Zero's earlier post about titles got me thinking - is it a big deal if titles get re-used? Are there any hard and fast rules about that? Will publishers be inclined to reject if you inadvertently use someone else's title? How many original titles can there be, after all? I just found out that one of my favorite authors' first (obscure) novel was titled, "Star Quest." He can't have been the only one to use THAT title.
Posted by InarticulateBabbler (Member # 4849) on :
I've read a number of novels with names that have been used before. I think that your main concern would be if that title was currently popular.
Posted by Skribent (Member # 5143) on :
I'm sure some titles get reused, at least titles like 'Star Quest'. OSC has a book titled 'Empire', and there's talk about Paolini called the last book in his trilogy 'Empire'. It's a general term, and nobody has a copyright on it. Now, if you should name your book 'Harry Potter and the Quest Against Evil Robot Monkeys', you might get in a wee bit of trouble over that.