Is it True? Harlequin Authors question

That first one has got to be fake...

The other two sounded kosher though. You should probably google them just to make sure you haven't inadvertently named a genuine book.

First of all, the examples you've created would really only work for the Harlequin "Presents" line. There are several lines within Harlequin, but the "Presents" line is best-known for its, umm, colorful titles.

Other lines include "American," "Blaze," "Romance," etc., plus the Silhouette imprint, which has its own lines as well. Each line has its own conventions, including titles that help the reader identify the book with the line.

Secondly, I doubt it's an across-the-board policy that authors cannot choose their own titles, but I imagine editors and the marketing department have the final say -- which is going to be true for EVERY publisher, not just Harlequin. Titles and covers are two areas where the marketing department pretty much rules the day in romance publishing.

The exception would be in romance epublishing, where -- in my experience -- authors have more control over titles, if not covers.

I think I'll become a Harlequin author... because getting someone else to think up titles for me would suit me down to the bloody ground!

Selah March said:

Secondly, I doubt it's an across-the-board policy that authors cannot choose their own titles, but I imagine editors and the marketing department have the final say -- which is going to be true for EVERY publisher, not just Harlequin. Titles and covers are two areas where the marketing department pretty much rules the day in romance publishing.

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Yep yep. My publisher is not Harlequin, but I've only had one title out of three that marketing actually liked. For the other two, I subbed a long list of title suggestions and they picked the ones they liked the best. Out of all the authors I've chatted with, only one that I know gets to keep her titles, as long as they fit the initial 'theme' that her publisher suggested for her.

Just go in expecting title changes. Also, the Harlequin titles are usually like that because it lets the shopper know exactly what the book is about at a glance.

I also don't write for Harlequin (right now anyway - I never discount the future! ), and I've been incredibly lucky to keep my own title. I would have admittedly been crushed to lose my title - Red Hot Fury fits this book in SO MANY WAYS - but I would have deferred to the marketing pros in that area. Book 2 is tentatively titled Green Eyed Envy and I haven't heard talk of changing it but we are in EARLY days yet. Having that one changed wouldn't bum me out nearly as much as the first one would have. =)

MissMacchiato said:

I couldn't find this question although I did a search... someone on another forum mentioned that Harlequin authors do not get to pick their own titles.

This makes sense since some of them are truly ludicrous, and all seem to follow a similar pattern -

the Swiss Billionaire's Virgin Orphan Mistress Seduction
Seducing the Virgin Mistress
The Virgin Mistress' Seductive Swiss Billionaire

or any combo, LOL

But is this true? Just out of interest. It doesn't say anything in their guidelines...

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The answer is yes, the editor would decide which title goes, even after they assigned a tittle to the book they can change it for marketing purposes. The same goes to covers, you will be allowed to fill a form giving hints of what you would like, but the final decision is theirs.

When the book is published throughout the world the titles and the covers will change too.

In this thread at the eharlequin site, Harlequin Intrigue writers talked about it:

http://community.eharlequin.com/forums/simply-series/archives/cluing-romance-intrigue?page=10

Harlequin authors do not get to pick their own titles

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As the others have said, very few authors get to pick their own titles. I SUCK at titles, so I'm always open to ones far more clever than I can create. Ultimately, either the editor or sales makes the decision. Some authors don't find out until the cover preview arrives.

A superb author of my acquaintance sold her first book to them (she won't mind my saying this, because she's said it very publicly herself) with the title THE PILGRIM AND THE PALMER. It's a medieval, there's a pilgrim involved, there's a palmer. So what's the issue?

Not sure. They changed it to THE KNAVE AND THE MAIDEN. Lame. Everybody agreed Blythe's title was better. The new title was probably what came up on their "Onion" of magnetic word choices for medieval titles.

I'm convinced that's how the "Presents" line picks titles. Write THE. Then choose a male noun. Choose a rank, title, adjective or financial status. Add an 's. Choose a female sounding adjective and a female noun, and you've got your title.

This is how some evil minions and I came up with our unwritten THE CHRISTIAN VIRGIN COWBOY'S SECRET BABY.

Titles, titles, titles... Let's see...I forget what my batting average is with HQ and titles.

But in a nutshell - no, we don't pick 'em. Sometimes, we're really lucky, and we get to keep our titles. (Which we usually make up with marketing in mind if we want to have a snowball's chance of keeping them... <G>) Sometimes, we're lucky, and they pick one of our alternative title suggestions -- one that we don't hate too much. Sometimes we're lucky, and someone else comes up with a title that we didn't think of and really suits the book. Sometimes...we're not lucky at all. <G>

Here's my track record:

The Baby Plan - my title. Hero was an architect who wanted a baby. Fit the line, fit the story. Go me. <G>

THe Mommy Plan - soooooo NOT what I called that book, which I called Firefly Wishes. (I still say it would have sold a lot better with that title on it.) THey retitled it THe Mommy Plan to connect it with my first book in readers' minds.

WHose Child? - not my title, not even one I suggested, but I loved it, and it really fit the book.

The Pregnancy Test - my title that I got to keep. Wooohooo. (I think. LOL. Maybe I'm misremembering that one. I know I called it by the hero's name for a long time for wont of a better title.)

A Kid to the Rescue -- not what I called it. I called it A Real Comic Book Hero, which my editor and I shortened to Comic Book Hero. Marketing hated it. I was very unhappy with this title when my editor emailed it to me. It wasn't one of the 50 options I provided, and I felt that the title trivialized the story inside the book, gave the reader the wrong impression. I DID manage to get the ! point removed. (It was supposed to be A Kid to the Rescue! Pitched a fit about the exclamation point because again, I thought it gave the wrong impression, plus my editor and I had gone round and round about some of the exclamation points inside the book. <G> (I had a kid talking excitedly. <G> He got exclamation points. I told my ed if they had to go INSIDE the book, the one in the title had to go, too. <G> And it did. Phew.)

The Family Plan -- I called it A Family Recipe. The hero is a chef. I'm a bit put-off by this one because...seriously, marketing people?? I got the marketing word FAMILY in my version, too. I really, REALLY want to know why The Family Plan is superior to A Family Recipe as far as marketing and titles go. <sigh> (Obviously they chose PLAN to tie it back in to my first two books. Which are not related to this book. Makes sense, yes? No? LOL.)

I don't write billionares or virgins, so I haven't had any of those in the titles. I do know Super is trying out some more "mainstreamy" titles right now -- and I promise you, if those books sell lower than the others in that month, they won't keep doing it.

The Title Game. It's always fun.

Susan G.

Cathy C said:

As the others have said, very few authors get to pick their own titles. . . . Ultimately, either the editor or sales makes the decision. Some authors don't find out until the cover preview arrives.

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What Cathy C said. Harliquin is not unique in claiming the right to pick titles.

job said:

What Cathy C said. Harliquin is not unique in claiming the right to pick titles.

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It's all about marketing.

Susan G.

Cathy C said:

As the others have said, very few authors get to pick their own titles. I SUCK at titles, so I'm always open to ones far more clever than I can create. Ultimately, either the editor or sales makes the decision. Some authors don't find out until the cover preview arrives.

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meee tooo. I was really surprised when we kept the long one. The other one was changed, but I totally dig it now.

Mine was originally called "A Faithful Wife," and when the editor called to say she wanted to buy it, she said it would need a more marketable title.

After ten years in non-fiction and never once keeping the title on anything I ever wrote, including most of the blog posts, my title making muscle is flabby So I said hell yes, too!

I write for LUNA, a Harlequin imprint. So far, I'm two for three on titles: They liked the titles of the two contracted novels (MOB RULES, SKELETON CREW) but changed the title of the novella. My editor suggested a new title for the latter, and I went with it. So, as always, YMMV.

I'm seven for eight on smaller press titles. I dunno...either I'm okay at this or these houses don't have marketing departments who think all author-generated titles stink. Who am I to question?

MissMacchiato said:

So... not to hark back to this thread again, but if you are going to have your title chosen by someone else.. do you query with a title? or not?

I suppose it might help, but then again, I'm not sure.

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I would say, yes.

Sure. Try to pick the best one you can that fits the book. They might use it. We've been pretty lucky so far.

I planned "Before, During and After" titles for my trilogy and I'm pleased that those stayed, but I would have been OK with changing them. As long as they were changed to something better.