What's in a Name -- or a Title?
Imagine if F. Scott Fitzgerald had called his most famous novel, "Trimalchio in West Egg," "Gold-hatted Gatzby," or "The high-bouncing Lover." These were all potential titles he proposed to his editor at Scribner. As it was, when "The Great Gatzby" made its debut in the mid nineteen twenties, it received pitiful sales. It wasn't until the author was dead that the book exploded onto the bestseller lists.
The classic "Treasure Island" was almost called "The Sea Cook." Robert Louis Stevenson took a stab at calling it "Treasure Island: a Story for Boys," before wisely dropping the subtitle. Would you have read a book touted as a story for boys? Think how much of his audience he would have lost.
Booksellers agree that a book must grab the buyers attention. In order to do that, it must have a catchy title. What if Margaret Mitchell had titled her Civil War blockbuster "Tomorrow is Another Day," or "Ba! Ba! Black Sheep?" Yes, these titles were serious contenders as she wrestled with the words that would best describe her story. Here are a few more titles she considered: "Tote the Weary Load," "Milestones," "Jettison," "None so Blind," "Not in our Stars," "Bugles Sang True." I have read Mitchell's classic several times and cannot imagine it called anything but "Gone With the Wind."
And how does one come up with a winning title?
Well, according to the research of Arthur T. Vanderbilt, author of "The Making of a Bestseller," Ms Mitchell was reading one of her favourite poems and happened on a line that struck her. The line went like this: "I have forgot much, Cynara, gone with the wind, flung roses, roses riotously with the throng." In the midst of this poem was her title - gone with the wind.
Peter Benchley and his editor bandied about titles like "The Stillness in the Water," "The Summer of the Shark," "The Jaws of the Leviathan," "The Terror of the Monster," "The Year They Closed the Beaches," "Why Us?" before finally agreeing on "Jaws."
A title has to have magic, but where does the magic come from? How do authors come up with just the right title? A title that will echo in peoples minds for generations. According to Ernest Hemingway, "getting a title is a lot like drawing cards in a poker game. You keep on drawing and they're all worthless but if you can last at it long enough you can always get a good hand finally."
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