Suggestions for title

pmadams · May 28, 2009

Hi. I have been told that the title I chose for my book sounds too "morbid". It is titled, "Letters To The Dead". You can visit http://pmadams.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/letters-to-the-dead/ and read what my book is about and you will see why I chose this title.
What do you guys think? I know how important the title is - it can make or break a book. That's what first catches a reader's eye.
Anyone have any suggestions for a title that would still reflect what the book is about but might sound a little more "bright". Then again, do I want it to sound "bright"? Hmmm...now I'm a little confused myself. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Wayne K · May 28, 2009

I don't know about memoirs, but for fiction, titling isn't all that tricky. In fact, the perfect title the author sweated over is frequently changed to something the publisher believes is more marketable--and they do know marketing.

So write your memoir, and give it a working title unrelated to any similar work (I'd nix A Beautiful Mind and The Soloist on that ground alone). In fact, for now you can just call it "Memoir," knowing that somewhere in your text there's going to be a perfect word or phrase that'll leap out at you as you write, edit, revise, rewrite, and such.

I hope Maryn doesn't mind me quoting her from another thread, but this sounds about right to me for any book.

Suggestions for title

pmadams

Wayne K