How do I choose my book titles?
Plus my latest reading recommendations
Hello from rainy Somerset!
It’s been just over a week since my latest novel The Vintage Shop launched in paperback and it has been making me so happy to see the love that the book has been getting so far, in particular how much people seem to be loving the new cover!
Last week I explained why the cover has changed and delved into the process of coming up with a book’s cover.
Today I thought I’d dig into another important but thorny subject: book titles! I’m going to share with you my experiences of picking the titles for all of my novels. Spoiler: it has not been easy!
And while you’re here, one little request… If you have read and enjoyed The Vintage Shop (or any of my books) I’d really, really love it if you’d consider leaving a review on Amazon, Waterstones or Goodreads. Reviews help new readers find my books and just two minutes spent leaving your thoughts makes a big, big difference. While you’re there, why not review some other books you’ve loved? Consider it your good deed for the day, helping authors get their stories out there. Thank you!
What’s in a name?
Ugh, titles. Honestly, coming up with a title is one of the things that I find hardest about sitting down to write a new novel. It feels like there’s so much at stake.
How do you sum up a whole book in a few words?
A title has to grab the reader, give a sense of what’s in store for them and be memorable. Titles are so important for word-of-mouth recommendations. You want something that rolls off the tongue. ‘Hey, have you read…’
Most of my books have gone through a long process when it comes to their titles. If you’re interested in that process then keep reading…
The Lido started life as:
The Lido (but went through many changes along the way and was published as Mornings with Rosemary in the US).
I didn’t use any great wit or skill when I came up with the title for my first book. It was a book about a lido so that’s what I called it. But actually, I quite liked the simplicity of it.
If the title needs to communicate what the book is about then you certainly couldn’t be surprised on opening the pages of my debut novel to find out its subject matter.
But at the time when The Lido was about to be published, there was a trend for long, quirky titles. The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine… My publisher was keen to explore a longer, quirkier title. And we did. We came up with dozens of alternatives. I started going slightly mad with it, coming up with book titles in my sleep.
But however hard we tried, nothing seemed like the perfect fit. There were a few suggestions but nothing seemed to convey the contents of the book quite like The Lido. So, The Lido it remained. And I’m quite glad that it did because the lido in the book really is at the heart of that story – some readers have described it as a character in its own right and I really love that idea.
The 24-Hour Café started life as:
The Gossip Stop Café. Then 24-Hours in the Gossip Stop Café. Then The Café.
Given my experience with The Lido I was determined to nail the long and quirky title for Book 2.
I had seen a café called the Gossip Stop Café once and wrote down the name, thinking it might feature in a future book. The idea for this novel started with my extreme nosiness and love of overhearing conversations in cafés so it felt like a good fit.
But the feeling was that the title was maybe too long (especially once I’d decided that I wanted my café to be an all-night café so added ‘24-Hours in’ to the front) and maybe didn’t sum up the vibe of the book. Might readers expect a slightly beachier, purely escapist read and then be surprised by some of the heavier themes that I deal with in that novel?
Then came the argument for sticking with the simplicity that seemed to work for The Lido.
But my feeling was that The Café could mean anything from a Starbucks, to a little independent, to a greasy spoon. The thing that makes the café in this book specific is that it’s open all day and all night.
That’s what so interested me about this setting – thinking about who would visit the café at 2 am, for example. I felt it was important to communicate that in the title which is how we ended up with The 24-Hour Café.
The Island Home started life as:
The Islanders. Followed by The Island.
My inspiration for my third novel was the idea of a character who has become something of an island, finding her way back to a place of connection. I liked the idea of contrasting a metaphorical islander – someone who has isolated herself due to trauma in her past – with actual islanders, i.e. people who live on literal islands.
What if the islanders who live on a tiny island in the middle of the sea are actually far more connected than a woman living in a big city surrounded by people but who doesn’t even know the names of her neighbours?
That’s where The Islanders came from.
As the book progressed we moved towards The Island as a title, I think in part because an island is a much simpler image to convey on a cover than the more complex idea of ‘an islander’. But then we all remembered Victoria Hislop’s very famous book of the same name.
We decided that adding the word ‘home’ to the title differentiated it enough and also added a softness that hopefully communicates the warmth readers can expect in my books. Because ‘home’ is a lovely word and my aim is to write lovely books!
When titles change
An added complexity to the whole cover/title conundrum arises when my books are published overseas.
There can be problems if the book is being translated and a direct translation of the title doesn’t work.
Or, in the case of The Lido, if other countries don’t have lidos! The Lido became The Swimming Pool in lots of its translations, and one of the reasons that it was published as Mornings with Rosemary in the US was because ‘lido’ isn’t a well-recognised word – they’re just pools!
Then, in the case of The Vintage Shop, the change of title might be largely a design choice. For the paperback cover, we wanted to make it clearer to readers what they could expect from the story, which meant including lots of lovely images from the book. But that meant that it would have been really challenging to fit the longer title on the cover too! We decided that it was more important to make room for that beautiful yellow dress by simplifying to a shorter, snappier title.
So there you have it! Coming up with book titles is not easy and is not my favourite part of the writing process! But it’s very important. There’s a certain responsibility to it that I was reminded of when choosing the name for my son…
Do you have a favourite ever book title? Or a book whose title you think really doesn’t fit what’s inside? I’d love to know!
What I’m reading
I am a big fan of Emily Henry novels. For smart, funny romances she’s an absolute go-to. But I realised recently that I’d somehow missed out one! Is there any greater joy than realising an author you absolutely love has more books for you to read? I raced through You and Me on Vacation and absolutely adored it. Deeply romantic but also with parts so funny that I had to read them out loud to my husband, trying not to cry with laughter.
And for a book to add to your reading list, I was lucky enough to read an early copy of A Winter in New York by Josie Silver, which comes out in October. It is a delicious escapist romance featuring gelato and a gorgeous romantic lead. But it’s also deeply moving, with great themes around family and chosen family. A must-read!
Upcoming events
If you’d like to come and listen to me and some other lovely authors chat about our books, I’ll be at the Appledore Book Festival in September. I’m taking part in a Book Brunch on Sunday 24th September and will be joining Deborah Moggach and Georgina Moore. It would be lovely to see you there. You can book tickets here.
Don’t miss out!
The Kindle edition of The Lido is on sale until the end of this month! Don’t miss out snapping it up for just 99p.