I’m honored that DIAMONDS FOR THE DEAD was included in The Examiner.com's Top 10 Best Mysteries for Book Clubs, compiled and reviewed by Lynn Farris.
I'm in great authorial company: Cynthia Baxter, Jill Edmondson, Keith Raffel, Michael A. Kahn, David Russell, Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi, Thomas Kaufman, Nancy Pickard, and Lisa Scottoline.
Thanks, Lynn!
What’s in a name?
Plenty, if that name is the title of a book. A book’s title is one of the things that attracts a potential reader’s attention (in addition to the cover, the author name, the blurbs, the reviews, and a crisp twenty-dollar bill sticking out from between the pages).
In other words, you want your titles to POP!
You want your titles to be evocative. Memorable. Dazzling. Mysterious. Inspiring. Enticing. Anything but ho-ho-hum.
Sometimes, authors try too hard or get too cute trying to come up with a good title. I understand Margaret Mitchell wanted to call her book GONE WITH THE ZEPHYR until some sane editor stepped in and gave it a tweak.
I seem to be hit-and-miss with the titles I choose, but it’s not for lack of effort. With each manuscript, I’ll come up with a very long list of possible titles. Then I show that list to my wife and agent, and suddenly that list shrinks to “try again.”
HIDDEN FACETS was the title I used to pitch the book that became DIAMONDS FOR THE DEAD. My title makes sense after you’ve read the book, but Midnight Ink came up a title that is catchy, evocative, memorable—you know, all the things a good title should be (thanks, MI!).
Usually, about halfway through a first draft I change the title of my work-in-progress to STEAMING PILE O’ PROSE. While this might not be a good title for a book, this kind of thing seems to work surprisingly well as the title of a blog post.
My working title for the first book of the comedy club series was THE LAST LAFF, until MI decided to ramp it up to KILLER ROUTINE, A LAST LAFF MYSTERY (thanks again, MI!). And while I worked on the sequel, I called it simply KR2, knowing that MI would come through again with a good title. DEADLY CAMPAIGN qualifies in that regard.
Writing as Zak Allen, I’ve e-pubbed two books. And, without a publishing house, I had to title the books myself. The first one, a horror novel, is called THE TASTE, and I have to say, it’s a perfect title (I won’t go into any details here—some people might be eating their breakfast while reading this). The second book, a suspense novel about a radio talk show, is called FIRST TIME KILLER, which is from a line in the book, “long time listener, first time killer.”
I like both titles, but judging from the sales of the e-books, I might be the only one in the English-speaking world who does. I’m seriously considering change their titles to ANOTHER BOOK BY JAMES PATTERSON and STILL ANOTHER BOOK BY JAMES PATTERSON.
Coming up with a good title has always been difficult for me. The very first (and very awful) manuscript I wrote, which I titled FATHERS & SONS until I realized some old Russian had already used that name, now sits in a lead-lined box underneath my bed where it poses no threat to society. In fact, I’ve changed the title of it to NO THREAT TO SOCIETY.
And come to think of it, I’m sure Dave Barry would agree with me when I say that NO THREAT TO SOCIETY would make a great name for a rock band.
(This entry is “simul-posted” on InkSpot)
We’re writers.
We’re experts at certain things. Procrastination is one of them. Here are my Top Ten Ways For Writers to Procrastinate
(Warning: Do Not Try This At Home).
10. Research every possible detail in the book, including the Zagat reviews of the restaurants where your characters eat.
9. Tell yourself that re-reading To Kill A Mockingbird will put you in the right mood.
8. Dig out all those books on writing to help you power through those rough spots.
7. Revise your first paragraph over and over (and over), even though you know it will be gone by the time you’ve reached your final draft.
6. Go to the kitchen to get a snack. You can’t be expected to do your best work on an empty stomach!
5. Explore the many, uh, faces of Photoshop (see picture above).
4. Aren’t those cat pictures on Facebook adorable?
3. Don’t treat the thesaurus as a tool, but as an afternoon excursion.
2. One word: nap.
And the number one way for writers to procrastinate:
Think up Top Ten Lists.
(This entry is “simul-posted” on InkSpot)
In 2005 (or maybe it was 2006, my memory is a bit murky with dates), I attended my very first mystery writing conference.
And I had an absolutely wonderful time. I was just learning the ropes, and I was in awe of all the successful mystery writers in attendance. I went to a ton of panels and learned a lot about the craft of writing, and about the publishing business, and about how to hang out at the bar like a writer. I met a lot of great writers, both published and unpublished, and began many lasting friendships.
I liked it so much, I returned the following year (2006 or maybe 2007. Did I mention my memory is a bit murky?), met a bunch more great people and honed my technique for hanging out at the bar.
I had another absolutely wonderful time.
That’s why I’m so excited to be returning this year. If you’ll be there, I hope you’ll consider coming to one of my panels:
On Friday, March 2, from 9:00 am to 9:50 am -
The Traditional Mystery: It isn’t gone, it’s evolved.
Panelists: Alan Orloff (that’s me), Toni LP Kelner, Dana Cameron, Joelle Charbonneau. Moderated by Elaine Viets.
On Saturday, March 3, from 11:00 am – 11:50 am -
Get A Job! Finding the right occupation for your sleuth.
Panelists: Jamie Freveletti, Alan Orloff (me again), Donna Andrews, Ellen Crosby, Keith Thomson. Moderated by Sandra Balzo.
If you can’t make it to either of the panels, I’m sure you can find me hanging out—at the pool or at the bar or just riding the elevator. Come up and say hi!
For those of you who have been waiting for a way to get a personalized inscription, by the author, on a Kindle book—your wait is over!
Check out kindlegraph!
All you do is click on the title you’d like “inscribed,” send an email, and wait for the magic to happen (I think).
You don’t even have to own the book to get an inscription.
Here’s my author page. Try it out today!
I’ve blogged before about my stand-up shtick, but here’s a recap of my recent DEADLY CAMPAIGN launch party, in pictures:
Me and my larger-than-life book
Me trying to lead the group in Simon Says
Bookmarks for all!
At least someone thinks my stuff is funny
Standing room only - I guess they heard about the free cake!
And speaking of the cake, it was the funniest thing of the afternoon!
(Look closely…)
(This entry is “simul-posted” on InkSpot)
Click through to read it, and then start following her blog. She’s a definite book lover!
Posts
All Comments
