Titles

One of the things all new authors have to deal with is the possibility of a title change. As a debut author, the chances of your book being released with the same name you originally gave it is slim. Once in the hands of your publishing house, your book takes on a whole new life--and a whole new family--and that often means a whole new title. There are lots of reasons for a title change--including making it easy for readers to find the type of books they like to read.

Historical titles are often some form of "Ravished by the Duke" or "One Knight in my Bed". Paranormal novels are often some form of "Blood Moon" or "A Thirst for Darkness". Harlequin Presents titles are often some form of "The Millionaire's Mistress". Erotic romances often have titles like "Spurred On" or "Wild and Wicked in Vegas". Is all this similarity done to confuse readers? No. It's done to imply the sort of story the bookstore browser will find between the covers of your novel. It's done to encourage the reader who likes your type of novel to pick it up and at least read the back.

If you're lucky, you'll get some say in what the new title of your book will be. Your editor will ask you for suggestions, perhaps after giving you guidelines about what sort of phrases work for him/her ... and the publisher's marketing department. After some back and forth, you'll arrive at a new title--maybe one you coined yourself. The most important thing to remember during this process is that your editor wants your book to sell like hotcakes. The publisher wants you to succeed. They want readers to discover you and then hold you up as the next great talent. The change of title is their expertise at work helping you reach that goal.

So, if you're a brand new author, here's to an eye-catching title that encourages many, many readers to pick up your book and then carry it all the way to the checkout line.

By the way, my GH winning manuscript has a new title. It's now called Drawn into Darkness. Ten guesses what kind of story it is...