Novel Titles – What’s in a name?

~ Kristina Stanley

It’s always exciting receiving feedback from my agent. This time it was about the title of my  2nd novel.

The working title for my second Kalin Thompson Mystery novel was The Final Gate. I loved it. My agent’s editor had a different view.

I thought I’d share the very politely worded comment regarding the title. Here it is . . .

It might, however, need a new title because the present one could be confused with “The Western Gate,” or the aboriginal term for the entrance to the afterlife…

I’d put a lot of thought into the title, ran it by my readers, friends and family, and still there is more to learn.  But . . . I’d rather know now that the title might be the wrong one.

Where am I going with this? You may have noticed I updated my site with a new title for The Final Gate. The new title is:

Descent

I’m excited about the new title and also excited to get feedback to make my novel better before it gets sent to a publisher.

Isn’t the saying something like, SO much to learn . . . SO little time.

Thanks to my agent, Margaret Hart, and her team for helping me through this process.

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6 thoughts on “Novel Titles – What’s in a name?”

  1. I think it’s amazing that you have an agent! Good for you…I got to get one for myself. Titles are a tricky thing. I think good titles are so important. If I like a title I’m more likely to recommend a book to my friends, because I like saying it! 🙂

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    1. Good point on recommending books or not because of a title. If I don’t like the title, I might not read the book. That’s where an agent can help. Nothing like industry experience to help get things right.

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  2. Normally it’s the title that draws me in and then the blurb, but I’m one of those readers who would still read the first few pages and give the book a chance in case I did not like the title or blurb. I also look at the authors blog and if i think they sound cool I get the book that way too. Love the title by the way, sounds epic!

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  3. I’m currently reading The English Patient, a great book I might never have picked up due to the title alone. But in retrospect, I can hardly think of one better.

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  4. Good for your agent, knowing the aboriginal term for the entrance to the afterlife! I like the new title. ‘Descent’ has an eerie foreboding about it that makes me want to read it!

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