Whatchamacallit

A couple of interesting posts about titles this month (links below) reminded me how important it is to choose the right title for your book, something I learned the hard way.

Although my query indicated the plot involved a quest, I called my book "The Mermaid's Daughter", not realizing it would lead agents to think the story was about mermaids and nothing else. In fact, one agent rejected me in four minutes: "Sorry, I already have a mermaid book. Best of luck!"

Aargh!

So what do I call my new and improved version?  Apparently titles that follow the format "The Somebody's Something" are less well-received than others. Sure, there are dozens of examples that contradict this, such as "The Time Traveler's Wife", but as a debut fiction author, I want my work to stand out from the crowd.

For now, the working title is "Zakret", the tree of power my main character seeks. I think it adds a bit of mystique that goes well with the story's adventure.

How about you? How do you decide on your book's title? Ever started with one and changed it?


Dystel & Goderich Literary Management's post: http://dglm.blogspot.com/2010/06/what-to-title-your-book.html
Pimp My Novel's post: http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2010/06/rose-by-any-other-name.html