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The Steve Laube Agency

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Home » Creativity » Page 3

Creativity

I Couldn’t Think of a Good Title for This Post

By Bob Hostetleron March 21, 2018
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Some writers love to come up with titles for their stories, articles, or books. Some hate it. Some are good at it, some are awful. But we all have to do it, like it or not. A title can make or break a pitch, even though editors will often change our titles.

So here are my twelve top tips (try saying that ten times fast!) for titling your tomes:

  1. Know your market.

If you’re writing for the Christian market, some words and phrases should not be in your title. A title that enchants women may not appeal to men. Or kids. And so on.

  1. Define the genre, tenor, tone, and theme you want your title to convey.

A great title for a Gothic romance probably won’t fly for your picture book. Obviously.

  1. Review at least twenty titles in your genre.

Or 100. Become a student of titles, especially in your genre. Figure out why you find some more intriguing or compelling than others.

  1. Brainstorm a list of words related to your story, article, or book.

Sometimes a title leaps out at you. At other times you have to go fishing. And brainstorming words and phrases that relate, even tangentially, to your piece may spark inspiration.

  1. Circle or highlight words that might work as a single-word title.

I know many people don’t like single-word titles, but I’m kind of partial to them, myself. Holes. Dune. It. 1984 (okay, that last one’s cheating, but just a little).

  1. Start experimenting with different word combinations.

Some titles seem to be delivered to the author, while others take time and effort—and play—until something “clicks.” I wonder if that’s what happened with Neverwhere and Dragonspell.

  1. From those lists, compile a list of twenty or more possible titles.

Don’t stop until you have twenty, even if you think one or two are positively, absolutely, “the winner.”

  1. Narrow your list to 4-5 possibilities.

Try not to focus only on your “favorites,” at this point. It’s too soon for that. Shoot for variety.

  1. Compare your short list to the list of titles from other books, especially those in your genre.

Are any too similar to someone else’s title? Do any not sound like a title in your genre? Do they evoke what you want them to? (I recently chose a name for a children’s book that the editor thought could have been the title for a Stephen King novel, a possibility that had totally escaped my attention).

  1. Field test 4-5 titles.

For example, write the titles on 3×5 index cards and show them to friends and acquaintances, especially those who read in your genre. Ask not only “which one do you like?” but also “what does it suggest to you?”

  1. Ask a few more questions of your top title.

Does it “snap, crackle, and pop?” Does it lend itself to a sequel or series? Would your target audience be drawn to it? Etc.

  1. Run with it…but don’t fall in love with it.

Remember that your job in writing and pitching your work is to come up with a perfect title. But there’s a good chance a savvy editor will make it better…or replace it entirely. That’s a good thing.

Of course, you may do all of the above, and still not be excited about your title. That’s okay. The more you do it, the better you’ll get at it.

You may want to start the above process again, and do it as many times as necessary to “nail it.” That’s okay, too. It’s an art, not a science.

You may need to keep writing, using a “working title,” and praying that something better will leap out at you. Sometimes that happens—like the sudden realization that I should have called this post, “Creating a Title Wave.”

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Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Creativity, Get Published, Marketing, Pitch, Pitching, Self-PublishingTag: book proposals, Creativity, Titles

Creative or Effective? You Decide

By Dan Balowon March 6, 2018
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Very early in my working life, I was involved in advertising sales for a radio station.  Probably because I was pretty much a “blank slate” back then, I remember the first advertising seminar I attended like it was yesterday. People who know me well, might smile (or roll their eyes) when I’ll repeat a sales or marketing principle I learned decades ago.  They are “on to me.” At the first seminar, I …

Read moreCreative or Effective? You Decide
Category: Book Proposals, Branding, Marketing, Pitch, PitchingTag: book proposal, Cover Letter, Creativity, Marketing

A Writer’s Water Bill: A Hidden Cost of Doing Business

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 22, 2018
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If you’re dreaming of being a successful writer, you may not be aware of some hidden costs of doing business, such as buying your marvelous editor dinner every week,  subscribing to writing magazines and buying books on the writing craft, sending your fabulous agent gourmet coffee every month, increased coffee consumption for creativity and energy, a whopping Internet bill to help you do the …

Read moreA Writer’s Water Bill: A Hidden Cost of Doing Business
Category: The Writing LifeTag: Book Business, Creativity, Money, The Writing Life

Are You Curating or Creating?

By Dan Balowon January 23, 2018
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Every once in a while, a book proposal crosses my desk and catches my attention with its creativity and approach. It is engaging and makes me think.  Whether I agreed to work with the author or not, I needed to give them kudos for their great work. Rarely, if ever, does something catch my attention (in a good way) which is simply assembled from or built entirely on the thinking of someone else. I …

Read moreAre You Curating or Creating?
Category: Book Proposals, Craft, The Writing Life, Writing CraftTag: book proposals, Creativity, Nonfiction

I Love Change, Especially For Someone Else

By Dan Balowon July 18, 2017
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Several decades ago, the British magazine, The Linguist printed a graphic with the phrase, “The strongest drive is not to Love or Hate; it is one person’s need to change another’s copy.” In the cartoon, the word “change” was crossed out and replaced first by amend, then by revise, alter, rewrite, chop to pieces, then back to “change.” I am not sure whether the cartoon necessarily struck a …

Read moreI Love Change, Especially For Someone Else
Category: Book Business, Career, Communication, Editing, The Publishing Life, The Writing LifeTag: Creativity, Editing, publishing

Time to Play!

By Karen Ballon May 31, 2017
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As I was considering what to write for this week’s blog, I realized I needed a break from all the seriousness of the last few weeks. Not that I don’t love the “conversations” and insights everyone has shared. But, at the core, I’m a golden-retriever kinda gal, and I gots to play! So today seemed perfect for a game I love: First Lines. SO! Get your play on, folks, and share your first line—and ONLY …

Read moreTime to Play!
Category: Craft, CreativityTag: Craft, Creativity, first lines

Choosing Your Words Wisely, Part 1

By Dan Balowon April 25, 2017
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There are a number of reasons for the apparent decrease in reading in the world, from attention-span changes brought on by reader’s addiction to various “screens” to climate change. But it might simply be a vocabulary problem. The first time this concept came to me was about 25 years ago in a New York City taxi when a very talkative driver and I discussed local sports, politics and society in …

Read moreChoosing Your Words Wisely, Part 1
Category: Craft, CreativityTag: Creativity, Vocabulary, Writing Craft

Go Ahead: Take an Online Break

By Karen Ballon March 1, 2017
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Wow, what great sites you all shared. Thanks so much for letting us in on your online breaks. So here are the places I like to go when I need a break. Some are great for just a few minutes, some give a nice long break. But they’re all great fun! (click the headlines below) History in the Headlines: Writers This is the History Channel’s collection of fascinating stories about writers throughout …

Read moreGo Ahead: Take an Online Break
Category: Creativity, The Writing LifeTag: Creativity, The Writing Life

Easily Entertained

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 16, 2017
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Recently my husband, daughter, and I had dinner with my parents at King’s Barbeque in Petersburg, Virginia. My paternal grandfather discovered this restaurant in the 1950s and it is still one of our family’s favorite places. Since it was near Christmas, they displayed a unique decoration – a pig wearing a Santa hat. Amused, I took pictures with my cell phone. I heard voices. “That’s a first!” I …

Read moreEasily Entertained
Category: Creativity, Humor, PersonalTag: Characters, Creativity

What is Your Attention Span?

By Steve Laubeon February 13, 2017
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I came across the study that claims the average person now has a shorter attention span than that of a goldfish. Eight seconds. This means most people tend to lose concentration in less than ten seconds. As an experiment, I read the above paragraph out loud. It took about 10 seconds to complete. That means I just lost you. At least the goldfish will swim around its bowl and come back to the same …

Read moreWhat is Your Attention Span?
Category: Communication, Craft, Inspiration, Reading, The Writing LifeTag: book proposals, Creativity, Writing Craft
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