If I have a decent idea for a title I put it on the first page and mentally file it away as a working title. After the story is completed and polished up, that's when I take the title seriously.
How personal of a task do you consider that of titling your pieces? Indeed, a writer, in my point of view shouldn't stop the flow of his thoughts by a single thing like the title; of course, the flow of ideas should be expressed in words righteously and logically, and the title is a completion of the story and a part of it. What's more important is the idea and the moral of the story. So the title is developed from that idea.
Mine keeps changing as I write. I normally put a placeholder on a story and let it change. I rarely set anything in stone until I'm 100% comfortable with it. Sometimes I can't even think of one and just label it Story #1, #2, etc. It's even worse when I try to name things like solar systems, planets, stations, and even worse still when I try to name star ships....
I see titling as the one true thing in a novel not ever fully set in stone. You may have a plot sparked from the title or vise versa. Just don't get to attached to it as you my wright a unplanned scene and a word, phrase, statement might be perfect. The title my jump out at you during your last edit. I think quite a few writers have 'Working titles' that even in interviews have admitted changing right at the last second.
either Andrew Milton and the Color Realms, The Light Defender Andrew Milton and the Color Realms, Blue's War Andrew Milton and the Color Realms, The Champion of the Light i like Blue's War because i think the other two have that cheap paperback feel to them, but Blue's War gives away too much of the plot, so idk. another question -- do you have any tips on choosing a good title?
Open the floodgates! I'll be the first of many to say that it's only up to you. We can't help change your mind one way or another.
I always wondered why first-time writers would think their first book is going to be a series. I'm not saying that's the case here, but I've noticed that a lot of writers will start writing a book and title it something like: The Flights of the Dodos, a Captain Ricky Adventure: Book 1 - The Amazing Nougat I've heard a lot of writers wont even title their book till after it's finished. Is yours completed? Why not just 'Blue's War'? Do you plan on writing an Andrew Milton anthology? (We can discuss the name choice in a different time and place.) My first thought is that a publisher would roll their eyes if they saw some sort of anthology-type title. Pretentious isn't the right word, but close. Anyways, just go with your gut and get writing... ...and don't listen to a word I say. What you're asking is like asking someone, 'What's my favorite food?'.
Champion of Light The 'Andrew Milton and the Color Realms' sounds cheap and too long. I don't like any of the options so I created the one above, dropping 'The' and 'the' to make it more punchy.
I would totally buy that book and pre-order the entire series (still unwritten!) Who could possibly resist an amazing nougat? It might be helpful to think of your title as a placeholder until you actually finish the book. It may not be perfect, but it can be helpful as a temporary peg on which to hang the question "what is this book about?" But I found that although my working title was helpful at the outset, my book evolved away from the title, and I realized that my working title wasn't throwing the focus on the most important character--it was in fact starting to distract from what my book was actually becoming. But by that time, the book had taken on a life of its own, and I was able to come up with a much more exciting title that fit the book's attitude much better. So the working title served its purpose for a while and then fell away as it outlived its usefulness. Maxx's point about the eagerness to name a series before Book One is also well-taken. The risk is that it may tempt you to lose focus on the immediate story. And the immediate story is really the only one that ever matters.
At the end of the day it is entirely up to you and what you like as the title. I can only speak for what I personally prefer. Personally if it was me I would drop the "Andrew Milton" from the title as it kind of makes it sound like your telling me this is the new Harry Potter or the new Percy Jackson before I've read it and made my own mind up. Ask your self does the main characters name need to be in the title as as soon as we turn to page one we are going to know their name and if the story is good we won't forget it. Also remember sometimes the Publisher will change the name of your novel (with your agreement of course) as happened with Jana Oliver's Demon Trapper Series. In the US book one was called "The demon Trappers Daughter" yet when it was released over here in the UK it was retitled "Forsaken". So pick a title you Like that won't put a literary agent or publisher off before they have read it and then if they like the story and then suggest a slight name change seriously think about what they are saying as these people know how to sell books that's their job. Then again all that is just my own opinion it is what you like that counts
I'm sorry, but when I read blue's war, I immediately imagined Blue, (of blue's clues fame) with a green beret and a machine gun...
drop all the intro gluck and go with just a title that relates well to the story... making it so obvious that you're writing a series will get your queries tossed on sight...
I picked a phrase that most summed up the intent of my book without giving its intent away. Don't know if I'll keep it. I'll do that with songs, too -- the title may not even be voiced in the lyric at all, though.
I always start with a single word. And if one word really isn't enough, I try two, and keep doing that until I am happy. So far all my scripts and books have had a single word title, except one.
Tip #1: Don't worry about it until after the book is finished. Any time before you send it to the publisher is fine. Tip #2: See tip #1
the book is finished. so do people agree that i should drop 'Andrew Milton and the Color Realms'? when harry potter and percy jackson first came out and there was only one book, weren't they still called 'harry potter and the sorceror's stone' and 'percy jackson and the olympians'? so why is my book different? it was originally going to be 'The Adventures of Andrew Milton and the Color Realms...' but it was too long. Maybe just 'The Color Realms, The Champion of the Light'? idk. thanks
The reason making it obvious that it is a series from the title of the first book if you are an unknown Author with out huge previous success will get it chucked straight on the slush pile by a publisher is that a series suggests a long term commitment. No publisher wants to make a long term commitment to any author until they know how well their first book does sales wise. You have to remember publishers are business people who want to make money and it is very very rare that they will take a big gamble like making a long term commitment to an new author with out knowing how sell their first book sold. All I will say on the self publishing aspect before you do just ask yourself do you want it published professionally by a big publishing house in the future. If so avoid self publishing.
your right the the first book in each of those series were called "Harry Potter and the" or "Percy Jackson and". It is because of the success of those books series (well Harry Potter anyway) that now makes a title like that suggest a series of books it a weird aspect of human psychology I guess. Probably the same reason titles of books will get changed for different countries even if those countries speak the same language.
