On Titling Manuscripts

Photo credit: sugr.stoc on Flickr

So a while ago when I asked what people would like me to blog about, someone suggested I do a post on the process for coming up with Beyond the Red's title. I thought about this for a while, and also wanted to expand it to the sequels so had to wait for that announcement to be made, and then it was, so here we are.

Titles.

It's no secret than I am not a huge fan of the titling process. I've mentioned before that coming up with Beyond the Red's title was a struggle, to say the least—and one that ultimately my CP saved me from by coming up with the basis that then became Beyond the Red. I've talked about the strategy she used to help me in this vlog.

But once upon a time, Beyond the Red's first title was Slave & Sira. This was not a great title for many reasons—something I already knew when I was querying and thus was zero percent surprised when my now-agent said we'd be changing the title—not the least of which was because "Sira" is not an English word and most people have no idea what a Sira is. So. You know. That. And other things.

For a while I went back and forth with my agent and her team with different title ideas, many of which came close but didn't stick. Where the Stars Don't Reach almost became the new title until Beyond the Red won out in the end—something I'm now very happy about because I do love my title and the cover that fits it beautifully.

Despite all of my title woes, however, I found coming up with sequel titles way more enjoyable. With Beyond the Red set in stone, I had a frame to work within. I knew I wanted to continue using colors, partially to fit the frame and partially because colors actually play a decently important role in the series. From there, it was a matter of deciding what colors, and what adjectives or verbs I wanted to use, and then play around with the order while keeping in mind the overall arc for the series.

If I remember correctly, I came up with Into the Black and The Rising Gold in the same sitting—way faster than the multi-week brainstorming hell it took to come up with Beyond the Red. All in all, I'm really happy with titles I have, and while brainstorming unrelated manuscript titles still hasn't become any easier (I've been using hashtag titles like #YAFantasyWIP, #illvigilanteenbyWIP and #MagicMurderMayhem to talk about WIPs until I have a real title I use) the end result has been pretty great so far. :)

How do you come up with manuscript titles? 

Twitter-sized bites:

How do you come up with manuscript titles? Join the discussion on @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet) 

Author @Ava_Jae talks naming her series and the struggle of titling books. (Click to tweet)

Vlog: How to Title Your WIP

Coming up with a title for your manuscript isn't easy—trust me, I get it. So today I'm sharing my favorite manuscript-titling strategy, shared with me by my title master critique partner.




RELATED LINKS: 

• Book Titles: How Do You Choose?
• What Are Your Favorite Titles?
• How to Name Your Characters

What strategies do you use to name your manuscripts? 

Twitter-sized bite: 

Struggling to title your WIP? @Ava_Jae vlogs about her favorite titling strategy. #writetip (Click to tweet) 

Discussion: What are Your Favorite Titles?

Photo credit: cheri228 on Flickr

I’ve been thinking about titles a lot lately.

There was once a time when I loved single-word titles. They were snappy, cool and easy to remember, and in my head, basically the bomb. Some of my favorites included Saint and the sequel Sinner by Ted Dekker.

But over time, I’ve come to realize that I’ve been gravitating more and more to longer, more evocative titles. I’ve realized I really love titles that create interesting images, titles that intrigue and echo elements of the book in an interesting and haunting way.

Some of my favorite titles include:

• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin


• Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor


• Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi


• Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke


• The Wicked We Have Done by Sarah Harian


• Let the Storm Break by Shannon Messenger

Interestingly, I haven’t actually read any of those books (yet!), but I’ve found their titles to be particularly memorable.

But now I want to hear from you: what are some of your favorite titles and why? 

Twitter-sized bite: 

What are some of your favorite book titles? Join the discussion at @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet) 

Book Titles: How Do You Choose?

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Choosing an intriguing title for your book is arguably one of the most important parts of marketing. After all, the very first impression any reader will have of your book, before they even glance at your writing, before a book cover is chosen and the summary is read, is the title you choose to represent your story.

As I'm a writer who focuses on character first (as opposed to working out the setting first, then populating the story), my working titles tend to be one of the first things I know about the story: the protagonist's first name. For me, the process of choosing the title is a somewhat nebulous thing—about half of the time it reveals itself while I'm writing the first draft, occasionally it crops up before I even begin writing, and the rest of the time it's something I brainstorm after the first draft is completed.

In the latter cases, choosing a title (to me) can be one of the more difficult parts of writing—although I'll admit that's probably at least partially due to the fact that I have a tendency of being extremely indecisive. Regardless, choosing a title for your book doesn't have to be a stressful experience—in fact, it can be pretty enjoyable.

When brainstorming book titles I recently tried a new method that I found I really liked, based off of a suggestion I found online (if I find the original post with the exact process, I'll let you guys know). You start with creating a list of themes, images and potential title ideas. As is the case with most brainstorming, this is a stage where you don't censor. Anything you think of goes on the list—even if it's ridiculous or a terrible-sounding title. The idea is to write as many ideas as you can without censoring your writing at all, so that you can go back and eliminate choices later.

Once you have a sizable list, start making note of ideas or images that you like. This is also about the time that you start taking a look at book titles for other works in the same genre, as your title should sound like it fits with other novels that it would potentially be sharing the shelf with. After some mix and matching and comparing to other titles, you choose my favorite potential book titles and get some feedback. If one title stands out as a particular favorite, you know you have a winner.

Choosing a title, however, isn't a writing process that's set in stone: I for one am still experimenting with different methods and I'd like to hear yours.

So now you tell me: how do you choose titles for your WIPs?