We judge books by their covers, but perhaps even more so by their titles! Selecting the right title is a critical part of the creation of a book, and it can be a complex task. It’s not just about picking a catchy phrase, it’s also about capturing the heart and purpose of the story, grabbing attention, and accurately representing the themes of the work.
Here is a peek inside our process here at Master Wings – we’ll briefly go over two rejected and reworked early title ideas from our three most recent Master Wings books here, detailing some of why they shifted and the strategy behind a few of the turns we took to get to our final results.
Whether you’re an author yourself trying to decide on how to choose your own title, a fan of these works, or just looking for some insider information, read on!
Frank Lloyd Wright’s $10,000 Home: Design, History, & Restoration of the Bach House
One considered title for this book was “Frank Lloyd Wright’s Emil Bach House – Where the Prairie Meets the City. “ We removed Emil’s first name from this proposed idea, as by just calling the property the Bach House it became more inclusive and properly representative of the full family that built and lived in the home. Emil Bach was the patriarch, but his wife Anna and the extended Bach family living there beyond them were equally involved, and since Emil wasn’t a widely known figure, people wouldn’t typically search for his name alone.
Adding “$10,000 Home” was done to hook the audience and mark how this was different from Wright’s other efforts. Wright is known for his grand, international designs like the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo and the Guggenheim in New York. But he also designed beautiful and carefully practical small family homes like the Bach’s “little dream house,” for $10,000, so the emphasis – what made this book and its focus unique – was placed.
This brainstormed subtitle of “Where the Prairie Meets the City” also left us with questions instead of answers: What city? What prairie? To address the full breadth of the work and its focus the trio descriptor of design, history, and restoration was added instead, with the words carefully selected to accurately represent the coverage present.
Lita & Jean: Memoirs of Two Generations of Military Women
One of the first book names discussed was “Enlisting the Family: Putting the ‘Me’ in Memoir.” Although it’s interesting wordplay, and it slightly gets across that this is a military affiliated project, a lead of “Enlisting the Family” doesn’t accurately reflect the complicated relationship that Lita and Jean had with their family and the caring and inspirational relationship they had with each other. It was also important to represent that their whole lives weren’t just the military, but that they were individuals dedicated to service and care throughout. So we went with just their first names.
“Me in Memoir” further doesn’t add anything to the concept beyond the information that this was a memoir, and could read incorrectly to audiences as a how-to guide on how to write an autobiography, or that this is a book by just one person, which this is not.
In the end, the focus of the novel, and what made it unique and worthwhile in comparison to others of its kind is how it covers the full span of multiple generations, and women in the military, and so the title should reflect that.
Choosing the right title requires a delicate balance of creativity, strategy, and attention. You need something that resonates with the story and with the reader, but still stands out and secures a strong impact.
If you’re interested in any of the titles above, you can buy them for a discounted price. Master Wings Publishing is holding a 40% off holiday sale through December 26th! Explore our collection, including eBooks and physical copies. No code needed—just visit our site and start saving!
From all of us at Master Wings Publishing, we wish you a joyful and peaceful holiday season. Happy shopping, and happy reading!
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