The Importance of Book Titles – A. J. Waines
In the second of her Featured Author posts A.J. Waines looks at the importance of book titles.
The title of a book is undoubtedly the first thing we see about it, backed up by the image on the cover. Those two or three seconds when a reader’s eyes fall on a novel are crucial – the title needs to grab their attention, generate intrigue and compel them to take a closer look.
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding was initially entitled Strangers from Within and was rejected by at least ten publishers before it was finally accepted for publication in 1953, by the young editor Charles Monteith at Faber and Faber. He spotted the potential of the novel and initiated the change of title, and in my opinion, I think the new one is a stroke of genius; it’s instantly visual, striking and sinister to boot. It is said to be a reference to the Hebrew name Beelzebub, literally meaning “Lord of Flies”, a name often used as a synonym for Satan. It may also be a reference to a line from King Lear – “As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods — They kill us for their sport”. (King Lear Act IV, Scene 1).
As a writer, finding a title early in the writing process gives me an instant focus. Strangely, it makes me feel that the book already exists on some level and merely needs to be brought out into the light. My titles are often changed later and that’s fine by me – at times the words may have personal meaning for me, but insufficient ‘global’ resonance.
Penny Hancock, author of the psychological thriller, Tideline, told me the title came via her husband. ‘He’s an artist and quite poetic and thinks in terms of images, so he took the idea of the Thames tide coming in and out and the lines that are crossed in the book and came up with ‘Tidemark’ which sounded a bit grubby somehow!! Another friend suggested ‘Tideline’.’
Paula Daly, author of Just what Kind of Mother are You? considered Stripped Bare and No Milk Today for her book. In my view, the title she chose has much more direct impact.
Titles often change considerably in translations: My debut psychological thriller, The Evil Beneath, became Ressac Mortel (Deadly Undertow) at the French bookclub, France Loisirs, then Les Noyees de la Tamise (The Drowned Women of the Thames) with the publisher, Editions les Escales. In Germany, Random House chose Todesdunkel, which translates as The Darkness of Death. I think they all give strong, but slightly different, visual impressions.
Titles can change even between English speaking countries, reflecting cultural differences. This is often a pitfall for the reader who can be fooled into thinking a different title is a new book. Agatha Christie’s Sparkling Cyanide in the UK is published as Remembered Death in the US, for example. One, Two, Buckle my Shoe in the UK was turned into The Patriotic Murders (US) – which sounds poles apart.
Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo originally had the Swedish title Män som hatar kvinnor, – literally meaning, Men who Hate Women. I think changing it to the one we all know was a good move!
AJ Waines is a Crime Fiction Writer, specialising in Psychological Thrillers. Her first two novels The Evil Beneath and Girl on a Train reached No 1 in ‘Murder’ in the UK Kindle Charts. She has an Agent and publishing deals in France and Germany (Random House) and draws on over fifteen years of experience as a Psychotherapist, including work with clients from high security prisons. She lives in Southampton, UK, with her husband.
For further information visit AJ Waines’ Website: www.ajwaines.co.uk. You can also follow her Blog – and she’s on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.
