Creating a title for a non-fiction book seems comparatively easy. It needs to make a statement about the contents of the book and possibly the author’s stance. When I wrote my first two non-fiction books for Wayland Publishing they were part of a series so the title was agreed in advance. My university books: Applying to University and Surviving University (Need to Know) were similarly constrained and the books I wrote linked to my family website, Parenting Without Tears (Endeavour) worked well as a series title.
My short story collections (Endeavour) took their titles from one of the stories: Cheque-Mate and Other Takes of the Unexpected and A Tale of Two Sisters. However the latter did begin life as A Proper Pride!
However there was a sense of freedom that came with selecting titles for my crime novels published by Urbane. I wanted the title to encapsulate the story in a creative and perhaps off-beat way.
Therefore titles of the first two books are linked to favourite poets. Dancers in the Wind is a reference to a verse in Dryden’s poem Fortune:
“I can enjoy her while she’s kind;
But when she dances in the wind,
And shakes her wings, and will not stay,
I puff the prostitute away.”
One of the central characters is a prostitute and several are killed during the narrative, so that verse seemed pertinent to me.
For the sequel, which begins with the murder of Hannah Weybridge’s close friend, I worked on various connotations. I tried out various combinations of words from Death and Dispossession to Ambassadors for the Dead. Some 12 titles competed for the crown.
I was eventually inspired by Andrew Marvell’s poem, In Mourning – in particular the last verse:
“I yet my silent judgment keep,
Disputing not what they believe:
But sure as oft as Women Weep
It is to be suppos’d they grieve.”
So this led to title number 13 – Death’s Silent Judgement which will be published in May 2017.
Before deciding on these I made sure there were no other books with the same title by searching for books on Amazon and other websites. It’s amazing how often authors (or publishers) come up with the same title and confusion can arise sometimes with one author benefiting from the popularity of another.
Now I am writing the third book in the series and am considering titles. There are various facets of the narrative that I’d like to include but they won’t necessarily sit well together.
So again I am jotting down any ideas as they come to mind. Perhaps another poem will be the inspiration I need?