Titles

You may write the whole draft under a dull working title. Many books are better that way: the true title is often a phrase the manuscript eventually says, not a phrase you imposed in week one. When you do choose, say the title aloud. If you stumble, a bookseller will stumble. If you cannot remember it an hour later, a reader will not recommend it in a pub.

A good title suggests genre without apologising, and it is specific enough to be searched. ‘The House’ is a fog. A title that could only belong to this book is a gift to the person trying to find it again. Avoid the phrase everyone in your workshop is using this year. It will date, and it will collide.

Look the title up. If a famous novel, a film, or a dozen self-published books already own it, you are borrowing confusion. You can live with a near-miss. You should not live with an identical twin.

Test it on someone who has not read the book. Ask what kind of story they expect. If they expect a comedy and you have written a grief, either the title is wrong or the book is braver than its costume. Change the costume.