I have reviewed a lot of books now, and one thing that strikes me over and over is that there are many excellent books which have duff titles.

It's clearly not my job to rewrite titles, but many are quite incapable of selling the book in hand. How does one give such advice?

My own book, 'Shun The Dark' was called 'Silence' for over a year. A novel called 'Silence' has recently been published...

I have found that if I enter a proposed title into Amazon and nothing comes up, the title hasn't been taken, and vice versa. I have also googled title ideas, and found that useful.

Martin

You've hit on my ultimate bugbear on YWO -duff, boring titles. And if anyone comes back and quotes bestsellers at me such as, let's say, Stephen King's 'Cell', well, forget it, 'cus once you've hit the heights of Mr King you can call that sucker what you like -'Crap', or 'Whatever You Do, Don't Read This!', anything, really.

I'm certainly not going to be naming names, or indeed, titling titles, but, folks, the title of your debut needs to be a corker, doesn't it?

I'm sure the authors on this site are heartily sick of me saying 'Boring title, can't you think of something else?'. And, I have, indeed, made suggestions, but, thus far, I don't think anyone has taken a blind bit of notice. That's their prerogative, of course.

One of my favourite authors, Ross Thomas, now sadly deceased, was a master of the intriguing title: 'Cast a Yellow Shadow'; 'The Fourth Durango'; 'Yellow Dog Contract; 'The Eighth Dwarf'; 'The Fools In Town Are On Our Side'.

Oddly, I think that poets are often much better at titles. How about Sarah Maguire's 'The Pomegranates of Kandahar', or Paul Muldoon's 'Horse Latitudes', Brian Turner's 'Here, Bullet', Owen Sheers' 'Skirrid Hill'?

Lastly, I don't think titles are copyrightable, are they? Of course, you don't want to use something that's been a bestseller, but maybe something from 10, 20, 30+ years ago? Not sure of the legal issues, I must admit. Oh, and if copyrightable is not a real word, well, it darn well should be.

Copey

David Lodge wrote Small World in the early-mid 80s and someone called Mark Something (can't remember now) recently published a novel with the same title. I saw it on a Waterstones' table...

Copey

Why, thank you for those kind words. It's indeed immensely gratifying to know one's title can have that effect...but then I've also had reviewers who told me the opposite. Oh well, I suppose you can't win 'em all.

Have a great weekend

Regards
Leigh

'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' ?

The Importance of Being Earnest' ?? (I'll consider myself smacked in the face on that one Richie.)

On 'Silence', there was a brilliant short novel (novella really) of that title written by the late James Kennaway.

Miss Daisy's gerund is not in question.

Hi Nix,

I've noticed a trend in travel books to name things in alliterative threes so why no "Churchbells, Chickens, and Chorizos"

Maybe it's just me but I think "Churchbells and Chickens" trips off the tongue better than "Chickens and Churchbells".

Oh, and I'm the awkward bugger who failed your reading test the other day - many apologies - it was the what was Bethina doing outside the house I got a blindspot over. I can't give you a freewill because the system won't let me, so this is as good a place as any to say a)how much I enjoyed the piece but b) I wasn't sure you needed the explanation of pronunciation Bethina/vecina.

No, the question wasn't hard, I just had a block on it, I think because two of the things in your question (which I forget now - one was making food, the other language-related I think) happen in quick succession, and the answer is clearly the second one but it stuck in my head that it had to be the first. Of course, if I'd got the others right the issue would never have arisen - all in all entirely my problem and not yours!!