posted
In the Titles thread here in Open Discussions babooher said:
quote:...but that's the only book I've ever bought based on the title
This prompted me to open a new thread about titles as hooks.
I recently finished reading Elfland by Freda Warrington. I saw the book sitting on a shelf, picked it up solely because of its title, and came home with it. The book kept me captive. I dreaded putting it down and looked forward to finding time to read on. Even muting commercials and reading during my favorite shows. I haven't been this enthralled with a book since Rice's The Witching Hour, seriously. And I have read many books in the interim years.
Now to the point of my post.
Have any of you had similar experiences where the title sold you on the book without so much as having to read blurbs or parts of the opening?
This was the case with me and Elfland. I did not read the synopsis on the inside cover until I got home. I knew nothing about the author at all. Turns out she is English (no wonder) and that this book is part of a series -- her first written for an American audience -- so you can appreciate my excitement when learning that there are more to come.
Freda really did write a great book.
I didn't need a "hook" in the traditional sense to help me decide whether to read it or not. The title was enough of a hook for me; if not the hook then it was the bait on the hook.
Some other examples from my life of reading where titles sold me:
The Phantom Tolbooth (when I was a young lad) Shadowland by Peter Straub The Witching Hour The Number of the Beast by Heinlein
Any other examples out there of titles as hooks?
[This message has been edited by Edward Douglas (edited April 19, 2010).]
[This message has been edited by Edward Douglas (edited April 19, 2010).]
posted
I can remember being hooked by a title, and then very disappointed in the story attached to it.
I think titles can (and if at all possible should) be hooks.
But as with other hooks (or maybe even more than with other hooks), titles as hooks can be extremely subjective. I don't think a title like ELFLAND would have hooked me as it did you, Edward Douglas.
posted
As a child: THE SECRET GARDEN by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1910. What's not to love? I myself was raised on half-acre lot & spent most of my time in it or clambering through "secret passageways" between neighborhood back yards and fences, singly or with friends. Hmm, maybe kids aren't allowed to do that kind of thing nowadays.
[This message has been edited by WraithOfBlake (edited April 22, 2010).]
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When I was young I remember being grabbed by the title, "Surfing Samurai Robots". The book was as funny as the title promised and I didn't regret reading it.
Oh, and how about, "How to Eat Fried Worms". When I saw that I had to read it, fourth grade I think. That was a fun one too.
In sixth grade, Asimov's "Caves of Steel" caught my eye and I have been a fan of his work ever since.
[This message has been edited by genevive42 (edited April 20, 2010).]
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As a kid, I had to read My Teacher is an Alien. How could I resist that? As an adult, I liked the title Across the Nightingale Floor (though that one had cover art that called to me) too. Sadly, I am willing to buy based on cover art- also, since I shop a lot at used book stores, how good a shape the book is in matters to me.
posted
Titles can and do grab my attention but I've never gone as far as you and gotten a book without reading the blurb.
If you have a great title your story has to live up to it, though. I am still vaguely disappointed over Star Wars: The Clone Wars. From the title I got this brainstorm of the Sith kidnapping important military and political figures, replacing them with brainwashed clones to fuel an eventual takeover of the Republic. How do you fight the war when you don't know who to trust anymore? That kind of thing. The movie's version of an army of almost identical twins just didn't cut it for me after that.
Titles can also be great jumping off points from the author's side of the issue. Ray Bradbury had a piece in his book Zen and the Art of Writing where he described writing down a series of phrases, each one of which eventually became titles for stories. There were some really evocative phrases in there like Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Thing at The Top of The Stairs. Great way to jumpstart stories.
Arséne Lupin, Gentleman Burglar, and Arséne Lupin vs. Herlock Sholmes, both by Maurice Leblanc. I don't recall which title I liked best as a child. Since they were shelved together, I think they may have worked in tandem to suck me in.
Gladiator at Law by Pohl and Kornbluth The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester
Hooked by the titles (and cover art on the science fiction books). All turned out to be good stories.
[This message has been edited by posulliv (edited April 20, 2010).]
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It feels great to know I've inspired someone
There is an essay by Stephen King titled "Great Hookers I have Known." I think it is the best title I've ever seen for anything (although it does defy my shorter is better idea for titles).
And in my previous post, The Foreskin's Lament did capture my attention (and then I hated it). Still, I did lay my hard earned money down based on the title.
posted
Yes, you can hook the reader with the title. But it's a stupid use.
No matter what you name your book, someone will find it interesting and read it. Although you can certainly turn people off with a title like "Ovary Cream Mystery", I doubt that even the best title will increase the number of initial readers (readers who didn't have the book recommended to them) by more then 10% over a bland title. A far better use of your title is to make is easy for those readers who like the book to recommend it to others.
To do this, there's a few basic rules.
1. Pick a title that fits the genre. I'm not recommending "Pink Slipper Delight" to my sci-fi reading friends no matter how good it is.
2. Pick something people will remember once they've read the book. "Legend of Zorthon" is a bad name if Zorthon is a deus ex machina island discovered in the last 10 pages. Ender's Game is a great name because anyone who's read the book will remember it.
3. Don't make it sound hoaky. Words can only be imbued with meaning by existing within a context. Until they've been imbued with meaning for an individual, they sound stupid. It took me years to read Terry Brooks because "Shannara" had no significance to me. And now, I'm hesitant to recommend it to friends because I know it will sound stupid to them too. Don't use gobble-dee-gook in your title.*
*Note, this doesn't apply to a title such as "Xenocide". Yes, it's a new word but it's formed using pre-existing word components that are already imbued with meaning.
In general, make your title something that your readers are capable of passing and and wish to pass on to others. Even a moderate increase in the % of your readers that recommend the book to others will have a far larger overall impact than a much larger increase in initial readers for your book.
In other words, you can use your title better than just worrying about making it a hook. If your book is published, it will be read. The trick is to have it keep getting read.
I had driven for two hours in a car full of friends. I stood on line waiting for two more hours to meet him. I had a perfectly legitimate question in mind to ask him. My friend two people ahead of me said something Terry had never heard before and praised him for it.
Then he said something about movie people. I thought maybe they were adapting his book.
I asked, "What about the movie people?"
He said "Movie people? I want to cut off all their heads and stick them on pig poles."
Oh no, I've pissed off my favorite author. Sweat began to pour down my torso from under my arms. I panicked.
"How do you pronounce Leah?" Uh oh.
"Lee. It's pronounced Lee," halting in his signing for me and slamming the book shut. "How do you pronounce that?" points at title...
"Shah nair' uh"
"No - It's Shah' nuh rah, accent on the first syllable. Shah, nuh, rah. Who do you want me to make this out to?"
My one and only meeting of Terry Brooks didn't go so well.
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