On Thu, 30 Oct 1997, Lesley Hall wrote:
> Every publisher has a list of genre buzz words which are
> thought to work in titles, ie boost sales. The buzz words for British
> readers aren't always the same as for American readers.
>
> I would find this more logical if the titles were more buzzy! Very seldom the
> case.
>
> American publishers sometimes think British titles are too literary or
> poetic.
>
> You mean, like 'Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters'?!!!
>
> Sometimes one publisher simply doesn't like another publisher's title.
>
> Is that a good reason?
>
> Sometimes another book has been recently published in one country with
> thesame or a similar title and the publisher wants to avoid confusion.
>
> I guess there's some validity to that one.
>
> Sometimes the author gets her/his way with one publisher and not with the
> other.
>
> It's a tough life being an author and not being able to name one's own
> production...
>
> Lesley
> Lesley_Hall@classic.msn.com
>
Hey, I never said the reasons for changing a title made much sense, just
that they were the reasons. What I've been told, by authors, editors and
distributors, is that what the American publisher wants is a title that's
instantaneous identifiable by genre just from the title. Thus, To the
Stars is clearly science fiction, Sword of the Warlock is clearly
fantasy, Darkness Lurking is clearly horror, and Love's Passionate Fury
is clearly romance. Who cares if the title is any good or if it's a cliche
or if it's been used before. The point is that the illiterate putting the
book in the rack at the grocery store will be able to tell which two book-wide
column it goes into and the reader at the mall store where most of the books
are shelved spine out will be able to tell whether s/he wants to pull it off
the shelf for a look see.
Which leads one to ask how Nalo ever got away with using an old island
song title like Brown Girl in the Ring for an SF novel?
Mike
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