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I’ve been trying to decide on the title of my ‘work in progress’ – and that has led me on to thoughts about titles, and about what appeals to me or, perhaps more significantly, what doesn’t.
Personally, I never look twice at titles with certain words in them – werewolf, zombie, vampire (sorry, Debra!), ghost, devil, and haunting, for example. The paranormal genre simply doesn’t appeal to me at all.
I’m not a fan of regency novels, and titles containing duke, lord, viscount, or earl tend to put me off, as do the female versions of these titles. Rogues, rakes, pirates, and highwaymen don’t interest me either.
With modern romances, I tend to go for stories about ‘ordinary’ people, so I don’t even pick up titles with words like billionaire, tycoon, playboy, sheikh, or prince (or princess) etc. I’m not keen on an emphasis on the hero’s nationality either (e.g. The Italian’s Bride or The Greek’s Proposal), so Italian playboys and Greek billionaires are doubly off-putting! And don’t even get me started on ‘marriages of convenience’ or secret babies!
So what do I like? If a book’s title attracts my interest, maybe with a title like ‘Home for Christmas’ or ‘A Second Chance at Forever’, I might glance at the front cover but far more important to me is the back cover blurb. That’s the ultimate deal maker or breaker for me.
I’m not claiming my own titles are perfect, of course – but at least none of them contain any of the words that put me off from buying a book!
Are there any book titles that put you off? Or specially attract you?
Considering that I used to say that I read everything EXCEPT romance novels until I fell in with a group of romance writers,I have to agree with most of your choices, as well.(Although I am not sure that an ACTUAL Greek billionaire would put me off!)
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy some paranormal works.
As for 'cozy ' mysteries, the titles often contain a play on words, sayings or famous titles and the clever ones amuse me; I will read them.However, there are so many put there that the titles are more and more often a real 'stretch' looking for a hook that I am more likely to groan more than I am to be intrigued. Grammatical mistakes are always a deal-breaker.Sometimes you really wonder what the editors are being paid to do!
I am really put-off by any drug reference in the titles,or attacks on clergy and religious.I'm not sure about specific words, except those that you mentioned...I'll probably think of more tonight, when I am trying to fall asleep.
LOL, Tonette, a Greek billionaire in real life could be useful - but not the stereotypes you meet in romance novels!
DeleteObscure or 'clever' titles, as you say, can be intriguing, but sometimes, it's the simpler titles than appeal the most.
Let me know if you think of any more!
No worries, Paula, vampires aren't for everyone! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tonette on liking cozies that have a play on words for the title.
I do tend to roll my eyes on the tycoon/billionaire/bachelor type of titles. Those stories as a whole don't appeal to me either.
More often than not, my eye is drawn to the image on the cover rather than the title at first. If the image doesn't make a good impression, I might not bother to even read the title or the blurb.
Knowing how most covers are created these days from stock pictures, I tend to ignore them (except for my own novels, of course!) . A title will attract (or repel) me first, then a cover might provide a small hook, but for me it's the blurb that clinches it (or not!)
DeleteI tend to like phrases rather than specific mentions of types of people for titles (as you can see from my books). And I enjoy the clever ones as well. A cover will attract me or put me off, but like Paula, it's the blurb that gets me.
ReplyDeleteI'm the same, Jen. Even if I like a title or a cover, the blurb is the important thing.
DeleteI like titles that promise a HEA.
ReplyDeleteA HEA is really a foregone conclusion with romance novels, so I don't need that in the title - I just assume it will have a happy ending!
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