Book Titles

Would you be intrigued by a novel titled The Theft of
the Luscious Swamp Viper? How about: Fear of the
Destruction Atomic? These are a couple of titles I found
at the Random Speculative Fiction Title Generator.

I chose the title Flashpoint years before the novel was
completed. The novel is set during a time of colliding
events in the shadows of the Chicago metroplex and
the title's a metaphor for the characters bursting into
action at the One-State's oppression. Sounded like a
good idea at the time.

After the galley copies had been sent out to reviewers,
I Googled the title. To my dismay there were thousands
of media items that used flashpoint —my title had
become a cliché.

Two months before the novel's release, I discovered
that a well-known author was releasing her novel two
days before Flashpoint's. Its title? You guessed it.

One month before the release date I was at a dinner
with a small group of ACFW (Indiana chapter) members.
Out of 5 authors, 3 of us had chosen Flashpoint as the
title of our first novel: my cyberpunk, a horror, and a
romance. I warned them.

Lesson learned. I should have done my homework!

Other things to consider when choosing a title? First of
all, it must be memorable—even catchy. Short titles
work better than long ones, and should be easy to
pronounce. Consider a gimmick if the book is part of a
series, like Sue Grafton's A is for Alibi or James
Patterson's Along Came a Spider. Misery by Stephen
King is an example of a title that elicits an immediate
emotion; the ew factor is always effective for example,
Patricia Cornwell's The Body Farm.

Keep an open mind about the title when your book is
still a work in progress—it ultimately will sell your novel.
And a word of caution . . . don't call it Flashpoint.