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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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En-TITLE-ment: Finding the Perfect Title (Part One)

By Karen Ballon August 17, 2011
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One of the most difficult—and important—things we did when I worked in the publishing house was come up with titles for our authors’ novels. Sometimes it was a breeze, either because the author’s title was spot-on or because the story lent itself organically to a certain title. But more often than not, it was a long process of back-and-forth with the author, marketing, and sales. So how can you, the author, develop a title that works well? Give the following tips a try.

1. Tone. Be sure your title reflects the tone of your story accurately. A whimsical title on a book that is dark and tense will leave the reader feeling suckered or betrayed. Avoid disconnects, so that when the reader is drawn by the title, what they find on the back cover and in the content will only make that draw even stronger. Be sure the title creates a sense of whimsy, tension, danger, romance, mystery, fantasy, the future…whatever best reflects the tone of your story.

Okay, so ready for a challenge? Based on the titles below…

Name That Tone!

The Boneman’s Daughters

Redeeming Love

The Shunning

The Riddlemaster of Hed

A Vase of Mistaken Identity

Without a Trace

Three Weddings & a Giggle

2. Genre. This goes hand in hand with tone. While it’s important to reflect the tone of your book, you also need to be sure the title fits the genre you’re writing. For example, many contemporary novels have a strong thread of romance in them, but you don’t want to put a title that focuses too much on the romance element. Those who read romances have specific expectations, some of which won’t be met by a contemporary novel. The beauty of genre, though, is that we often mix genres. Cozy mysteries, for example, mix mystery with a bit of a whimsical tone. Romantic adventure–self-evident. So you can use that interplay in titles. One caveat: you can offset the genre focus with the cover art. For example, a title like The Longing Heart could be romance, could be contemporary. How the designer treats the cover will clarify genres for the reader.

Name that Genre!

Kidnapped

Sister Chicks Down Under

Deadly Pursuit

The Twelfth Prophecy, A.D. Chronicles

Part two coming next week!

 

 

 

 

 

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Category: Get Published, Karen, Marketing, Trends, Writing CraftTag: Book Business, Craft, Karen, Pitching, Titles, Writing Craft

News You Can Use

By Steve Laubeon August 16, 2011
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Non-Fiction is True, Fiction is Un-True - Tony Reinke explodes this myth.

Campus Crusade Changes its Name - No longer call Campus Crusade by that name. It is now called Cru. This is not a prank, it is the real deal. One scalpel edged writer has some pointed things to say about the change.

The Difference Between Buzz and Word-of-Mouth - Matt Perman makes a simple definition to help …

Read moreNews You Can Use
Category: Book Business, News You Can Use, SteveTag: News, Publishing News, Trends

Fun Fridays – Aug. 12, 2011

By Steve Laubeon August 12, 2011
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Okay. I know this is sort of a "guy thing" but please watch these three minutes of incredible awesomeness!

It has nothing to do with writing, but everything to do with creativity. Be inspired.

Read moreFun Fridays – Aug. 12, 2011
Category: Fun Fridays, SteveTag: Humor

Show or Tell: How Do You Know?

By Karen Ballon August 10, 2011
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As we discussed last week, it’s okay to tell at times, but in fiction you want to show the important, emotion-laden scenes. That way the reader gets the vicarious experience along with the character. So how do you know when you’re telling rather than showing? Here are a few tips:

Beware the dreaded –ly adverbs.
“Get out of my novel, you –ly adverbs!” Alice said angrily.
Ah-ah-ah! Any time you …

Read moreShow or Tell: How Do You Know?
Category: Craft, Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Karen, show don't tell, Writing Craft

News You Can Use

By Steve Laubeon August 9, 2011
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Pretend You Are on an Airplane - an excellent article on how to be more productive in your work day.

How to Handle Criticism - This is the bane of a writer's existence. So how do you handle it when others criticize?

How Not to Write a Book Review - Three golden rules for those who review books.

Before You Send Another E-mail - Read this post by Seth Godin. For example: "If this e-mail …

Read moreNews You Can Use
Category: Book Business, News You Can Use, SteveTag: News, Publishing News, Trends

The Greatest Book (Ever) on Sales & Marketing

By Guest Bloggeron August 8, 2011
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by Jim Rubart

Today's guest post is from Jim Rubart. He and I first met at the Mt. Hermon writers conference where I infamously rejected him (see #10). A bit about Jim. Since 1994, Jim has worked with clients such as AT&T/Cingular, RE/MAX, ABC and Clear Channel radio though his company Barefoot Marketing, but his passion is writing fiction. His debut novel Rooms released in April 2010 …

Read moreThe Greatest Book (Ever) on Sales & Marketing
Category: Guest Post, MarketingTag: Marketing

Fun Fridays – August 5, 2011

By Steve Laubeon August 5, 2011
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Andertoons Other Cartoons
 

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Category: Fun Fridays, Humor, SteveTag: Humor

Show, Don’t Tell

By Karen Ballon August 3, 2011
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I’m From Missouri—SHOW me!

Okay, truth be told, I’m from Oregon. But in the 30 years I've been editing fiction, I've discovered a number of issues almost all writers face, regardless of how much they've written or been published. If I had to pick the top issue I see over and over, it would be Show, Don't Tell.

What, you may ask, does that mean? It's actually pretty simple. It's the …

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Category: Craft, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Karen, show don't tell, Writing Craft

News You Can Use

By Steve Laubeon August 2, 2011
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45 Ways to Blog as a Novelist - Do you have blogger's block? Here are some great tips for finding stuff to blog about.

Why You Are Receiving Rejections - Nathan Bransford weighs in and is both simple and profound.

Read Your Old Tweets - If you are an aggressive tweeter you're stymied if you want to review your archives. The linked tool is an amazing way to pull them all into one document for …

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Category: News You Can Use, SteveTag: News, Publishing News, Trends

Book of the Month – August 2011

By Steve Laubeon August 1, 2011
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by Steve Laube

The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs (published by Oxford in June 2011) is this month's "Book of the Month." I recommend you pick up a copy and enjoy the experience for yourself.

It seems a little odd to read a book about reading. But for those of us who are in the "business" of creating books it is always interesting to read a wise person's take on …

Read moreBook of the Month – August 2011
Category: Book of the Month, Book Review, SteveTag: Book Review, New Books
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