Pure Filth!

[Paul Whybrow]

We've discussed book titles in several threads, and I think they're crucial to attract a potential reader's attention. Once they've taken the bait of your title and picked your book up, other factors come into play, such as the blurb describing the plot, endorsements from famous authors who "absolutely loved it," and the book cover design.

Some titles are horrible, and must have affected sales. Earlier this year, I gave up on reading a supposed thriller by one of Sweden's leading crime novelists Håkan Nesser which has the clumsy title of The Living and the Dead in Winsford. The most exciting thing that happened in the first 50 pages, was the protagonist going to the local supermarket for shopping. It had decent enough reviews, but it tried my patience. I can't believe that the title would have been deemed acceptable if it was a debut novel by an unknown author, but Nesser has an impressive publishing career.

Some books go for the groin with their titles. Pure Filth - The Diary of a Forty Year Old Married Woman does away with the need for any blurb.

Nor is it the only book with 'Filth' in the title, for Irvine Welsh squeezed out Filth, Jane Gardam seemed to go historical with Old Filth, which was actually the nickname of the protagonist, whilst Grant Morrison penned the words of a graphic novel The Filth.

Some books have titles that are provocative in other ways. In 1970, counterculturist Abbie Hoffman published Steal This Book—and, believe me, people did! I worked as a librarian in the 1970s, and we lost multiple copies of this book, meaning we kept it behind the counter as a 'special loan' getting readers to sign a ledger to say they'd borrowed it.

Book titles can be compelling, in some cases even preferable to the work itself. I like A Kiss Before Dying, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Hold My Hand, I'm Dying, Stranger in a Strange Land, and Love Is A Dog From Hell. They're all eye-catching and memorable.

Do you have any favourite book titles?

What titles do you dislike?

 

[Tim James]

Do you have any favourite book titles?

It by Stephen King.
Such a short and anonymous title, but because of who it is written by and what he is famous for, just that word can send a shiver down your spine. You just know that "It", whatever it is, is going to be terrifying. So bad that he doesn't even dare put it's name on the cover.

 

[Patricia D]

I think Gillian Flynn has striking titles- Sharp Objects; Dark Places; and of course, Gone Girl

 

[Tom's House]

We've discussed book titles in several threads, and I think they're crucial to attract a potential reader's attention. Once they've taken the bait of your title and picked your book up, other factors come into play, such as the blurb describing the plot, endorsements from famous authors who "absolutely loved it," and the book cover design.

Some titles are horrible, and must have affected sales. Earlier this year, I gave up on reading a supposed thriller by one of Sweden's leading crime novelists Håkan Nesser which has the clumsy title of The Living and the Dead in Winsford. The most exciting thing that happened in the first 50 pages, was the protagonist going to the local supermarket for shopping. It had decent enough reviews, but it tried my patience. I can't believe that the title would have been deemed acceptable if it was a debut novel by an unknown author, but Nesser has an impressive publishing career.

Some books go for the groin with their titles. Pure Filth - The Diary of a Forty Year Old Married Woman does away with the need for any blurb.

Nor is it the only book with 'Filth' in the title, for Irvine Welsh squeezed out Filth, Jane Gardam seemed to go historical with Old Filth, which was actually the nickname of the protagonist, whilst Grant Morrison penned the words of a graphic novel The Filth.

Some books have titles that are provocative in other ways. In 1970, counterculturist Abbie Hoffman published Steal This Book—and, believe me, people did! I worked as a librarian in the 1970s, and we lost multiple copies of this book, meaning we kept it behind the counter as a 'special loan' getting readers to sign a ledger to say they'd borrowed it.

Book titles can be compelling, in some cases even preferable to the work itself. I like A Kiss Before Dying, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Hold My Hand, I'm Dying, Stranger in a Strange Land, and Love Is A Dog From Hell. They're all eye-catching and memorable.

Do you have any favourite book titles?

What titles do you dislike?

One of the most interesting studies of the impact of titles on book sales was carried out by Emmanuel Halderman-Julius who made a fortune publishing public domain print books in the "little blue books" series during the 1920s and 30s, which sold for five cents apiece. He kept very careful records of sales, adjusting titles as he went along to enhance sales when required. When sales were poor he would send a title to what he called his “book hospital” where it was rehabilitated and furnished with a more effective title before sending it out into the world again. He told the story of his method in his fascinating book, The First Hundred Million. Highly recommended.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Interesting, Tom. Never heard about that before.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Romance publisher Mills & Boon used to regularly re-issue stories with a different title. This used to puzzle faithful readers, when I worked as a librarian, who would state that the plot seemed eerily familiar to them—though they definitely hadn't read this book, as their secret mark wasn't there—look at any library book and you'll find strange scrawls, page numbers circled, ink flowers on the title page, all left as memory aids.

I don't think that Mills & Boon do this so much these days, wary of dated sexist attitudes:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/feb/15/insider-guide-writing-mills-boon

 

[Amber]

Romance publisher Mills & Boon used to regularly re-issue stories with a different title. This used to puzzle faithful readers, when I worked as a librarian, who would state that the plot seemed eerily familiar to them—though they definitely hadn't read this book, as their secret mark wasn't there—look at any library book and you'll find strange scrawls, page numbers circled, ink flowers on the title page, all left as memory aids.

I don't think that Mills & Boon do this so much these days, wary of dated sexist attitudes:

An insider's guide to writing for Mills & Boon

Are you saying readers, probably women, read a Mills & Boon book (Harlequin in the U.S.) and marked their favorite pages with doodles? Having not found their doodles these brain children came to the conclusion that they hadn't read the book? Do these hypothetical readers lack object permanence? Do they not realize that there is more than one copy of a book in the world and perhaps even in a library? Sometimes people aren't wary enough of sexist attitudes.

Also, last I looked they were still releasing author's backlists with new titles.

 

[Amber]

I've talked about this book before and how it was a huge disappointment. Gameboard of the Gods ... I think it's a great title ... it had a good first line ... it's not a good book.

Titles