Here's the problem. Normal people, usually first come up with a story and then choose a title that fits the story while being cool and if possible unique. Me? I took the direct opposite path. I came up with the title first and the story second. Now, this wasn't a deliberate thing. It's something that just happened, I was brainstorming for story ideas when this name just came to me, and it was a cool name for a story, so I kept it in my mind. Then when I actually came up with the story that I'm currently working on, I couldn't come up with another title for it and stuck with the one I had already in mind. The problem is that while it's sounds very cool, the current title of my novel doesn't really make much sense. I mean there really isn't much of a connection between the story and the title. Yet I can't come up with a better title! I've been trying to establish some retrospective connections between my novel and it's title but I don't know if it's enough. Do you think this will be a problem? Will it be off putting to readers? By the way, the title is The Legacy of Blood, and the story is a fantasy featuring vampires and witches in prominent roles - there are other magical beings as well but these two are the most significant and heavily-featured ones.
Titles are hard. They are one key to marketing your book. If you keep that one, drop the "The". There might be some title generators like there are name generators. Going with witches and vampires: Blood Spell Blood Coven Frog's Blood
Legacy of Blood and Witchcraft Blood and Magic Legacy Legatum Sanguinis et Familias in Maleficiis Suis (Latin for The Legacy of Blood and Wichtcraft) Blood and Magic Fangs and Broomsticks Blood Brew IDK. At least you have an idea for a title. Some of us are still on the fence.
Without a summary it's very difficult to get a good name, but I'll try. Black Blood Moon Hexed Blood Familiars, Fangs, and a Full Moon The Devils Factions
Damn, that's always a hard one for me too... it took me an incredibly large amount of thinking and time to even come up with the overarching project title for my Vasticia verse. And hell, I don't have that for my two other verses even now... I just can't pick. So I'm not a good person to give advice there! But I was recently able to give that social drama of mine, the one which I want to be the first story I publish, a proper title! ... I'm so proud of myself! xD Greets, AniGa
I like the idea of dropping the "the", so thanks for the suggestion. I also like Blood Spell. Blood Coven doesn't really fit the story. And how in god's name did you come up with Frog's Blood?
I like the Latin, at least the first part (Legatum Sanguinis), though I don't know if it's a good idea to go with a Latin title. By the way does this mean you know Latin? or did you use a translator for that?
Once I start reading a book I don't give the title a second thought. It might make me pick it up off the shelf or click on it on Amazon, so it should reflect the genre and tone of the book, but beyond that it wouldn't bother me if the link isn't clear. I wouldn't overthink it if I were you.
Yeah sorry for not giving a summary for you to work with, but that's kinda intentional. I prefer not to reveal much about my story. I know...I know I'm being too cautious but better safe than sorry right? By the way, I like 'The Devils Factions" it's a badass name, it doesn't go with my story, but it is badass.
Well, Congrats for finding a title for you soon-to-be-published story. You're absolutely right, it's a bitch of a task coming up with a title for you're work but it's important in attracting readers, hopefully we'll both pick the right ones. Anyway Good luck!
Thanks, this actually helps. I'm also like you when it comes to titles I don't think about them too much when choosing a book to read, but not everyone's like that, you know? Too many people literally judge books by their covers, unfortunately.
No, that is when I do think about the title! It, along with the cover, has to grab my attention for me to read the blurb. But once I'm reading the book I don't think "so why is it called X?". So I think the choice of title is very important, but it doesn't have to have a direct or obvious link to the story.
No I don't know Latin, Google Translator does all my work for me on that end. I get little credit beyond typing in what I want to translate and select a language. As for using it in your title, give a test run and get some opinions. There are a lot of great folks on here that can give you their take on it. Best of luck.
Not an expert on this, but maybe you could drop the obvious things that come to mind when thinking about vamps and witches? Such as "blood", "brews", "fangs", "hags" and "bats" and think instead on some things that are generally connected to them , but not that connected. Like the moon, "fear", "mist", or "immortality". Like "old" "dread". Good luck
I agree with @GingerCoffee about dropping the The from the title. Legacy of Blood is more elegant. The the makes it feel pedestrian. Now I want to read this book to see if it's as bad as the cover art promises. I mean, I don't pretend to be Picasso, but... fuck.
You should go with something that screams less-YoungAdult-TREND-SUCKER. Hah. That could be a title idea. "TREND SUCKER." About vampires, love, and blood! Throw in a werewolf for some actions, and boom, millions of bucks! Humphhh. Fog of Fangs Serum of Blood Blood Serum Plasma Eater (this kind of sounds badass..) Moon Blood Tampon Tea Menstrual Cup Coffee Bloodless PERSON At this point I'm just going off... Maybe I gave you inspiration for something better! ---EDIT--- I don't mean to be rude/mean, just in case someone interprets it like that. I was just having fun with the genre.
You might say that based upon the cover art you posted. I on the other hand think that the majority of modern vampire novels lack the necessary rules that should govern the concept. Vampires that walk around in the day light for instance. I am sorry the only time I gave a bit of slack for that was with the Blade Trilogy. You could say that I am biased to read things based around the topics of: Vampires, Werewolves, and any other monster that break all the original lore that degenerates the essence of those types of beings. Also zombies, because they are just plain dumb. So tell me, what about the cover tells you that this is a terrible story. Perhaps the author is 'green' and can't afford better rendering, or a better artist for his/her cover art. Choosing a book is like dating, it takes more than 3-5 seconds to determine whether you want to be with someone basing everything solely on looks and that is it. Books are like people, if you don't read the excerpt on the back, then you are not going to make an informed decision. Sorry to go off on a tangent, but I hope you see what I mean. Looks can be deceiving, and you might let a good read slip away due to visual bias.
One of the tricks of title generation I've just discovered myself is searching famous quotes. This is where having online resources is magic. Put some idea of what you're looking for into a search engine. Vampire quotes. Classic vampire quotes. Vampires and blood quotes. Or whatever you feel is pertinent to your story as it has been written. These searches should throw up zillions of ideas. And you can go further. Shakespeare quotes about blood. Bible quotes about blood. Traditional music songs about blood. The one thing I'd be VERY careful not to do, however, is to lift a phrase—no matter how appealing—from a modern-day author. Don't lift quotes from Anne Rice or Stephanie Meyer, or anybody who could come at you with a lawsuit. Make sure any quote you pick is copyright free. Like Shakespeare. Or Bram Stoker.
No. No. IMO readers follow this process: genre cover art blurb ePub reviews if ePub Title is irrelevant, IMO.
I'm trying to remember the name of the movie where someone actually drinks a tampon tea. It didn't feature any vampires. Thankfully, I can't recall it.
