I am not a big believer in the maxim that you can’t tell a book by its cover. That idea is a kind of Cartesian split which says that the inner and outer are separate and distinct, but they aren’t. The cover is part of the book and it tells me something about the book, at least it better. I know that publishing houses have teams of experts who decide on the best colors, fonts, foregrounds and backgrounds that will sell the story inside. The graphics and the author’s photographs are all analyzed and scrutinized to create a book that is sellable and appealing and consistent with the message that lives inside the cover.
Titles are especially telling. As of late I have become a bit obsessed with book titles. It started with a fish out of water memoir that I am hesitant to name, not because I didn’t like the book—I did like the book. It is just that the title of the book was wrong and I feel disinclined to openly take the book to task for its bad name and it really is bad. Not that isn’t true, it is a fine title. It just shouldn’t be the title for this book. The problem with the title was that I believed the title and I believed that I was going to get a story that reflected what the title implied. Some may say, “it’s just a title. For goodness sakes, Belette, you said you enjoyed the book. Isn’t that enough? Why are you so hung up on the gosh darn title?” I’ll tell you why. If I go to the store and buy a jar of mayonnaise and bring it home to add a heaping tablespoon of it to my tuna salad and it turns out it was Cool Whip or horseradish I am not going to enjoy my tuna salad. Not that there is anything wrong with horseradish (I refuse to say nice things about Cool Whip) it just wasn’t what was on the label.
Whomever chose the title of the aforementioned book had wanted this book to attract women who like Audrey Hepburn and/or books with Prada in the title. I feel sure it wasn’t the author as the title wasn’t consistent with her voice. I hope that she made an impassioned argument against the title and that she ultimately relented out of promises that if she would agree to their suggested title that she would be the biggest thing since Elizabeth Gilbert, one is liable to make all kinds of concessions with such a promise.
I am not sure if you know this, I don’t think I have ever told you, but I love the title “Thursdays with Igor”. I am pretty attached to it. The title, for me, is part of what gives the book its spirit and its structure and I dread (and highly anticipate) someday find myself in a meeting with powerful people who have paid me money for my book telling me that they want me to call the book “Dr. Freud 90210″ or “The Prada Patient” or worse “Psychoanalysis in a little black dress”. I like to tell myself that this wouldn’t happen and if it did that I wouldn’t cave and yet if someone is telling me that such a title could persuade Sandra Bullock to buy the film rights, I cannot be sure of what I would do ( actually, I am pretty sure what I would do and yet I want to appear to you as if I would struggle with the decision). That said, I know that there is so much about the title that I love. “Thursdays” tells you that this is a ritual. “Thursdays” says that this is something that is scheduled for, planned for and anticipated. “With” tells you that Igor and I are in this together and he isn’t the expert—we both are. And “Igor”, to my mind, tells you a little about him being foreign and how every word he says to me has an accent.
Okay so back to the Prada/Audrey Hepburn inspired fish out of water memoir, the whole time I was reading this ill-named memoir I kept thinking “but where is the girl that they were talking about on the cover? That is not THIS girl.” What I am saying is that for me this title ruined my read. If the book had no title I would have enjoyed this book 100% more than I did.
In opposition to this unnamed/ill-named memoir there are two books whose titles got me through some really hard places in their prose. The first book is my friend’s, Laura Munson’s, This is Not the Story You Think It Is. This is one of my favorite titles ever, it is right up there next to Dave Egger’s A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (so many of my favorite titles come from authors in Lake Forest. Coincidence? I think not. ). What I LOVE about Laura’s title is that each and every time I made a decision about how her story was going to go or making any assumptions at all, her title would come to me and gently remind me “This is not the story you think it is.” This title changed the way I read her book and for that I am grateful to the title.
I just finished reading Abigail Thomas’ A Three Dog Life. Let me tell you that without the title and without the cover of Abigail sitting on a comfy couch, the kind you can imagine sitting on for hours and drinking tea and eating shortbread, with her three dogs, I could have not gotten past the second chapter and that isn’t because this isn’t a wonderful book—it is—it is just a hard place that Abigail finds herself. As I read Abigail’s painfully beautiful prose describing her life after her husband’s traumatic brain injury that required him to leave their home and live in an institution it was the dogs I would hold onto. Even when they weren’t there, in the early chapters, I would tell myself, “She’s not alone. The dogs are there. She has the dogs.” It took a while for the dogs to find their home in the memoir, Abigail had other stories to tell about her husband’s hallucinations, psychotic episodes and his highly poetic manor of speech. If by page 78 there had not been the dogs I wouldn’t have been able to go on—the pain would have been to much. As a reader I needed those dogs to sit by my feet as I read about the grief, the loss and despair that I felt as I imagined myself in her shoes. That said, I can imagine Abigail’s book without the dogs and I feel sure Abigail would have found a way to go on without Rosie, Harry and Carolina—but there would HAVE to have been another title. If there were just teases of dogs with that title and no real interactions with her pack, I, as a reader, couldn’t have taken it.
***
My father gave me a first name that he considered lacking in gravitas, he told me so. And when he would talk about this he would always remind me of his largess in giving me a middle name that he thought was more serious, “So just in case you ever do anything serious with your life you can go by your middle name.” I would bristle each time he would bring this up. I always hated my first name. In middle school I started threatening to change my name to Blaire-Hamilton. I wanted two first names, names that sounded like I might be the first female President of the United States. I didn’t want a name that made people think of cheerleaders or porn stars. It wasn’t until the summer of my freshmen year of high school when I saw a journalist with my exact name (different spelling) in Vogue magazine that I decided my father was wrong. I could do important things with the name he gave me, even though I would prefer to have a name that immediately makes one think of great literature and not of an archetypal cheerleader.
***
When and if I publish “Thursdays with Igor” I hope that the title will remain. And, I can tell you, that I will not be going by my middle name when and if I publish, so take that Daddy-O. I will be going by my first name that lacks gravitas and my married name that makes me sound like a Greek shipping heiress.
One of my favourite titles, and a book that I regularly delve into is The Dangerous Book for Boys.
The title spells adventure, it spirits up images of pen knives, camp fires and heroic tasks. Open the cover and you are not disappointed, there is all the above and the vital things that any self-respecting budding adventurer needs to be informed of – the rules of cricket; Roman numbers; how to make a catapult; Morse code and essential Latin phrases!
There is a sister book for girls, but I have never dared open it for fear of feeling let down.
Thank you for this post – I loved it
Sharon
What a wonderful title. And, I can totally understand why you might be apprehensive about the book for girls. I hope it lives up to the title.:-)
Thanks so much, Sharon. I am so glad you liked it!
I cannot wait to read your book xx
I am not great at reading anything at the moment, I have so many books sat waiting to be read.. Winter fires and dogs at my feet xx
Thank you, lovely you! You are great at reading this blog and considering all that is going on in your life that means a whole lot. Thanks for reading!xo
I have always judged books by their covers and titles, and it’s worked out ok for me
. Maybe I have missed some good stories, but I have also read a lot of great books.
That book/cover thing saying is nice in metaphor but in reality the cover is a good indicator of what is going on inside them.
When your book gets published, I promise to pre-order multiple copies.
I’ve also been disappointed by books that don’t live up to their titles. I have in my head many fabulous book titles, but alas no stories to go with them.
Yeah, another pre-order!!! See Ms./Mr. Publisher/Agent, more pre-orders!;-)
How do people pre-order for your book???
People are just being nice. Pre-orders aren’t yet available. But as soon as they are I will let you know. Thanks so much for asking, Lee. So very nice of you. I sincerely appreciate your interest.
Sad to say I did exactly what your father did! Both Kitty and Daisy are just that, those are not shortened names or pet names, we then gave them a ‘sensible’ middle name just in case, but they have grown so much into their name I don’t think they would ever change it.
(Daisy’s is Victoria and Kitty’s is Isabel)
By sheer coincidence Lionel Shriver in today’s Guardian wrote;
“I write a nasty book. And they want a girly cover on it”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/sep/02/publishers-ghettoise-women-writers-and-readers
Which echoes much of what you say and I wonder if it is a recurring problem with women’s literature in general?
I like your girls names. They sound literary. Mine, I fear, lacks all literary connotations.
Thanks for sharing that quote and the link. I think publishers are making a real mistake by mispackaging books. The book I mentioned but didn’t name, I would never reccommend it to others because of how the title impacted my sense of the story and that is a real shame because the book was good.
Love this. Whilst I don’t choose a book for it’s cover or title I must say I am highly influenced by both and if the title fits then I am more likely to remember it and so recommend the book.
I will chase up a three dog life next week.
I hope you enjoy three dog as much as I did. I am sure you will.
It’s a funny thing, the relationship that authors have with their books – the covers, the titles, the fonts. My hubs just got sent the cover of his new book ( as yet unwritten, panic and mayhem for him!) and he was gutted as he thought it looked cheap so he has vetoed that one and they are now mocking up the look that he wanted. Stand firm for what you want.
Wow. I had no idea that covers could come before the finished product. That might explain the badly titled book I was telling you about in this post. Your husband is lucky to have such wonderful publishers!
p.s. Thanks for the nice shout out on your blog.:-)
I wonder about titles sometimes; I always assumed they were created by the authors, but why on earth should they be? Music groups don’t get to choose the singles from their albums, so why wouldn’t marketing “geniuses” at publishing houses tell authors what to title their books? In the end, the “geniuses” seem to know what works. But do they work together with the author to create a saleable but true-to-content title? Or do they take over and strongarm authors to go along with their choices, citing higher sales potential?
It’ll be interesting to see what happens when your tome goes to press.
I know of some books in which the author chose the title and other books in which the title was chosen by another. And as much as I love my title, I would be open to a better one. I would not be open to one with Prada in the title.
What a fun post! I can’t wait for the day when you publish your book. I love how deliberate you were with each word in the title. I’m envisioning a cover as I write this comment. I agree…the cover invites me in but if the narrative seems a non sequitor I might not stick around. Also you know I’m a sucker for ritual.
I would love a picture not unlike the header of my blog to be on the cover, only I would like it to be me laying on the analytic couch. Only I want to look like Linda Evangelista. Hey, a girl can dream!;-)
Girl, you are armed with enough gravitas to publish many books of your choosing (and then to have Julianne Moore play you—or Sandra Bullock if she’ll dye her hair red).
Titles are totally important. I frequently borrow/buy books (and other products) based on their covers.
Happy weekending to you….
Love you!!! Does this post remind you of what I told you about He-weasel? It seems he thinks a less lovely celeb play me in the imaginary film.
Happy weekend to you!!
Your final line brings to mind wonderfully non-boring names like Tiffany-Chrystal Papadapapaoulis. The bonus – only one on the shelf.
ROFLOL! If you lose a few syllables I am not too far away from the name you hysterically imagined. For sure I will be the only writer writing under my WASP meets Greek name.;-)
Good morning LBR, I do believe that I, on occasions, get obsessed with titles, mostly if the book was really bad or really good. I don’t like to be mislead or let down I suppose.
I like Thursday with Igor way over any other possible titles…accurate, element of unknown, want to find out more, and with a name like Igor… A good title indeed.
And about your jovial name…I think it is very IN now. Kind of like the blond in pink who is very smart…not that a blond in pink would not be but breaking stereotypes seems to be the focus of many movies.
IN or OUT, you have a great name, and the combination of your name + Igor makes for the best combination….hmmm?
Have a great weekend!
xoxo
Thank you, lovely! I think my name peaked in 1980′s. You don’t hear my name much anymore. When I was growing up it was VERY popular. I had loads of friends who shared my name. I love your name. Your name has gravitas!
Happy weekend to you too!xo
I already have a list of people that I want to give your book to as a present-so that editor better decide it has to be published soon!
You see that, would be agents/publishers? I already have pre-orders!;-)
Yes, Storialist, have Julianne Moore play LBR!
I love your book’s title — I thought part of the Igor choice was how it sounds similar to ego.
“I am pretty sure what I would do and yet I want to appear to you as if I would struggle with the decision.” You didn’t fool me
. But I don’t think you’ll have to change the title — it’s too perfect.
I love how you and the Storialist think. I would LOVE to be played by Julianne Moore.
OMG!!! I never thought about Igor as “ego”. You are BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!
I didn’t think I would fool anyone who *knows* me. And if it happens I hope I can count on you to tell me how to invest my money.;-)
So much in life is colored by the expectations we have. Even now, if I title my existence middle age, I don’t like it much. If I title it, midlife, that sounds lovely.
It makes a big difference to edit out that little three letter word, doesn’t it?
Does this mean the cover model for your book is going to be Tori Spelling? Cthulhu, I hope not.
How did you know? Both Tori and her mom have signed up for the cover.;-)
“When and if I publish “Thursdays with Igor” I hope that the title will remain.” Ahem– WHEN would be the selected word of choice. No IF. I’m just sayin’. Thanks, LBR for this shout out to my book. You understand the title perfectly, but of course you would. It’s about breaking through our stereotypes, assumptions, judgements…and going along for the ride. Which is what my book is about. Being in the present moment and surrendering the rest. ox to you. Laura
I like how you think and I am ENDLESSLY grateful for your real and tangible support and encouragement. Who says a blank post-it note can’t change your life?;-)
Your title is really like a companion to the book. It told me how to read the book in a completely non-pushy way. I am a fan!
xo
Three Dog Life made me neurotic about checking that the dogs’ collars are securely fashioned and that I hold their leashes tightly during walks.
Your book will be good under any title.
I want to make He-weasel wear a helmut to walk Lily because of Three Dog Life.
Thanks, Wendy!
Miss J thinks titles are VERY important. And that you should be able to judge a book by its cover. Yay for names that seem cheerleader-y but really AREN’T. What a weird thing for a father to tell his daughter…
My father told me all manner of things that a father should never tell his daughter…hence all the therapy.;-)
I had a similar experience when I read a memoir that was excerpted in the NYT. The excerpt and the title suggested a humourous, somewhat light read, when the actual book in its entirety was quite different. I wonder if we mean the same book. . . Was “little” in the title of yours?
Yep. That was the book. Didn’t the title haunt you through out it? It just ruined for me. And it was a very sad book. I did think there were times the humour was too thick and was keeping the writer from feeling her real feelings. I also feel sure that the author doesn’t even own a “little”.
Fabulous post, as always. As someone who uses a nickname, because I feel the ‘title’ given to me at birth didn’t fit, I find the topic rather fascinating! I hope you get to keep your title…can’t wait to read it someday!
I wish I had the courage to insist on a new identity when I decided that my given name was not for me. Good for you for renaming yourself. I really admire that.
And, thanks so much for your encouragement.
Great post, I hope your book will be on sale in Spain. The only issue I have with your title is that people may think it is a sequel to ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’. Given the plethora of ‘The (any author’s name) Book Club’ types and ‘A Thousand Zillion Suns’ titles about Afghanistan etc., yours may be beginnings of a new ‘any weekday with your analyst/mentor/lawyer’ genre. For those of us who really look for something different in a book, the cover photo may indeed be the key differentiator here. I still love the title nonetheless, and look forward to seeing it in print. ‘Los Jueves Con Igor’ actualy sounds pretty good.
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment. I am so sorry I missed your comment until now. It is lovely to see you hear, Mike. I certainly hope that when TWI is published that it would be published in Spain. I would love to do a book tour in Spain. I do like your theory of my entitle inspiring a new genre. That would be brilliant. And ‘Los Jueves Con Igor’ sounds muy fantistico!
I agree with you about the titles…and I feel even more strongly about cover art!
Cover art is big for me too. But I can deal with an art free cover if the title and the book is strong enough.
I love the honesty in your writing. And I agree with Laura – when, not if.
Thanks, lovely you! The check is in the mail.;-)
I love the covers of books and, yes, I judge fiercely by them. Which is why I have to regularly take my kindle to the bookstore so I can touch the cool covers of the books and let the colors and images guide my choice of what I download and read.
And, I love book recommendations- I see one I haven’t read in this post- thanks
I hope you enjoy whichever book it is that I have recommended to you. They are BOTH great.
I love Laura. She is my newest in real life (as opposed to blogging) friend. She has been telling me about your blog for weeks. I am glad she posted the link on FB so I could get my butt over here. I can’t wait to read more.
xo- Brigetta
Hi Brigetta!!! So nice to meet you!!! I love Laura too. She is a wonderful friend and a great support. I am so lucky to call her friend. And I am thrilled that she thought enough of this post to share it with all of her friends. xo
thank you so much for this thought provoking and entertaining post. As I come close to completing my first book ~ my story through depression, anxiety and attempted suicide ~ this has given me much food for thought for the title of my book…
I have been stuck on it for quite some time. I feel deep in my heart the word “crazy” must be used in there, although ensuring there is an underlying positivity to it – as “crazy” is part of the stigma that surrounds mental illness.
Any suggestions or feedback would be welcomed and greatly appreciated.
Thanks again for an excellent post!
Hugs
Lee
Hi Lee! Really lovely to meet you! Congrats on the near completion of your book. How exciting. It sounds like you have some intuition about your book title. If I were you I would give some thought about what you have learned from your journey. Just from reading your comment( which isn’t enough for me to make any kind of helpful suggestion) the title that came to mind is “Crazy as food”. The other one that came to me is “You say crazy like it’s a bad thing!” Those might not fit at all, but I thought I would share them for your consideration.
Thanks so much for your comment! Hugs back to you!
Several points:
Was your father perchance related to mine? Extremely doubtful but he often said the same kinds of things to me, not the name thing though, although I use my middle name.
Not “if” you publish your book, but purely “when”. And I will buy copies for everyone, perhaps even people I just meet on the street. The title is perfect.
Titles are very important. I buy books by title very often. I sometimes don’t buy book because of the title but may be convinced to come back to them later. I think finding the right title is a type of art in its own right.
Mardel: More and more I wonder if we had the same father.;-)
Thanks for your continued encouragement. What I lacked in an encouraging father I sure make up for in WONDERFULLY supportive friends.
A good title fills my imagination and is like a promise of what the book tells me it is going to be. And like you, a great title often calls me back to a book.
I know that you will publish your book!! Your writing is fantastic… and you will be on many Best Seller lists. A for the name ~ I sense you will pearly whites and manicured nail to keep it.. then again, Having or being told to use a different name – could spark a second book dedicated to all that!! Hugs my friends.. happy Labor Day … and if Earl is circling anywhere near you .. I keep you in my thoughts and prayers that he will stay at sea…HHL
Thanks so much, HHL! I like the way you think!!!! And I hope you are having a wonderful and safe Labor day weekend.
You write so well that you are clearly en-titled (get it? tee-hee) to precisely the cover of your dreams (again, get it? I’m on a roll here, almost worthy of Miss C) WHEN your book is published.
Oh, my! You and Miss C are VERY clever. You two are the head of the class, literally( professor jokes;-). Thanks for delightful comment and the WHEN. I need all the WHENs I can get!
I rarely, if ever, read memoirs or biographies but I am absolutely looking forward to ‘Thursdays With Igor’. I think they may not argue with the title simply because the connection with an already well known one might help your sales. Everyone is going to love you and Igor.
Thanks, Susan. I may ask you for a blurb for my book, “I rarely, if ever, read memoirs or biographies but I am absolutely looking forward to ‘Thursdays With Igor’.” That is the kind of comment that will help with sales! And, dear friend, thank you for your belief in me and Igor.:-)
We’re with you on this one Miss LBR, absolutely. I was cackling reading the 90210 and LBD titles you came up with, those are classic! Totally what the marketing minds would propose. Love this post, it made me smile, in part because I *know* it will be published.
Big hugs at you,
tp
Maybe if I can’t get the book published, maybe I can get a job as a “Title writer”. I had a screenwriter ( kind of a big one) tell me that I had no future in screenwriting but that I should get a job naming films. Believe me, if I could have gotten paid to do that I would have. Big hugs to you!
I am drawn to a cover and to a title, but before I buy any book, I open it randomly and read. If I don’t get caught up in the language from doing that, I don’t purchase the book – no matter what the dust jacket might say – or anything else.
That said, I love “Thursdays with Igor.” Chic and quirky and inviting.
I do the same thing that you do, I have to read a little and unless I want to read more then the book is staying at the store.
“Chic, quirky and inviting”! Love it! I will tell the people at the publishing house about your WISE assessment.
I’m intrigued by titles as well! And while trying to write a book myself, I mull over the title continuously! And have also considered who I would like to play me in the Lifetime movie that will be made of my second book (I’m with you in that a girl can dream!!). I do pick up books for title and photo cover, so you need it to be snappy! I also buy wine because I think the bottle is pretty, or if it has a fab name like RELAX! who wouldn’t want to try that?!? I know your book will be sensational and I look forward to reading it! Also, having a long love/hate relationship with TBI, I’ll be looking for the three dog life! I’ve heard of it before, but had completely forgotten about it. I assume it will be heart-wrenching, so I’ll use it as my own tear-evoking therapy!!!
Thanks, Deni! I look forward to discovering your title, your book and your LIfetime movie. Who is going to play you in the movie?
And, I do warn you, have plenty of hankies handy when you read Three Dog Life. But it is a gorgeous book. Abigail is a wonderful writer.
congrats on your new endeavors. Btw Neiman Marcus is having Fashion Night Out this Friday. : )
I hope you get to keep your title, Belette. It is so fitting and so catchy.
Miss you! Have a fabulous time in Chicago!