Tricky Titles

Did you pour over the pages of a baby name book for hours and hours before finally deciding what moniker your darling child would be saddled with for life? Authors give nearly as much thought to titling their latest works before sending them out into the world. A lot rides on that decision, and once made, you’re stuck with it forever. If the title (and/or cover) fails to hook a reader’s interest, they may go no further. So it should be something catchy and memorable. And if possible, it really should also give the reader some clue as to what kind of story to expect inside.

When I was preparing to publish my first novel in 2011, the title seemed obvious to me. Since it was about the three Darcys (Fitzwilliam Darcy, Elizabeth Darcy, and Georgiana Darcy) and their life at Pemberley (following as a sequel to P&P),  The Darcys of Pemberley it had to be. The book became a great success, maybe partly due to the title. I’m not the only one who though it was a good title, though. A few years ago, another author decided to use the same name for his book! I was, to say the least, not pleased. But there wasn’t a thing I could do about it, because titles aren’t copyright protected.

A couple of books later, I had a more difficult decision over a title. I was writing a Persuasion-based novel starring Jane Austen herself, proposing a plausible alternative outcome for her (read more here), which I intended to call My Darling Exile. I really loved the sound of that, and it fit the story in a mysterious way. But then I realized that title gave absolutely no clue what the book was about, not even that it had anything to do with Jane Austen! So it became The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen instead, letting potential readers know that there was definitely a Jane Austen connection and a Persuasion tie-in as well. It was the right decision, and I consoled myself for the loss of “My Darling Exile” by using the line in the last chapter of the book.

I actually have a lot of fun with chapter titles and names for blog posts, where far less is at stake. It tickles me when I can employ a fancy word, such as Elucidation (used as a chapter title in not one but two of my books). And like Jane Austen – with Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility – I’m a fan of alliteration, as evidenced by today’s post title and these chapter titles among others: Sisterly Society, Richard Returns, Wardrobe Woes, Demands of Duty, Company Coming.  I’m not above borrowing a famous phrase now and then: The Play is the Thing, Miles to Go, Teacher Know Thyself, A Tale of Two Movies. And if I can incorporate an inside joke or some double meaning, so much the better! Chapter titles Taken For a Ride and Bump in the Road apply literally as well as figuratively.

I think  Leap of Hope contains my favorite collection of chapter titles. It’s such a fun story (I say this with authority, since I just finished rereading it again!) that it seemed to lend itself to creative, even silly, chapter names: Light Dawns, Making Jambalaya, A Day at Disneyland, The Dearly Departing, A Two-Horse Race, No More Hope (double meaning), Back in the Saddle, Not in a Million Years, The Last Dance, The Other Shoe, Bleak House, Reader’s Digest, Arrivals and Rivals, Too Many Suitors, and The Cherry on Top.

The bigger challenge, however, was coming up with a title for the book itself. And that’s where I may have gone a little wrong. I actually thought Leap of Hope was kind of clever – “Hope” being the character’s name (a modern girl) and “Leap” referring to her leap across time back to Regency England for a Chance at an Austen Kind of Life. If you don’t notice the information in that subtitle, though, you won’t immediately recognize that this is totally a JAFF story. And the cover doesn’t necessarily give it away either (Hope is supposed to be thinking about stepping through into the picture of Chatsworth). Perhaps I should have gone with my other idea: Pemberley or Bust! What do you think?

I’m not the only one who has struggled with tricky title issues, of course. Jane Austen herself changed the titles to at least three of her books before publication. As you probably know, First Impressions became Pride and Prejudice. Elinor and Maryanne became Sense and Sensibility. But Northanger Abbey underwent the most transformations. Austen originally called it Susan, after the heroine. Then she changed both the title of the novel and the heroine’s name to Catherine to avoid confusion with another book that had recently come out. Of course, it was ultimately published as Northanger Abbey after her death.

Now I have another title issue. Maybe you can help me with it. I will next be publishing something completely unexpected: not another JAFF book but a novelette about a VW Beetle, of all things – a story I’ve been wanting to write ever since we took An Inspiring Trip to a lake in Montana several years ago. I intended to call it A Bug’s Life: the story of a little car with a big heart. Yes, I know that A Bug’s Life has already been used for the Disney Pixar animated series about actual bugs. But as I mentioned earlier, book and movie titles can’t be copyrighted, so there’s no legal issue. And in this case, my story’s so different that there shouldn’t really be any confusion created either. It’s more a question of whether it’s a smart choice or not. It’s such a cute title, and it fits the story so perfectly, that I hate to give it up. Although I suppose I could get used to something else if I become convinced it’s the right move.  A Bug’s Story? A Bug’s Tale? One Beetle’s Journey? Life of a Bug? Car Capers? – there’s that fondness for alliteration coming out again.

What do you think? Should I keep the title or adopt another? Have you ever selected a book purely on the strength of the title? Conversely, have you ever been steered wrong by a title, or missed a great book at first because the title didn’t grab you? I’ve used chapter titles in most but not all of my books. Do you think they add something worthwhile to the reading experience?