 My Kingdom for a Title Posted by Christina Brooke Jun 11 2012, 12:33 am
I have a new three book series contracted for St. Martin’s Press (yay, the Westruther men!) and I’m trying to think of a series title as well as titles for each of the three books. Now, I won’t go into those here, but it got me wondering about all you Bandita Buddies out there. What do you like in a book title? For me, the ideal title fits the story in both mood and subject matter. It should be intriguing or funny but hopefully not twee. It should be snappy, easy to remember, easy to say. I write fairly sexy books (and this next series will be the hottest yet), so ideally there should be a sexy element to these titles, too. It should also distinguish this book from the others in the series. I often have trouble connecting a generic title with a particular book and then I get mixed up about whether I’ve read it before. I have often bought the same book twice because of that and kicked myself afterwards.
Liz Carlyle is the first historical author I can recall using that idea with ONE LITTLE SIN, TWO LITTLE LIES, and THREE LITTLE SECRETS and Mary Balogh cleverly titled one of her series FIRST COMES MARRIAGE, THEN COMES SEDUCTION and AT LAST COMES LOVE. Then there are all the ‘like a song/movie/book/play’ titles, for instance, Julia Quinn used James Bond titles in her wonderful Bridgerton series, Susan Elizabeth Phillips uses a lot of songs. My HEIRESS IN LOVE (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) and the forthcoming A DUCHESS TO REMEMBER (AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER) are from movies (my editor chose them, by the way, while I came up with MAD ABOUT THE EARL. Eloisa James used Shakespearean plays–PLEASURE FOR PLEASURE from MEASURE FOR MEASURE and so on.
For historical novels particularly, there are a few ‘buzz’ words that always seem to be popular, like ‘sin’, ‘wicked’, ‘duke’, ‘night’, ‘rake’ and so on. In fact, perhaps my next book should be titled TO SIN WITH A WICKED DUKE, or ONE NIGHT WITH A WICKED RAKE. You think I’m joking, don’t you? I’m not, actually. A title is a sales tool and no doubt those titles would sell well, as many others like them have done. I like witty titles and plays on words, and I also like sensual sounding titles, like Meredith Duran’s BOUND BY YOUR TOUCH and WRITTEN ON YOUR SKIN. I also love Jenny Crusie’s titles because it’s almost like one of her characters is talking. ANYONE BUT YOU, MAYBE THIS TIME, DON’T LOOK DOWN. Her unique voice is right there in the title. So today, for a chance to win my (thankfully) already titled A DUCHESS TO REMEMBER (out June 26), please come up with a title for a Regency historical romance. It can be as over the top as you like! Or if you’re not feeling creative, please tell me the titles you love or titles that made you pick up a book from the shelf! TweetPosted in A Duchess to Remember, Christina Brooke, contest, Jenny Crusie, Liz Carlyle, Meredith Duran, Stephanie Plum, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, titles Comments67 thoughts on “My Kingdom for a Title” |
 
12 Bandita Days of Christmas
Anna Campbell
Anna Sugden
Annie West
Aunty Cindy explains it all for you
Australian Authors
Bandita Booty
Bandit Booty
Beth Andrews
Caren Crane
Cassondra's blogs
Cassondra Murray
Christie Kelley
Christine Wells
Christmas
coming attractions
contest winner
debut
Donna MacMeans
guest blogger
historical romance
Holidays
interviews
Jeanne Adams
Joan Kayse
Jo Beverley
Jo Robertson
Kate Carlisle
Launch Party
movies
paranormal romance
prizes
prize winner
Romance
romance bandits
Susan Sey
Suzanne Ferrell
Suzanne Welsh
T-shirts
Tawny Weber
travel
Trish Milburn
Uncategorized
writer's life
writing life 
|
|
 |
||
I’m hope I do inspire you and...
A Rooster to Remember?
Never mind, Christina! I’ll bet that’s already taken! ;p I do like titles that give me a sense for the story or is playful in a fun way. I liked Ellen Connor’s trilogy titles–Nightfall, Midnight, and Daybreak–they give you the order of the series, and they do give you a sense for the darkness of the books. As for Regency titles, let me wrack my silly brain to see what titles I remember best!
Ooh, one set of titles I also liked were Kleypas’s Wallflower Quartet–four seasons, four girls… relatively easy to remember
Guess that helps, to have a “hook” of some sort like that…
Oh, yes! They were well done–loved Devil in Winter especially.
Me too–that’s one of my comfort re-reads
Hi Fedora! Love a Rooster to Remember! I think that will fly off the shelves. Har har.
I like the Connor titles. I suppose it’s similar to Twilight, isn’t it?
Congrats on the rooster!
LOL, Christina!
The Connor trilogy is kind of a dark, postapocalyptic thing–Nightfall is the intro to the series and world, and it’s about this sense of growing darkness and wildness; Midnight is right in the thick of things; and Daybreak wraps things up, and while not exactly cheery, is definitely somewhat hopeful. I liked that the titles kind of reflected that
And before I read them, I would not have said that darker read was my thing, but they kind of blew me away 
That’s a great recommendation, that you’re not into dark but it still blew you away!
Hi Christina,
I’m not very creative, so I won’t attempt any titles. I do like the clever ones, especially those from Marianne Stillings like “Sighs Matter,” “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evie” and “The Damsel in This Dress.”
Congrats on the GR, Fedora.
Oh, I love those titles, Jane! Thanks for those!
Hi Christina -
You know, in one of my goofy analytical things – I kept track of the nouns and adjectives in a bunch of historical titles looking for popular words. Actually, Redeeming the Rogue got it’s title from that list. Redemption was popular as were Rogues and Rakes and Dukes.
Titles are so important, but so very difficult. I’m currently struggling to think of one for my WIP. Good Luck with yours!
LOL Donna, how could I guess you would have tracked this in some concrete way? Good luck with finding your title. You might get some inspiration here.
Cristina ~ Just had to pop in and tell you I just read Heiress in Love and truly enjoyed it.
I’ve read so many books over the years that I’m not sure what influences me to read them.
I used to read a lot of Regency Romances and loved a reformed rake as a hero.
Here’s my ideas:
The Rake Who Loved Me!
Bewitched by the Baron
Compromised by the Count
Delighted by the Duke
Enchanted by the Earl
Ravished by the Rake
I really love Georgette Heyer and loved the simplicity of her titiles
Marion Chesney”s had a great series:
The Travelling Matchmaker:
Emily Goes to Exeter (1990)
Belinda Goes to Bath (1991)
Penelope Goes to Portsmouth (1991)
Beatrice Goes to Brighton (1991)
Deborah Goes to Dover (1992)
Yvonne Goes to York (1992)
Great titles, Kaelee. You’re right, Marion Chesney’s are fab.
Thank you so much, Kaelee. I’m glad you enjoyed HEIRESS! Love the alliterative titles. Don’t we all have a soft spot for rakes redeemed?
I have to admit that if you put some sort of noble title – well – in the title I am more inclined to take a peek. A DUCHESS TO REMEMBER – case in point.
You’re not alone there, Mary. I’ve often been told that a duke will sell a book!
How about :
The Rake Got Whooped by the Heroine
The Duke is Broke, Find Me an Heiress
The Earl and His Money are Soon Parted
Manors for Sale or Rent
ROFL Dianna! Reminds me of the Noel Coward song ‘The Stately Homes of England’!
LOL! These cracked me up.
ditto ~ lol
HAHAHAHA!!! Love these Dianna! THanks so much.
So excited about your new deal and the prospect of three more wonderful Christina Brooke books to add to my collection!
I must admit to liking titles that intrigue me or are indicative of the kind of writing. Love Deirdre Martin’s hockey books with titles like Body Check and Kate Angell’s baseball books with titles like Squeeze Play.
From the historical set, I love Kieran Kramer’s titles and Sarah Maclean’s.
I’m hopeless at titles, but how about …
The Dashing Duke’s Demure Debutante
The Ravishing Rake’s Romantic Rebel
The Elegant Earl’s Elusive Enchantress
The Marvellous Marquis’ Mischievous Maiden
I love these ~ bet you couldn’t tell that I love alliterations.
Oh, yes I should have mentioned Kieran and Sarah because their titles really stand out, don’t they? Cloudy with a Chance of Marriage is one of my faves.
LOL on the alliteration! Thanks for coming up with these, VA. Lots of fun!
Hi Christina
Congrats on your book out at the end of the month… can’t wait to read it …… also for a new contract for 3 more books
I think you have enough titles above…. and I am a reader so I think I will leave it up to you lol
Thanks so much, Barb. Yes, I know, I’m shamelessly using you all in this post but I’m hoping to get the creative juices flowing with a bit of a brainstorm here:)
Reckless in Love
Ravished by Love
Love & Hate
Caught
Trapped By Vows
Raked By Desire
Ravished In My Dreams
Dream Lover
The Rake I Desire
The Rogue I Want
The Duke I Need
The Earl I Love
The Baron I Hate
Some great ones in there, Laurie. Love Reckless in Love and Ravished in my Dreams! Thank you!
I usually have working titles until I finish the book/s then I get in and find myself a good title. Otherwise, here’s a few I have thought of:
The Rogue of Her Dreams
Chronicles Of His Heart
The Rogue, The Duke and the Baron
The Lady, The Duchess and the Princess
The Queen of His Heart
Thanks for those, Mozette! Yes I used to come up with titles once the book is written but when I do a series now, marketing wants all three titles straight away.
Love the ones you’ve suggested — I’m guessing the ones with three men in them are for the series:)
Yep. Or you can challenge yourself and write the book in such a way where he moves up in his station from the Rogue to the Duke to the Baron…
Now, that sounds like an interesting prospect to a Lady, doesn’t it?
Great post, Christina, especially since my post for tomorrow is very sijmilar!! Great minds and all that. I might have to do a quick switch and save the post for another day.
I DO so like titles with a repeating motif, especially numbers (because my mind is rather simple).
I have to confess, however, that I’m much more likely to choose a book based on the cover than the title, especially for a romance.
Jo, I’m so sorry–I had no idea you were going to do a post on titles next. What a shame!
I must say I pay a lot more attention to the author’s name than to the title with historical romance but if something is witty or alluring it will catch my eye. An arresting cover will do that sometimes but I’ve long since learned my lesson–I always read the first page before buying!
I have the same trouble with titles. So many of them are similar which leads me to forget the titles of books that I really enjoyed. I know the author but forget the title. A good title for me would be:
Highwayman Heroe Meets Desperate Heroine on Way to Unwanted Marriage
Haha, Maureen, so you opt for the synopsis style of title! We could all use those. Maybe books should start to have a subtitle that explains the book like A DUCHESS TO REMEMBER or a precocious chit who gets seduced by a delicious duke…
Congrats on the upcoming book release, Christina! I’m not going to even attempt some Regency titles, but I do like the topic of this post. I love clever titles, ones that really fit or evoke a mood. I read a lot of YA, and the trilogy titles especially seem to be really good at this. For instance, I just finished reading Ann Aguirre’s Enclave, the first in her Razorland trilogy (post-apocalyptic, zombie-ish dark). It totally fits, and the next two books in the series continue with Outpost and Horde.
Also think George R.R. Martin’s titles in the Song of Ice and Fire series — A Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings, Storm of Swords, Feast for Crows, Dance with Dragons.
Trish, thanks for the congrats! Isn’t Ann Aguirre marvellous? The mere name Razorland gives me shivers. I agree about the George R.R. Martin series, too. It’s great the way the titles all have the same rhythm to them.
Some great titles here lol. I do get confused and love the number idea. I like it when there is a theme but of course that doesn’t usually tell you what order they are in. I’ve read so many books (and some have the same title) that I have to rely on a list of what I already have, expecially the ones in my tbr piles.
I think a theme is a great idea too, Catslady. And it would make so much more sense if I kept a list, wouldn’t it? I just never do and I don’t think I ever will, sadly.
I must say I am in the catergory that is not good with titles. But here goes
The Lord who Leaps…i know cheesy
The Lady who didn’t Wait…we all know what that means.
How the Duke got his Duchess….yes he probably kidnapped her or she was compromised by him..
okay that’s all I have got… I told you i was not good at this..
Ooh, I’m intrigued about the Lady who didn’t Wait! Thanks for having a go, Kathleen! They’re great.
Popping out of the cave to offer my congrats on your upcoming release and your new series, Christina! Can’t wait to read A Duchess to Remember
Thanks Beth! Good luck in the cave!
Christina, I think you’ve had great titles. I particularly love these last three. They’re sexy but clever which suits your books. I agree with you about those Jenny Crusie titles, I hear her every time I think of them. Magic.
My favorite title of all time I think is A DEVIL IN WINTER (Lisa Kleypas). I’ve had title envy about that one for years. I also love the funny titles you know, things like Death, Taxes and a Good Hairdo (think I made that one up but you know just what you’re getting with those). Or I Shaved my Legs for This? Hated, hated, hated those awful, twee Harlequin titles like The Virgin Sheepfarmer’s Bootscootin’ Secret Baby or The Shameless Sheikh’s Shape-Shifting Disobedient Bride. Thank goodness, they seem to have changed to something a little more subtle now.
Good luck with A DUCHESS TO REMEMBER. I can’t wait to read it! And what a gorgeous cover!
Thanks so much, Anna! Oh, yes I love those clever titles too. Yep, Lisa Kleypas has had some great titles, hasn’t she but that one takes the prize. LOL on the silly Harlequin ones you made up! Of course the theory was that you knew exactly what you were getting–although sometimes I seem to recall they weren’t very accurate anyway. You’ve had some cracking titles, yourself! Claiming the Courtesan, Untouched, Captive of Sin and so on. They are all strong, sexy and just right for you. SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED sounds just as delicious as the book itself!
Thanks for saying you like the titles, Christina. I’m really rapt that Grand Central kept the Rogue title and it looks like they’re keeping the title for the next book too – A RAKE’S MIDNIGHT KISS. I had to laugh – someone asked me what SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED was about. Uh, check that title again! LOL!
Congratulations on the book!
Forgetting to Sin
Too much Sin
Seduced by chocolate
bn100 I’ll be Seduced by Chocolate any time:) THanks for the suggestions!
My title would be:
Mischievous Mistress
Not so great, but it’s worth a try.
Mischievous Mistress by Melody May. That’s so cute! Thanks for playing, Melody.
Congrats on the release and the upcoming books, Christie. I’m not very creative with titles….
I like titles that are fun or have antonyms or the ones that are alliterations. My fave title is also my fave book by Suzanne Enoch, London’s Perfect Scoundrel. I like the title because it gives the locale and tells that the hero is a scoundrel who turns out to be a perfect(ly) wonderful hero.
How about these, as cheesey as they are: Sexy Scoundrel Secrets or Rake of the First Order. Bleh, I’m bad at this.
Hi Deb! I loved that Suzanne Enoch series! Thanks for the suggestions. It’s nice to have a fresh perspective.
Christina, congrats on your upcoming release and your new deal. I can’t wait to read them.
Titles take me forever to come up with, even when I’m not slightly brain-fried. I think To Kill A Mockingbird was pretty much perfect. Gone With the Wind and The Lord of the Rings, ditto.
Thanks Nancy! It seems you like the classics! I agree those are great titles.
Congrats on your release… I’m not to great with word play and titles..
Passing by Love
Love found in the Garden
Thanks so much Cate! Your titles make me wonder about the story behind them. Great:)
Just a few suggestions, will have to rest before thinking longer on the subject. Thinking gives
me such a headache!
The Distraite Debutante’s Dilemma
The Arrogant Earl’s Antiquated Attitudes
Lost In Love’s Labyrinth
Consorting With The King
Princely Principal’s Principles
Pat C.
Pat, I’m snorking with laughter over these! Looks like ladies love alliteration here!
Congratulations on the new series. Since having duke, sin or wicked in the title sells books, these words should probably be included. Since the heat level has increased, how about:
Fifty Shades of Sin ( you may as well jump on the bandwagon)
Ravishing the Duke
Wicked Scoundrel
Nights of Temptation
Ooh, Kim, me likey those titles! Thanks so much for playing and for the congrats.
I pretty much suck at titles, but here goes, Christina!
The Rake in the Garden
The Duke Does Devonshire
The Marquess Marrys Marnee
A Lady in Hand Is Worth Two In the Bushes
See, soooo not good at this.
Can’t wait for A Duchess To Remember!
LOL Suz, I’m loving the Duke Does Devonshire!!
Thanks for the congrats and I hope you enjoy Duchess!
I’m terrible at thinking up titles so I’m not even going to try.
Congrats on the upcoming release, Christina. I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of A DUCHESS TO REMEMBER and it’s wonderful! Can’t wait for the guys’ books!
Thanks PJ, so glad you liked it!
I thought Sally Mackenzie hit a good book/series/marketing title with her naked series (pens & pins with ” I’m a naked reader” on them)
Gamistress, Sally really hit on a fabulous hook there, didn’t she? Those were great titles.
I really liked many of Sabrina Jeffries titles, like the Hellions of Hallstead, and how to Woo a Reluctant Lady.