Title problems - a poll or two

[mary_j_59]

Okay - I grant you, there are very few people in the world who have actually read my books! But this isn't about content. It's just about titles, and what you think is evocative or interesting. So here are a  couple of polls.

My first book for which I'm seeking an agent and/or publisher is literary YA SF. The working title is HONOR. It's a pretty good title, I think; it gets at what motivates the MC and drives his actions. But it's also just a little generic, perhaps. So-
[Poll #1959242]

Comments

[amanda mccrina (from livejournal.com)]

While I definitely prefer "A Drive of Dragons" for the second title, I'm genuinely conflicted on the first. I love one-word titles, and I love the simplicity and strength of "Honor." You're right; it succinctly encapsulates what drives your MC. And possibly I'm a little sentimentally attached to it, since it was "Honor" when I first read it.

I voted for "Longsword" because it has the same one-word "punch" and because I think it is less generic and more attention-grabbing. And I think it ties in very well with the theme and action of the book. My one concern, thinking about it, is that "Honor" more readily implies "literary sci-fi" and not "actiony sci-fi." But then there *is* action and tension in the story, and it's not a lie to promise that.

[condwiramurs.livejournal.com]

I actually like His Mother's Sword best. Honor and Longsword do have punch, yes, but they are a bit generic. They don't really tell me much about the hero beyond what I'd already be expecting - they wouldn't stand out on a bookstore shelf or webpage to me.

Whereas His Mother's Sword is different - the nod to a mother-son relationship as central in some way stands out as unusual to me, and so interesting. That's a title that would grab my eye while browsing, and entice me to take a look.

Mind, I'm speaking with very little idea of the story itself, so take this for whatever it's worth. But given how much work a title has to do, I suppose you have to find a balance between accuracy towards the story and drawing power that works for you.

A Drive of Dragons for the second, yes. Funny, exciting, curiousity-making. The People of Stone just makes me think of that endless series about neolithic tribes where every book was titled The People of Lightning, The People of Water, etc. etc.

Hope this is helpful! Good luck with the publishing and all. :)

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'm unfairly stereotyping, I don't know, but if this is meant to be a YA book, I can picture teenage boys recoiling at a title like "His Mother's Sword"! (Girl cooties and all that . . . :-) )

[anne-arthur.livejournal.com]

I like His Mother's Sword for the same reasons that condwiramurs does - it stands out as different. But yes, perhaps it might put teenage boys off. The others seem a bit too obvious to me. Perhaps you could expand the word 'honor' to make a more stand-out title?
And I'm afraid I've never really 'got' A Drive of Dragons. Is this a widely-known collective noun for dragons? Certainly no-one is trying to drive the ones in story, nor are they driving anyone else. I like The People of Stone - but perhaps this is mostly because I know that they are dragons, and because I find that an original and interesting title for dragons. But if I didn't know what they were, would it make me think of prehistoric man? I don't know, I'm afraid.