A good book title should be so intriguing that it hooks the buyer. Many people have told me they bought Carpe Diem, Illinois just because of the title. Yahoo, success!
Originally, Carpe Diem, Illinois was simply Carpe Diem which I thought was the perfect name for my debut novel. When I learned that book titles are not copyrighted, I did some investigating. I discovered Bookfinder.com and plugged in “Carpe Diem” to determine if other books had that name. Yep, over 30 books, including one by Nobel Prize Winner Saul Bellow. I certainly didn’t want my book to compete against Mr. Bellow’s or anyone else’s so I decided to add “Illinois”. Not only is Carpe Diem, Illinois a more intriguing title, it’s the only one of its kind.
But God on Mayhem Street is another story. A few people have mentioned they wouldn’t pick up a book with “God” in the title. Others who were looking for a Christian novel were dismayed to discover that God on Mayhem Street isn’t in that genre. This title actually came to me before I’d written a word of the book. One of my favorite songs at the time was “You Found Me” by the American rock band, The Fray . The song begins: “I found God on the corner of First in Amistad.” These words inspired me to put God on Mayhem Street. The story took off from there, the title referring to one of the characters in the book. I’d hoped that readers would be curious enough about the title to want to read the book, but I didn’t realize the effect the word “God” would have on some.
My current work-in-progress was originally named Paul but that was just the working title. While writing the book, I wanted to meld science and my imagination and create an evil substance. I asked my friend, Dr. Bill Banholzer, a noted University of Wisconsin chemical and biological engineering professor, for his input. We discussed the Higgs Boson which is the particle that helps to explain existence and is nicknamed “The God Particle.” So of course its evil twin would be the Devil Particle. Voila, the title of the book!
Titles can certainly make or break books. In fact, Jimmy Fallon pokes fun at poorly-named books on his “Do Not Read” Tonight Show segment. I’m hopeful he won’t include my books, but wait, what is it they say about bad publicity?
Do you have favorite book titles? Others that were misleading or cringe-worthy? Let me know or comment below.
Fun opportunity:
I’m sponsoring a terrific Christmas event through Kindle. No purchase necessary. Just click on the icon below and enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway (look for the cover of Carpe Diem, Illinois!). You’ll have a chance to win a 7″ Kindle Fire, Kindle cover, Booklover Coffee Mug, Reader T-shirt, and more. The Giveaway ends Dec. 31st. You can enter every day!
Where you can find me:
Instagram: I’ve started to post pictures of my favorite places to write in the Madison, Wisconsin area. Check it out!
Books & Beer, Columbus, WI, January 25, 2018, 7 p.m. I’m looking forward to another lively discussion of Carpe Diem, Illinois. This book club is open to the public — join us! If you would like me to talk to your book club, simply contact me.
UW-Madison Writers’ Institute Pathway to Publication , April 12-15, 2018. I’ll be busy helping writers practice their pitches to agents, presenting how-to write information, and more. Writers — registration for this premier writing conference is now open!
Stocking stuffer ideas: for the Kindle lover on your list, the prices for the e-book versions of my books are reduced this month only. Carpe Diem, Illinois is a meager $1.99.
