All About Titles
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
- Literary agents Jessica Faust and James McGowan talk about titles: how to choose one, what to consider, and when to be flexible with your title.
BookEnds is dedicated to making publishing a book traditionally a more transparent process, and it starts with these videos!
****
Jessica Faust’s love for books is what first brought her to open BookEnds Literary Agency. It is her desire to be an advocate for all authors that pushed her to create her blog, the BookEnds RUclips channel and to maintain a vibrant presence on Twitter.
Jessica is proud to have grown BookEnds to an agency that represents authors of all genres for children and adults, allowing her to reach more readers and help more authors and illustrators achieve their dreams.
--
James McGowan is a Literary Agent at BookEnds and writer for children. He began working with the agency as an intern in the summer of 2015, and basically never left. He represents a talented group of authors and illustrators working in everything from board books to middle grade graphic novels. He also works in adult nonfiction, and adult mystery and suspense projects. James is the author of GOOD NIGHT OPPY, which is available now.
Connect with BookEnds!
Twitter: bookendslit
Instagram: bookends_literary
Website: www.bookendsliterary.com
Connect with Jessica: bookendsjessica
Connect with James: jmcgowanbks
Love this chat. Book titles are first impressions. They matter.
My first title was Goode Housekeeping, which did fit the interior story, but that was obviously pretty close to the magazine
I recently made a video concerning titles because an author was being harrassed as her title was similar to another. Titles can't be stolen, copyrighted or plagerized. For example the name of my debut novel is Tinderbox. I've been told they can be TM'd. You do have to be careful when choosing a title. I'll usually Google mine first but if I like it and my publisher/agent likes it I'm going with it. The point is don't harrass an author because a title may sound alike. Excellent video with many valid points!
I google prospective titles, too, to be sure no other author has used the same name.
This is extremely important and MUST give the prospective reader an idea as to what the book is about. I don't usually like novels named for title characters unless I'm familiar with the author. If I had never heard of Stephen King and saw "Carrie" or "Christine" I would have NO idea they were supernatural thrillers. His "Firestarter," "Cycle of the Werewolf," and "Pet Sematary" give the reader more detailed information.
I'm on my 4th title now, and I think it will stick. Yeah!
Alyssa Matesic did video on same topic. I feel YA fantasy books titles are in need of something new.
For a fantasy novel, what grade would you give “The Weldon and the Well”
Thanks for the uploads 😊
What are your thoughts on title length? In adult fantasy for example there is certainly a trend towards longer and more poetic titles, but is it risky to query a book with these sorts of titles?
If it fits the book, I don't think title length is going to be the thing that scares most agents off!
The problem is that publishers are chasing title trends that they themselves set. A Court of Thorns and Roses. A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Children of Blood and Bone. Shadow and Bone. I could go on, find the other trends, but you get the picture. Great books, but the titles feel bland in those formats, and there's whole forums online and comment sections and whatever with readers discussing how annoyed they are when publishers latch onto a title format that did well for one super popular book and run with it for (nearly) *everything*.
How many of these, I wonder, were titled better by the author? (and how many authors actually were chasing that title trend in their query) Because Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes doesn't fit the Hunger Games brand as a title like it should've, even though the book was just as good. Whereas Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer fit the series titles despite the years between the original series and this promised book. (The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner was a bit out of the way. But I figured that was because it was supposed to let the reader know this was just a short story)
So long lead up made short, are there any times when even you guys are wary of the publisher choosing a trend chasing title when you know the one the author originally queried was better? Or are there times as well when you've had authors chasing title trends hoping to fit with the in crowd?
Question: When querying a book, could I be forgiven for placing a title of what I'm hoping to be the series, and a title of the first book, together one beneath the other, or should I just go with the title of the book?
It's usually better to query with the title of the book, and query the book individually! You can mention in the query letter that the book is part of an intended series, but ultimately, you are trying to sell that one book to the agent first and foremost.
@@BookEndsLiterary Thank you!
Hello. I had submitted via query tracker back in April. Is a no response a rejection?
Hi! No, our policy at BookEnds is that everyone gets a response eventually. Some agents could be behind on queries, but if you haven't received a rejection response through Query Manager then you have not been rejected. However, if you feel the agent is taking too long to get to your query, you can withdraw and submit to another one of our agents who might be a fit for your project!
@@BookEndsLiterary I do not wish to withdraw as I feel we make a good match. And thank you for the information!
One more question, please:
For the thriller genre, is it okay to make the title the first name of the main character?
With a catchy subtitle?
There aren't any hard and fast rules that would prevent you from something like this, but I would recommend looking at other comparable books in the thriller genre to see the format and tone the titles take, and then pick something that would fit that vibe. This will show that you understand the genre and market you're writing in!
I always enjoy your informative videos, and especially the friendly vibes between the two of you. I deleted my first chapter recently because what you said made sense.. thanks Jessica. Please can you help me? I sent my query letter today from my cellphone because my laptop is in for repairs, but unfortunately I couldn't send the first 10 pages of my manuscript because my phone can't do that. How can I submit my sample pages to you please Jessica? I sent it to A.J. It's a historical romance novel.
@@BookEndsLiterary Thanks so much!
Can you negotiate to keep the title you named your book?
I actually had the title first, then came the book! Hi from Dublin, Ireland.☘️
I write women's fiction, so I was keenly listening for thoughts on titling that genre! And I got something! TY📚
I think the big message here is that an author's title is a working title. I want the publisher to use their team's expertise to make the best decision for sales!
You can definitely talk to your publisher about keeping your title, and try to push for it! But at the end of the day, they are going to have their sales and marketing teams weighing in on whether the title is competitive based on comp titles and market trends, and if it's not, they will probably insist on a change
@@BookEndsLiterary Thank you so much!
Is there any evidence that publishers (or agents) are better at picking titles than authors? Aren't they all shooting in the dark?