Thursday, June 4, 2009

A Rose by Any Other Name....

So, my contract for the short story I submitted is pending the title change. The editor has requested I send her ten suggestions for a new title and given me some pretty specific guidelines to work within.

Have I mentioned that I HATE titling my work. If I had it my way, every story would simply be "Joe's Story" or "Millie's Story" or "The Story with the Purple Duck". And, yes, those are the kinds of working titles I use because I stink at thinking up titles.

So now, with the carrot of a contract hanging just in front of my nose, I have to think of a clever title for my story and I haven't the first clue. I have a slightly warped sense of humor, and the first thing that popped into my head was "What About B.O.B.?" but I'm pretty sure that one won't work.

*sigh*

In any case, I know what I'll be doing today.

What about you? Are you good at titling your work? And, how much does a clever title impact your decision about buying a book?

2 comments:

KaiaLogan said...

Well, you did a great job with the title for this post! :)
I have to say that a great title makes less of a difference to my decision to buy a book than a really lame title. I guess it's more about the whole package--title, cover art, blurb, and pages I dip into.

Good luck figuring it out!

Mysti Holiday said...

I'm a big fan of good covers -- and will buy an unknown author if she has a really great one. But titles? Meh...

Thanks, Kaia!