felt instinctual and right.

July 19, 2010 |

Stephen Jay Schwartz

Covers and titles that work make my job easier, but I have no idea what the magic formula is. You hear the title of Gillian Flynn's book, "Sharp Objects" and it could mean anything, but then you see the stark black cover with the razor blade on it, and there's a whole new level of tension just by looking at it.

I love Joshilyn Jackson's new book, "Backseat Saints", and the title is quirky enough to intrigue, but the cover of the girl with her head bowed in her sassy red dress holding her hacked off huge braid of hair takes my breath away.

But I wish I knew the magic to make it all work.

July 19, 2010 |

Fran

Titles with an author that is known to me doesn't really have influence with my interest or purchasing. It's the author and my previous reading experience. An author I love could call it "Book Three" and I'll get it. Titles have more meaning for the author and for a new reader to that author's works. Stand alones also probably have more pressure on the title to grab. One of my favorite titles is THE BOOK OF UNHOLY MISCHIEF by Elle Newmark. It was also a terrific read, IMO. But overall, the title is a limited factor in my decision to read: it's the description and excerpts that are my ultimate determiners because I know how little control, most times, authors have over covers and titles -- pretty much up to the publisher and marketing departments, aren't they?

July 19, 2010 |

PK the Bookeemonster

It's so true that authors lose control over their work in this area. I've had countless titles shot down and have heard the same even from some huge best-selling authors.

July 19, 2010 |

Alafair

I agree with Louise -- In The Electric Mist With The Confederate Dead is probably my all time favorite title. [I'm not just saying that -- I have a blog that has had the title Electric Mist for many many years now... it's been that name through several moves and website incarnations.]

I think one of my favorite recent titles was The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and I've loved things like Hush, Hush (a YA), or anything by Joshilyn Jackson (The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, Backyard Saints, Gods in Alabama).

The one word titles are fine, but usually that only really works for me if the author is already known to me. If not, it's not distinctive enough to go into the bookstore and say, "You know, there was this thriller I heard about, had a one word title, but I can't remember the author..." (which is when I would imagine they would want to bash me in the head with the nearest Oxford dictionary. ;)

July 19, 2010 |

toni mcgee causey

Two titles that matched their content and covers well:
What I Saw and How I Lied -- Judy Blundell
http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/9780439903486.asp

and

Bog Child -- Siobhan Dowd
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/mar/08/featuresreviews.guardianreview28

July 19, 2010 |

pari noskin taichert

The most effective title and cover I've seen in a long time is Sophie Littlefield's "A Bad Day for Sorry." Every time I see that title against the backdrop art I crack up. The juxtaposition just screams genius!

July 19, 2010 |

Stephen Jay Schwartz

Cover art is more important than titles to me. I look to a cover to relay the genre and general topic of the book. If the jacket doesn't appeal to me, then I have to know the author's work to read the first few pages.

However, I do like the play on words titles of cozies. My favorites are Donna Andrews bird-themed titles and covers, particularly her latest one, STORK RAVING MAD (http://www.donnaandrews.com) and Karen Olson's Tattoo Shop Mysteries, where all the titles use "ink" -- THE MISSING INK, PRETTY IN INK & DRIVEN TO INK (http://www.kareneolson.com/index.html). And Karen's covers are terrific.

My newest favorite title & cover is Alex's THE BOOK OF SHADOWS. It's haunting, hints at a link to the past and promises a large dose of suspense, all of which you find inside. And I'm not just saying that to get on her good side. (Okay, maybe just a little.)

July 19, 2010 |

becky hutchison

I also love A Bad Day For Sorry - why didn't I think to mention it? These comments have me thinking I need to go back to the drawing board on my title. Aaagh!!! Or maybe I can persuade the publisher to come up with the cover art first, and then I can have an online contest for a title, like the New Yorker's cartoon caption contest!

July 19, 2010 |

Alafair Burke

One of my favorite books/titles/cover art: Between the Bridge and the River, by Craig Ferguson. Yes, that Craig Ferguson. It's brilliant, and the cover is perfect.

July 19, 2010 |

Karen in Ohio

I'll join the Joshilyn Jackson refrain - Gods in Alabama had me before the first line - and damn if Jay didn't get to Bad Day for Sorry first!
For title - not so much the cover art - South of Broad (Pat Conroy) conveys Charleston history and social structure at a glance for anyone from that area.
Again, not so much on the cover art, but A most uncommon degree of popularity (Kathleen Seidel) and Marshmallows for breakfast (Dorothy Koomson) both caught me with the titles and I found they summed up the concept once I read the story.

July 19, 2010 |

Cathy

Alafair,

I'm in exactly the same position! My debut (coming out next May) had a title I liked. The publisher didn't like it, so we picked a new one that I was indifferent about. This past week, *that* title has been thrown overboard because of a similarly titled new release. So, for the last few days, I've been thumbing through the thesaurus and dictionary, browsing existing titles, and rereading my manuscript, trying to come up with a meaningful title. It ain't easy. I've been half tempted to sponsor a name-my-novel contest!

Spence

July 20, 2010 |

Spencer Seidel

Spence, Congratulations on the debut. I have found that when I ask my online friends for titles, they tend to get one idea in mind and then riff entirely off of that. It's hard to come up with really distinctive options. Good luck!

July 20, 2010 |

Alafair Burke

Be sure to let us know what you come up with!

July 20, 2010 |

Spencer Seidel

Ugh, how did I miss this yesterday? Right . . . I went to see a movie. (INCEPTION. Fantastic.)

I've come up with about half my titles, only two were handed to me by my publisher and I went, whatever. (One because marketing didn't like it, one because it was the same title of a book that came out the month before mine in the same genre.)

But title is only half the battle, it's the cover with the title as you said. Nothing is as clear as CAUGHT in your examples (and A BAD DAY FOR SORRY that others mentioned.) In hardcover I think publishers spend more time on this; in mass market we get what we get and we don't throw a fit. (Ok, I've been know to throw a bit of a fit now and then, but I try to be nice about it. Sometimes I win . . . sometimes I lose.)

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