Help Please! Please Help Me Fix My Book's Title! (No More DREAMING...No More TESLA!)

[RK Wallis]

P.S. I never got the car 'Tesla' only got Nikola Tesla - a man born before his time.

 

[Jazzissimo]

P.S. I never got the car 'Tesla' only got Nikola Tesla - a man born before his time.

Ah. there is hope for the world M'lady! Yeah, even though I drive a Tesla, I was totally going for Nikola in the original title. In the story, Cliff has many crazy dreams that feature Nikola Tesla...we find out later (SPOILER ALERT!) that the dreams are actually the same aliens trying to communicate with Cliff who communicated with Nikola during his Colorado Springs experiments. Damn you Elon Musk! But I am glad that YOU got it

 

[Jazzissimo]

Does Nikola have to have the surname Tesla? I think you should steer clear (sorry for the pun) of such a well-known brand name altogether.

Indeed. That was the consensus of The Genius Room (You guys!) as well as the panel (Jamie and Bev) on my first Pop Up Sub show.

 

[Jazzissimo]

These two struck a chord with me (sorry, couldn't help myself, lol):



I think RG has hit on an awesome title. It has a Back to the Future vibe, and that tells me to expect sci fi, humour, love, romance, eclectic. I'd even up the ante and say Jazz Against the Future.



I'm just loving the ring of this

I am really starting to like "Jazz Against The Future" While I think "The Trumpet of the Seventh Sea" is a STELLAR and tremendously compelling title as well, it simply doesn;t speak to the stopry line very well. AKA, there is no "Seventh Sea" nor does a trumpet fit in to the story much. I do like it though.

 

[Jazzissimo]

Ok...what does the Conglomerate Colony of Collective Cool Cats think of this one?

Jazz Against The Future

It seems to tick all of the boxes:
1. Jazz
2. Sci-Fi
3. Comedy? Perhaps, as the title could be satirical in a "Back to the Future" kinda way?
4. Certainly compelling. I know that I would pick up something with that title! (Of course I would )
5. It follows the idea that jazz itself will be the salvation of humanity, which (SPOILER ALERT) is exactly what happens in the story!

Can we do better? Or have we hit upon something? I think it was RG's idea. Now I owe YOU (RG) five pints as well.
I REALLY need to visit London and host a Litopia Pub event!

 

[RK Wallis]

Ok...what does the Conglomerate Colony of Collective Cool Cats think of this one?

Jazz Against The Future

It seems to tick all of the boxes:
1. Jazz
2. Sci-Fi
3. Comedy? Perhaps, as the title could be satirical in a "Back to the Future" kinda way?
4. Certainly compelling. I know that I would pick up something with that title! (Of course I would )
5. It follows the idea that jazz itself will be the salvation of humanity, which (SPOILER ALERT) is exactly what happens in the story!

Can we do better? Or have we hit upon something? I think it was RG's idea. Now I owe YOU (RG) five pints as well.
I REALLY need to visit London and host a Litopia Pub event!

I think RG has given you a solid title

 

[Dorm Ant]

Front runners so far...

Beyond The Free Zone
The Entertained and The Endangered
When Cliff Met Archie
Rhythm Against the Future

I'll bet we all come up with fifty more! What do you all think pf these four mighty contenders? Do they spark further fine tuning thoughts or directions, or is one of them something you would be SUPER COMPELLED to pick up and read if you loved near-future sci-fi that is character driven (great love story) fast action-paced drama, but heaviy laden with comedy? (Hmmm sounds like the Marvel Universe demographic)

When Cliff met Archie sounds like a vid clip on Facebook about two adorable dogs.

Entertained Endangered is much nicer to say than The ...

 

[Dorm Ant]

I think RG has given you a solid title

It's a great title. Gets attention while making the reader ask questions. Fits the music and SF themes in while also being playful.

 

[Dorm Ant]

It's a great title. Gets attention while making the reader ask questions. Fits the music and SF themes in while also being playful.

I would always write linking words in a title (the, and, as...) without capitals unless they are at the beginning. So,

Jazz Against the Future

Like your energy, you crazy cat...

 

[JohnBertel]

Maybe use some jazz slang in the title.

Apocalypse Jam

Bringdown

The Last Gig

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Tesla's Dreaming: Operation Jazz Apocalypse

Tesla's Dreaming: Operation Apocalypse

Risk is that sci fi is a huge market but Jazz,while a fun element, may be seen sub-niche for title purposes. Unless Jazz music literally physically saves the Earth

 

[Dorm Ant]

Having "Tesla" in the title will cause problems.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Having "Tesla" in the title will cause problems.

Good point.

Niko's Dreaming.....

 

[Jazzissimo]

WOW! Thank you all SO very much for your help and valuable expertise in this title quest. I think I have now narrowed it down to these two:

"When Jazz Saved the World"

and

"Jazz Against the Future"

I feel that both are very solid and compelling titles. I am leaning towards "When Jazz Saved the World" as that feels more positive to me where "Jazz Against the Future" seems more ominous. The book is working with serious themes, but overall it is more humor-based, thus the preference. To answer @Katie-Ellen yes, jazz actually DOES save the world in this story. Crazy, I know, but as a jazz musician myself...it kinda makes sense to me And @JohnBertel I love your jazz-laden suggestions as well. Thank you! And @RG Worsey ...somedays my energy is more active than others...it depends on the timing post-Guinness...

What a wonderful community! Digging it I am...TREMENDOUSLY!

So...what say y'all Oh Colony Collective? Is this the title?

"When Jazz Saved the World"

(Suggested by the magnificent @Vagabond Heart )

 

[Hannah F]

WOW! Thank you all SO very much for your help and valuable expertise in this title quest. I think I have now narrowed it down to these two:

"When Jazz Saved the World"

and

"Jazz Against the Future"

I feel that both are very solid and compelling titles. I am leaning towards "When Jazz Saved the World" as that feels more positive to me where "Jazz Against the Future" seems more ominous. The book is working with serious themes, but overall it is more humor-based, thus the preference. To answer @Katie-Ellen yes, jazz actually DOES save the world in this story. Crazy, I know, but as a jazz musician myself...it kinda makes sense to me And @JohnBertel I love your jazz-laden suggestions as well. Thank you! And @RG Worsey ...somedays my energy is more active than others...it depends on the timing post-Guinness...

What a wonderful community! Digging it I am...TREMENDOUSLY!

So...what say y'all Oh Colony Collective? Is this the title?

"When Jazz Saved the World"

(Suggested by the magnificent @Vagabond Heart )

It sounds non-fiction to me whereas "Jazz against the Future" sounds fiction.

 

[Jazzissimo]

WOW! Thank you all SO very much for your help and valuable expertise in this title quest. I think I have now narrowed it down to these two:

"When Jazz Saved the World"

and

"Jazz Against the Future"

I feel that both are very solid and compelling titles. I am leaning towards "When Jazz Saved the World" as that feels more positive to me where "Jazz Against the Future" seems more ominous. The book is working with serious themes, but overall it is more humor-based, thus the preference. To answer @Katie-Ellen yes, jazz actually DOES save the world in this story. Crazy, I know, but as a jazz musician myself...it kinda makes sense to me And @JohnBertel I love your jazz-laden suggestions as well. Thank you! And @RG Worsey ...somedays my energy is more active than others...it depends on the timing post-Guinness...

What a wonderful community! Digging it I am...TREMENDOUSLY!

So...what say y'all Oh Colony Collective? Is this the title?

"When Jazz Saved the World"

(Suggested by the magnificent @Vagabond Heart )

It sounds non-fiction to me whereas "Jazz against the Future" sounds fiction.

Hmmm...good point. Now I am tremendously torn, confused, and bewildered (a pity I'm not trying to come up with a song title. )

What do you think @Vagabond Heart ?

 

[Vagabond Heart]

Lol, if you go back to your initial post, you'll see that's where Jazz saved the World came from, not me. Was being tongue in cheek with that, because it seemed that everything that had since resonated stemmed from that idea, so maybe you got it right earlier?

I liked my other suggestion, which was Jazz Versus the Apocalypse. But again, wasn't 100% on it.

I've had similar problems with my own teen title. As a kid I was intrigued by books that had unusual words in their titles - Alan Garner's Elidor, or The Weirdstone of Brisingamen. So I called my book after the character that the whole book is a search for - The Essa-Hebbren. Yeah, well, this fell flat as a pancake on Pop-ups, lol.
I spent some time asking for suggestions, running try-outs on other people, then Googling the heck out of any that seemed good, in order to see if they were already taken and well established.
I've settled on one that, over time, is one I keep coming back to, and which feels right. It covers some of the main elements of the story (is a new 'take' on Sleeping Beauty), and is getting a positive reaction. But mostly, after looking at so many choices, it is the one that I know fits the best. And others may have a different opinion, but I think this one sits comfortably with me, and I therefore I have confidence in it. (By the way, it is SpindleSpell.)

So don't forget to give yourself time to find one that is the right fit for you. Let things sink in. See which one you keep coming back to. You know all the details of your story, so only you will know when titles chime for you, rather than go clunk.

xxx

 

[Jazzissimo]

WOW! Thank you all SO very much for your help and valuable expertise in this title quest. I think I have now narrowed it down to these two:

"When Jazz Saved the World"

and

"Jazz Against the Future"

I feel that both are very solid and compelling titles. I am leaning towards "When Jazz Saved the World" as that feels more positive to me where "Jazz Against the Future" seems more ominous. The book is working with serious themes, but overall it is more humor-based, thus the preference. To answer @Katie-Ellen yes, jazz actually DOES save the world in this story. Crazy, I know, but as a jazz musician myself...it kinda makes sense to me And @JohnBertel I love your jazz-laden suggestions as well. Thank you! And @RG Worsey ...somedays my energy is more active than others...it depends on the timing post-Guinness...

What a wonderful community! Digging it I am...TREMENDOUSLY!

So...what say y'all Oh Colony Collective? Is this the title?

"When Jazz Saved the World"

(Suggested by the magnificent @Vagabond Heart )

It sounds non-fiction to me whereas "Jazz against the Future" sounds fiction.

Hmmm...good point. Now I am tremendously torn, confused, and bewildered (a pity I'm not trying to come up with a song title. )

Lol, if you go back to your initial post, you'll see that's where Jazz saved the World came from, not me. Was being tongue in cheek with that, because it seemed that everything that had since resonated stemmed from that idea, so maybe you got it right earlier?

I liked my other suggestion, which was Jazz Versus the Apocalypse. But again, wasn't 100% on it.

I've had similar problems with my own teen title. As a kid I was intrigued by books that had unusual words in their titles - Alan Garner's Elidor, or The Weirdstone of Brisingamen. So I called my book after the character that the whole book is a search for - The Essa-Hebbren. Yeah, well, this fell flat as a pancake on Pop-ups, lol.
I spent some time asking for suggestions, running try-outs on other people, then Googling the heck out of any that seemed good, in order to see if they were already taken and well established.
I've settled on one that, over time, is one I keep coming back to, and which feels right. It covers some of the main elements of the story (is a new 'take' on Sleeping Beauty), and is getting a positive reaction. But mostly, after looking at so many choices, it is the one that I know fits the best. And others may have a different opinion, but I think this one sits comfortably with me, and I therefore I have confidence in it. (By the way, it is SpindleSpell.)

So don't forget to give yourself time to find one that is the right fit for you. Let things sink in. See which one you keep coming back to. You know all the details of your story, so only you will know when titles chime for you, rather than go clunk.

xxx

Great advice @Vagabond Heart ! Ok...I will let it sit for a spell. Speaking of which...I LOVE the title SpindleSpell That is VERY cool and says it all. With my ellusive new title, I'm already going a bit deeper and thinking of things that come from this extremely helpful group effort. Once I have it (and KNOW that I do) I will report back with much glee and a heapin' helpin' of joy!

 

[Jazzissimo]

Howdy Folks! Well, after a series of concerts, gigs, and musical compositions...I am back in the prose trenches and still casting about for a proper title for my book. I think I may have hit on one that I really like, and I wanted to toss it out into the fiery crucible of critical commentary to see what y'all think. As a reminder here is the current blurb:

In 2042, climate change is devastating, society is in rapid decline, entertainment technology is the new religion, and a jazz composer holds the keys to planetary salvation. Follow Cliff Davis and his friends as they race across The People’s Continent in the hopes of reaching the safety of the recluse nation of Sagan. Equipped with an ancient secret from Nikola Tesla, if Cliff can outsmart a relentless assassin and make it to Sagan first, the world, the arts, and society has a chance…

And here is a plot point (SPOILER ALERT!)
Towards the end of the story, we learn that an ancient race of extraterrestrials called the Archangels have decided to go against their "prime directive" and intervene to save humanity from its fast-approaching "filter event" –that moment when an advanced civilization destroys itself. When asked why the Archangels are doing this, their ambassador tells the protagonist Cliff Davis: “Because, with all of your faults, you–the human race, you are the only people in all of creation… to have developed jazz.”

Now armed with that spoiler knowledge, what do you think of this title?

The Jazz Factor
(The Unlikely Story of Cliff Davis)

I was reluctant to use the word "jazz" in the title because of many people's preconceived notions of that world, but then I realized that one of the reasons I wrote this novel from the perspective of a jazz composer and based it in the jazz community was to share that community with others...in all its high-octane comedic glory. Knowing the story as I do, the title describes perfectly to me how jazz is the main factor in saving humanity from "The Great Filter" which is a recently posited solution to the Fermi Paradox. Some of my main concerns–and ones that I hope the Body Litopia can address–is:

A. What that title suggests to others who don't know anything about the story
B. Is it compelling enough to demand a read?
C. Would it need a sci-fi cover to understand that it is near future speculative science fiction?
D. I want a title that is not typical sci-fi. In other words, one that could cross over, like a Marvel Universe movie.

I look forward to that collective Voodoo that Yoodoo...

 

[Vagabond Heart]

As a title, in and of itself, I like The Jazz Factor. But I think it’s a book about music, not SciFi. And when you add the name below, I assume 100% that it’s a book about a guy who was a nobody but grew to be a jazz hero. Again, nothing to do with SciFi.
I appreciate you don’t want a typical SF title, but I think this one is too many light years away (see what I did there, lol?).

 

[Jazzissimo]

As a title, in and of itself, I like The Jazz Factor. But I think it’s a book about music, not SciFi. And when you add the name below, I assume 100% that it’s a book about a guy who was a nobody but grew to be a jazz hero. Again, nothing to do with SciFi.
I appreciate you don’t want a typical SF title, but I think this one is too many light years away (see what I did there, lol?).

Hmmmm...makes good sense. How about tweaking the subtitle? Something like (Cliff Davis and The Extraterrestrials) or (An Extraterrestrial Graduation Tale)
And yes...light years...

 

[Dorm Ant]

I like The Jazz Factor.
Not keen on the subtitle. It doesn't shout Pick Me Up.

 

[Hannah F]

As a title, in and of itself, I like The Jazz Factor. But I think it’s a book about music, not SciFi. And when you add the name below, I assume 100% that it’s a book about a guy who was a nobody but grew to be a jazz hero. Again, nothing to do with SciFi.
I appreciate you don’t want a typical SF title, but I think this one is too many light years away (see what I did there, lol?).

I'm with @Vagabond Heart on this one. I'd also be wary of a subtitle being what explains the genre. Potential readers skimming Amazon etc might not get as far as reading it.

 

[RK Wallis]

I'm sorry, I agree with everyone. Nice title, but it says music not Sci Fi. Titles are hard. Sometimes they come right away, sometimes they don't. Keep at it

 

[CageSage]

The first lesson of sales is that the product should look, sound, and smell of what it is - which means the title and cover work together to show the contents of the package. If one isn't, and one is, the result is confusion. Imagine a pizza box containing music videos, and only the smell of pizza.

Much as I like 'the Jazz Factor' it doesn't identify the product.

Jazzed Archangels of the Fermi Paradox - might say something to those who know of the fermi paradox, therefore implying some level of sci-fi.
Jazz in the Sagan's Archangels - again, might say something to those who know of Sagan, and implying some level of science (and his strong discussion on climate change may hint at that).

You really do want a title that says 'sci-fi' because you want readers to understand what the product is on first glance. Adding Jazz to that sci-fi title will make it unique, a definite selling point, but only if a quick glance gives a good indication of the what the reader gets for their money.

There you go, another opinion to add to the list.

 

[Dorm Ant]

The first lesson of sales is that the product should look, sound, and smell of what it is - which means the title and cover work together to show the contents of the package. If one isn't, and one is, the result is confusion. Imagine a pizza box containing music videos, and only the smell of pizza.

Much as I like 'the Jazz Factor' it doesn't identify the product.

Jazzed Archangels of the Fermi Paradox - might say something to those who know of the fermi paradox, therefore implying some level of sci-fi.
Jazz in the Sagan's Archangels - again, might say something to those who know of Sagan, and implying some level of science (and his strong discussion on climate change may hint at that).

You really do want a title that says 'sci-fi' because you want readers to understand what the product is on first glance. Adding Jazz to that sci-fi title will make it unique, a definite selling point, but only if a quick glance gives a good indication of the what the reader gets for their money.

There you go, another opinion to add to the list.

This is why I like "Jazz Against the Future" It's jazz, trying to stop the predicted climate catastrophe. The word "future" implies SF or speculative and the jazz is your USP.

 

[Dorm Ant]

Also, have you watched this, yet? As you're a full member, it's free.
https://colony.litopia.com/threads/writing-killer-titles.10148/

 

[Jazzissimo]

FABULOUS thoughts and suggestions everyone! Thank you MUCHO! Ok...taking these and many other expert suggestions into consideration, here is the latest. Lemme know what y'all think please!

Reclamation Factor
(The Unlikely Tale of Cliff Davis and the Archangels)

Hopefully, this title says "SciFi," brand-wise, while the subtitle suggests that there will be comedic elements. That is the intent (as well as screaming READ ME! READ ME! In a best-selling and financially compelling manner ) Here is more info to give some understanding as to my choice:

SPOILER ALERT!
(How profoundly self confident I am to think that this will be so intensely received that people would be worried about a spoiler alert? Not gonna lie...it's how I roll )

Towards the end of the story, we learn about an ancient race of extraterrestrials who have been observing humanity for centuries. They have their own version of Star Trek's "Prime Directive" but decide that–as we approach our own "Great Filter" extinction moment–to set aside said rule and save us all from ourselves. The ambassador of the Archangels (named "Archie" because nobody can pronounce his real name) speaks to the protagonist Cliff Davis:

Cliff Davis: “But why, with all of our stupid barbaric tendencies, our deteriorating society, and our stubborn backsliding ways, do you think humanity is worth saving?”

Archie the Archangel Ambassador answers: “Because, with all of your faults you, the human race, you are the only people in all of creation… to have developed jazz.”
-------------

Whachathink?

 

[Vagabond Heart]

I really like that the Archangels are hep dudes into jazz.
But there's a tv show called Reclamation, and it's probably just me, but I had visions of up-cycling furniture.
Because Reclamation isn't a word associated with sci-fi.
Reclamation Factor made me think of Simon Cowell in a scrap yard. I'm so sorry - is just where my head went.

And I'm not sure about the sub-title - it seems a lot for people to remember when recommending the book to each other. Plus, a sub-title suggests the main title isn't strong enough/explanatory on its own.

 

[CageSage]

Sorry, what that says to me is some form of spiritualism or the like.