#AtoZChallenge T – Title Trouble & a poll

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I have a terrible writer’s affliction called Title Trouble.

book-307524_1280It’s getting serious. How can I get my cover art ordered if I don’t have a title?

We all know titles must catch the reader’s eye. Next to the cover image, I’d say it was the most important draw to make the reader want to check out your book. Then the blurb and opening lines have to finish the job.

Sometimes titles are easy. ‘Visions of Zarua’ wrote itself and encompasses what the book is about.

The title Spirit Song, yesterday’s flash fiction story, came from the story itself.

When titles are hard to think up, I use a working title. The trouble with this method is those titles becomes so engrained, it’s almost impossible to see beyond them.

Now I need your help;

I hope to publish my second fantasy novel this year. It will be the first book of a trilogy. The pesky working title has stuck and I can’t see beyond it. Maybe I don’t really want to change it and that is the reason for my Title Trouble.

What do you think?

Bloodlines Trilogy

Book 1 – Search for the Sentinel

 

Would you pick up this book purely on its title? Would you be intrigued?

Does the title matter to you as a reader? If you’re a writer, how do you come up with your titles?

I look forward to your comments and seeing what the vote will be.

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Next time its back to some cooking with Ultimate Flapjacks.

Check out other A-Z posts here.

13 thoughts on “#AtoZChallenge T – Title Trouble & a poll”

  1. Titles are tricky and as you say, once you’ve kept using a working title for ages, it becomes ingrained. I ask my beta readers about the title (and if they don’t like it, ask them for alternatives).
    For me, the Bloodlines Trilogy title works well, but I’m not sure that the Search for the Sentinel does, without seeing either the blurb for it or having a synopsis.

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  2. Yes. I’d pick up this book because of the title. It interests me.
    To me titles are essential. I know this because once saw a book in my holiday in England (English title), but I didn’t buy it. Back in Germany I wanted to buy it and had to find out what the German title was first – why the hell don’t they keep it and translate it instead of changing it entirely? Well, I found out and then… the title was so boring to me that I lost interest in the book. I’ve never read it and I’ve forgotten title and author over the time.
    So yes, titles are important. Nevertheless I’ve already bought books because of the great cover 😉

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  4. I like the bloodlines title, I think the search for the sentinel would intrigue me but if I’m being very honest when I first read that I had a feeling like I had heard a similar title before. I realise that it’s unlikely to ever get a truly original title but I did feel like maybe I’d already come across a book with the same name. That might be a draw to some people though and whilst a title and cover will draw me in, it is really down to how captivating the synopsis is for me 🙂

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  5. Title is important to a point but for me I’ve always been more drawn to a good cover and blurb than the name.
    As for that title, I do agree with others the bloodlines is good and the whole title is intriguing, I’d just take a look on an amazon search before settling on any title as the more similar it is to others the harder it will be for the book to appear on the top of a search result. I’ve sometimes searched for an actual book title and had several similar, but not the same, books appear above the correct book in a search.
    Good luck with your new book. I look forward to reading it 🙂

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