Beyond Her Book
More from Barbara Vey Email: barbaravey@gmail.com Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Most Commented On
Archives
Blog
Link This | Email this | Blog This | Comments (17)
What the Heck Were They Thinking?
|
|||
 |
| Now, if this picture was on the cover of a book, would you really care what the title was? |
Recently I had coffee with an author and we were discussing book titles. The publisher didn't like the one the author picked, so we were brainstorming and came up with some terrific (if I say so myself) titles. Turns out the publisher didn't like any of them and picked something totally different (I would have ix-nayed it, if they'd have asked me).
A while back on Yahoo, I saw this article on the Oddest Book Title contest:
British industry magazine The Bookseller has announced this year's shortlist for the oddest book title of the year, with a typical mix of the quirky and eclectic.
Visitors to the magazine's website, www.thebookseller.com, can make their choice from six mostly non-fiction titles unearthed by publishers, bookstore workers and librarians from around the world.
The winner will be announced on March 28.
The nominees for The Diagram Prize are:
-- "I Was Tortured by the Pygmy Love Queen" by Jasper McCutcheon;
-- "How to Write a How to Write Book" by Brian Paddock;
-- "Are Women Human? And Other International Dialogues" by Catharine A. MacKinnon;
-- "Cheese Problems Solved" by P.L.H McSweeney;
-- "If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs" by Big Boom;
-- "People who Mattered in Southend and Beyond: From King Canute to Doctor Feelgood" by Dee Gordon.
Horace Bent, The Bookseller's diarist, said on the magazine's website: "I confess: I have been anxious that as publishing becomes ever more corporate, the trade's quirky charms are being squeezed out.
"Lists are pruned, targets are set, authors are culled. But happily my fears have been proved unfounded: oddity lives on."
Last year's winner was "The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification", by Julian Montague.
The Diagram Prize has been running since 1978, when the winner was "Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice".
So tell me, which would you vote for? What is the oddest book title you've ever seen? Do you have one of your own? Did a publisher make you change one you thought was a winner? Does the title matter? Will a crappy title affect sales? As as reader, would you buy a book with a dumb title?
Bottom Line: My vote goes to "If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs" because, really, that pretty much says it all.
Posted by Barbara Vey on March 11, 2008 | Comments (17)
March 11, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Jennifer St. Giles commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Jennifer St. Giles commented:
LOL Barbara, I don't guess that would be romance. Too funny and sho is the wet hunk of the day? In my book I like titles to match the mood or the feel of the story. covers too, But sometimes in publishing thats asking the impossible.
March 11, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Edie Ramer commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Edie Ramer commented:
I love the IF YOU WANT CLOSURE title. It made me laugh. The worst titles for me are anything with a Sheik of a millionaire in it. Obviously other people must love them, because they keep being used.
March 11, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Clea Simon commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Clea Simon commented:
Maybe because I'm a mystery person, I like "Cheese Problems Solved." Because I don't even know what a cheese problem is! And here they are ... solved. It makes me think the book must be very deep indeed. (LOL) clea - www.cleasimon.com
March 11, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Sheila commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Sheila commented:
This is a great blog Barbara! The Bookseller is a great site. I love the title you chose. lol I've seen some pretty bad titles and some even worse book covers. It makes you wonder what was going on the mind of the person who approved it. "Ah yes, this will get someone's attention!" or, "Is anyone paying attention to me?!" or perhaps "I wonder if I should have my coffee before I start work?" Never work without your coffee. Never date and drink tequila. Sage advice from your good friend and fellow blogger. ROFL!!!
March 11, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Liz Kreger commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Liz Kreger commented:
I kinda liked the first one "I was Tortured by a Pygmy Love Queen". That brought all sorts of visions to mind. LOL. If that guy was on the cover of a book, I wouldn't give a darn what was inside. Yum.
March 11, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Shari Anton commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Shari Anton commented:
Both the Pygmy and the Closure made me laugh. Yeah, What Were They Thinking!! LOL! I'm about 50% on my titles -- half mine and half the publishers. Not bad!
March 11, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
MAGGIE GRIFFIN commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
MAGGIE GRIFFIN commented:
I've always been partial to "Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story" by Christopher Moore. Catches your eye and your imagination, plus it tells you pretty much all you need to know to decide if the book's for you. Maggie
March 11, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Gerri Russell commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Gerri Russell commented:
Loved the title, "Cheese Problems Solved". I'd love to see how they came up with enough "cheese problems" to fill the space of a book. :-) For me the problem is loving it, and trying not to eat it.
March 11, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Missy Taylor commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Missy Taylor commented:
I'm with you on the close your legs one. And Heck no it wouldn't matter what the title was if he was on the cover...
March 11, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Missy Taylor commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Missy Taylor commented:
I'm with you on the close your legs one. And Heck no it wouldn't matter what the title was if he was on the cover...
March 12, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
mary s commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
mary s commented:
Hello Barb! Both the "Start with Your Legs" & "Stray Shopping Carts" were too funny! And the picture you picked is hilarious! Please don't tell me the shopping cart study was funded by a governmental agency!
March 13, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
JOANN ROSS commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
JOANN ROSS commented:
Wow, I haven't been able to get on for ages, but it worked today! Yay! Anyway, I'm kinda with the cheese problem folks, since I had no idea there were cheese problems, but hey, advertising is all about creating a problem then supplying a solution, so it sounds as if this writer was right on.
Also loved the closure one. As for the shopping carts, back in my previous pre-writing life, I worked for a commercial property developer. We had a some chain grocery stores leasing in our centers and one store had a terrible time with disappearing carts. Turns out people in the neighborhood were stealing them to use a racks on the barbecues they were building from bricks stolen from new construction sites.
March 13, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Clover Autrey commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Clover Autrey commented:
Titles are the hardest to come up with. But when a good one comes up, it just resonates.
March 13, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Fran Baker commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Fran Baker commented:
Gotta go with If You Want Closure. Too funny.
March 14, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Rowena Cherry commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Rowena Cherry commented:
I didn't "get" the Start With Your Legs one until I saw the photo! My first choice would have been the one about Men who mattered from King Canute to Dr Feelgood!
March 14, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Jasper McCutcheon commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Jasper McCutcheon commented:
Is it ok for an author to root for his own book here? The title "I Was Tortured By The Pygmy Love Queen" is a throwback to the men's pulp magazines of the 1930-60's, as is the story itself. And since my WWII Navy pilot hero is captured by pygmies and tortured by a Caucasion female from the Western Hemisphere, and he is eventually saved by the Pygmy Queen who becomes enamored with him, I thought the title a nice fit. Anyway, my nephew, Jardonn Smith, who writes M/M books of adventure, alerted me to your posting, so thought I'd chime in on the matter.
March 14, 2008
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Deborah Macgillivray commented:
In response to: What the Heck Were They Thinking?
Deborah Macgillivray commented:
I have had two books with titles changed. I ended up with A Restless Knight and In Her Bed (not even my editor's doing, but another editor in the firm changed both of mine. Frankly, the first said nothing about my book. My knight was not restless. Second, while it worked as to speaking about the story, it really wasn't high brow.
First time I grumped, came up with alternatives. No use. Second time I just accepted. Both books with very delicious hunks on them have sold like crazy.
Quirky titles work sometimes. Mostly people that them to be familiar and non-intrusive.
Advertisement
