I wouldn't call myself a veteran writer. But I do have two books out and a few in the works right now. I feel like this is enough experience for me to bitch about something I find to be the most annoying, awful, impossible, and utterly important thing about writing. Finding a damn title.
I would love to think it doesn't matter. Sometimes I think I genuinely do not care what a book is titled.
If I have read a book by an author and enjoyed it, I will read another. Regardless of title or book cover, sometimes I don't even read the blurb. Oh, it's the latest by so and so? I will pick it up.
There have been times I wished I could just title my books:
Please Read This One It Took Me A Long Time to Write It
Spankings and Sex
A Happy Ending, No Creepy Characters!
It's hard to think up a title that will hook a reader, or at the very least not drive a reader away.
I feel I have become more conscious of this now that I am writing and titling my own books.
Which leads me to a point I think I discovered a week or two ago. A vague title that doesn't really label a book in one way or another is probably better than a completely misdirected title.
Here is what happened-
I read a lot of spanking romances (shocking, I know). I was feeling like reading something with a different flavor. Maybe slightly more BDSM-y. But not weird, dark and creepy. Sometimes I pick up a straight up BDSM book and it has a tendency to scare me rather than make me hot, you know? No fault of the author's, just different tastes for different people.
Anyway, I was feeling a little burnt out on the saccharine/ sweet spanking romances I have been reading by the boat load. Sometimes I like a little bondage, nipple clamps, kidnap scenario or a heavier D/s relationship to go along with the spanking.
I search through the Kindle store and find a book in the BDSM genre, the title did reel me in a bit. Then I read the blurb and some reviews just to make sure it wasn't going to be on the scary side as opposed to the romance side.
I won't say what the actual title of the book was because I don't want to seem like I am calling someone out. The fact is I LOVED the book. I just think it was a terrible title.
For argument's sake let's say it was called The Master's Lair - the title kind of hooked me in, and then I read the blurb and reviews, it sounded like a BDSM heavy romance. I wanted to give it a try!
Based on title here is what I thought I was going to read:
A BDSM romance, where there is a Master, who also has a Lair. And there is a girl that he takes to said lair and lots of kinky shit happens.
Here is what a read:
A really sweet romance between this regular guy, who also happens to be a Dom at a BDSM club. And a woman with a troubled past.
They barely went to the 'lair', there was hardly any kinky shit, the book did not live up to it's to title.
But do you know what? It was a great book! I was annoyed at the title for two reasons.
1. I would never have picked this book up if I wasn't specifically looking for something different. It turned out to be very much the same of what I have been reading, but it was an awesome book all the same.
2. I am afraid that readers who normally read more from the BDSM genre will be annoyed when they read this book and it is not what they expected.
Although, judging by the amount of reviews, and specifically the amount of good reviews, that doesn't seem to be an issue.
It will make me more mindful to not have a misleading title.
Although I don't think it will make choosing titles for future books any easier. In fact it will probably make it a lot harder.
Anyone looking forward to my upcoming release Blood, Sweat, and Tears: the Extended Version?
I would love to think it doesn't matter. Sometimes I think I genuinely do not care what a book is titled.
If I have read a book by an author and enjoyed it, I will read another. Regardless of title or book cover, sometimes I don't even read the blurb. Oh, it's the latest by so and so? I will pick it up.
There have been times I wished I could just title my books:
Please Read This One It Took Me A Long Time to Write It
Spankings and Sex
A Happy Ending, No Creepy Characters!
It's hard to think up a title that will hook a reader, or at the very least not drive a reader away.
I feel I have become more conscious of this now that I am writing and titling my own books.
Here is what happened-
I read a lot of spanking romances (shocking, I know). I was feeling like reading something with a different flavor. Maybe slightly more BDSM-y. But not weird, dark and creepy. Sometimes I pick up a straight up BDSM book and it has a tendency to scare me rather than make me hot, you know? No fault of the author's, just different tastes for different people.
Anyway, I was feeling a little burnt out on the saccharine/ sweet spanking romances I have been reading by the boat load. Sometimes I like a little bondage, nipple clamps, kidnap scenario or a heavier D/s relationship to go along with the spanking.
I search through the Kindle store and find a book in the BDSM genre, the title did reel me in a bit. Then I read the blurb and some reviews just to make sure it wasn't going to be on the scary side as opposed to the romance side.
I won't say what the actual title of the book was because I don't want to seem like I am calling someone out. The fact is I LOVED the book. I just think it was a terrible title.
For argument's sake let's say it was called The Master's Lair - the title kind of hooked me in, and then I read the blurb and reviews, it sounded like a BDSM heavy romance. I wanted to give it a try!
Based on title here is what I thought I was going to read:
A BDSM romance, where there is a Master, who also has a Lair. And there is a girl that he takes to said lair and lots of kinky shit happens.
Here is what a read:
A really sweet romance between this regular guy, who also happens to be a Dom at a BDSM club. And a woman with a troubled past.
They barely went to the 'lair', there was hardly any kinky shit, the book did not live up to it's to title.
But do you know what? It was a great book! I was annoyed at the title for two reasons.
1. I would never have picked this book up if I wasn't specifically looking for something different. It turned out to be very much the same of what I have been reading, but it was an awesome book all the same.
2. I am afraid that readers who normally read more from the BDSM genre will be annoyed when they read this book and it is not what they expected.
Although, judging by the amount of reviews, and specifically the amount of good reviews, that doesn't seem to be an issue.
It will make me more mindful to not have a misleading title.
Although I don't think it will make choosing titles for future books any easier. In fact it will probably make it a lot harder.
Anyone looking forward to my upcoming release Blood, Sweat, and Tears: the Extended Version?
