So you’re finally finished 写作 it – the thing that has taken up all of your free time for the past two years (or more), the monkey on your back that wouldn’t let 你 sleep, that had 你 pulling out your pen and paper while on vacation with your family because The Idea came to you…
Well, you’re finished. 你 want to print it out, slap on a title, and send it off.
Hold up, there partner! Pause, breathe, put the the manuscript down. Easy! There 你 go….
What’s the big deal with a title?
Everything! It’s the first thing that a potential reader will see, the line that will either catch an editor’s attention 或者 send it straight to the trash can. Just as your name represents you, the 标题 of your book must be representative and catchy for your novel.
The good, the bad, and the ugly…
There are three distinct groups of titles.
The first is the good: the ones that catch attention, make a reader pick the book up, scan the front, turn it over and read the back, and then on to the checkout stand. Examples: Empress, Boiling Point, Crown of Thorns, Slaughterhouse-Five, A Feast for Crows.
The bad: have a hit and miss chance of grabbing a reader, with good enough cover art and some fantastic 语录 from the New York Times 或者 Publisher’s Weekly, they may be read. They probably won’t be the first book a reader picks up, but it’s possible. Examples: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, War of the Gods, Secrets of Droon: The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet, Maximum Ride: the 天使 Experiment.
Then the ugly: get the response “how did this ever get onto this shelf?” “What was the editor/author thinking?” Examples: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, The Adventures of 鲨鱼 Boy and Lava Girl…
So how do 你 name it?
Unfortunately, while there is a plethora of baby-name 图书 flooding the market and internet, there is no “novel-name book” for authors. So, 你 must be creative. Which really shouldn’t be that hard – hell, 你 wrote a book, didn’t you?
Coming up with the name of your novel should be a process started at the same time 你 write the firs paragraph, and honestly, will and should go on until you’re done with your final edit. It’s not an easy task – parents may argue and pine over it for nine months – why should your naming process be any different?
Following are several tips to help 你 come up witht the ideal name for your “baby.” These are merely brainstorming techniques to hopefully help something click in that creative cavity 你 have sitting between your shoulders:
Make a list
1. the names of your main characters
2. the major places in your book
3. any special talismans/objects that play a specific/important role (ie. The Sword of Shanara)
4. creatures, animals, aliens, names
Your plot
1. what is the point of your book?
2. is there a journey? To where? For why?
3. are 你 写作 about a deeper meaning?
4. can 你 tie in your book with current events 或者 流行的 topics? (ie the Davinci Code)
5. what are your characters trying to do?
谷歌 is your best friend
1. 搜索 for pictures of a theme, character, creature, place, etc. that 你 feel represents your book. You’ll come across some cool (and weird) things, and may give 你 direction.
2. see what others 写作 about similar topics are using for titles. Make sure your 标题 isn’t too close to another’s.
3. get some 更多 backstory on an item, relic, place, 或者 animal in your story. Again, think muse…
Have fun
1. play up on words and items in your book (ie One of our newest 图书 due out 下一个 summer is “Of Quills and Kings,” in which the villan is a demonic and sadistic hedgehog that overthrows the crown…)
2. be witty. 你 are trying to grab science fiction/fantasy/horror/etc fans, not collegiate professors that enjoy spending all of their waking hours with their pet rock. Uh…
3. be original. 你 want to stand out, but don’t be too off-beat that 你 scare people away.
I own nothing , the 文章 came from here : link
Well, you’re finished. 你 want to print it out, slap on a title, and send it off.
Hold up, there partner! Pause, breathe, put the the manuscript down. Easy! There 你 go….
What’s the big deal with a title?
Everything! It’s the first thing that a potential reader will see, the line that will either catch an editor’s attention 或者 send it straight to the trash can. Just as your name represents you, the 标题 of your book must be representative and catchy for your novel.
The good, the bad, and the ugly…
There are three distinct groups of titles.
The first is the good: the ones that catch attention, make a reader pick the book up, scan the front, turn it over and read the back, and then on to the checkout stand. Examples: Empress, Boiling Point, Crown of Thorns, Slaughterhouse-Five, A Feast for Crows.
The bad: have a hit and miss chance of grabbing a reader, with good enough cover art and some fantastic 语录 from the New York Times 或者 Publisher’s Weekly, they may be read. They probably won’t be the first book a reader picks up, but it’s possible. Examples: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, War of the Gods, Secrets of Droon: The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet, Maximum Ride: the 天使 Experiment.
Then the ugly: get the response “how did this ever get onto this shelf?” “What was the editor/author thinking?” Examples: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, The Adventures of 鲨鱼 Boy and Lava Girl…
So how do 你 name it?
Unfortunately, while there is a plethora of baby-name 图书 flooding the market and internet, there is no “novel-name book” for authors. So, 你 must be creative. Which really shouldn’t be that hard – hell, 你 wrote a book, didn’t you?
Coming up with the name of your novel should be a process started at the same time 你 write the firs paragraph, and honestly, will and should go on until you’re done with your final edit. It’s not an easy task – parents may argue and pine over it for nine months – why should your naming process be any different?
Following are several tips to help 你 come up witht the ideal name for your “baby.” These are merely brainstorming techniques to hopefully help something click in that creative cavity 你 have sitting between your shoulders:
Make a list
1. the names of your main characters
2. the major places in your book
3. any special talismans/objects that play a specific/important role (ie. The Sword of Shanara)
4. creatures, animals, aliens, names
Your plot
1. what is the point of your book?
2. is there a journey? To where? For why?
3. are 你 写作 about a deeper meaning?
4. can 你 tie in your book with current events 或者 流行的 topics? (ie the Davinci Code)
5. what are your characters trying to do?
谷歌 is your best friend
1. 搜索 for pictures of a theme, character, creature, place, etc. that 你 feel represents your book. You’ll come across some cool (and weird) things, and may give 你 direction.
2. see what others 写作 about similar topics are using for titles. Make sure your 标题 isn’t too close to another’s.
3. get some 更多 backstory on an item, relic, place, 或者 animal in your story. Again, think muse…
Have fun
1. play up on words and items in your book (ie One of our newest 图书 due out 下一个 summer is “Of Quills and Kings,” in which the villan is a demonic and sadistic hedgehog that overthrows the crown…)
2. be witty. 你 are trying to grab science fiction/fantasy/horror/etc fans, not collegiate professors that enjoy spending all of their waking hours with their pet rock. Uh…
3. be original. 你 want to stand out, but don’t be too off-beat that 你 scare people away.
I own nothing , the 文章 came from here : link
I own nothing!
Enjoy!