It Is All in a Name ~ Classic Book Titles... By John Hansen

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   Misbah786posted 3 years ago

   I just finished reading John's interesting and informative hub. As writers, we understand how tough it is to come up with a good title for our books, stories, novels, or even articles. It's always hard to decide a good title.
   
   John in his article told us about a few of the many famous stories/novels that have had their titles changed before they hit the shelves.
   
   
   It happened to me several times that I changed the titles of my articles. John, you really made me realize how tough it is to find a suitable title for a book. Titles, in my opinion, are very important. I also loved the quote by Judy Blume. The video is also very interesting.
   
   According to John's hub, he will also publish the second part of this article. What an excellent piece of writing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Thank you so much for writing this fantastic hub, John.
   
   If you haven't already read John's wonderful hub, here's the link: https://hubpages.com/literature/It-Is-A … But-Werent

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      ChitrangadaSharanposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Hello Misbah!
      Thank you for sharing John's article.
      An excellent and thoughtful article.
      The works, which you have mentioned in your article are great. I can think of many more, whose titles got etched in my mind, since my younger days.
      Yes, titles are the first important part, for a writer.
      I have changed titles of my articles/ poems at Hubpages, and it has proved good, with regard to viewership. But, we don't have that option in print books.
      Thank you for an engaging and enlightening read John.

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         Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

         A good title is great and sells the story both offline and online. That's what counts in writing an article. These equally applies in writing a lelter.                                 Thanks John, for the read.

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            Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, Miebakagh, it is not just book titles that are important, but articles, poems, short stories, recipes, and as you say even letters. Thanks for reading.

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         ChitrangadaSharanposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Hello John!
         The second part of your article is also a great read. It’s interesting to know, how the titles were changed, of the best sellers.
         ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is one of my favourite, and I believe, even ‘First Impressions’ sounds good. There are many other interesting title changes, which you have mentioned in both your articles.
         It’s good for the online writers, that they have the flexibility to edit or change the title, if it’s not working well for the article/ poems etc.
         This was a very well thought of topic, and you have done full justice to it.
         Thank you for sharing.
         Thank you Misbah, for sharing John’s works.

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            Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Chitrangada, thank you for your interesting comment. I agree, "First Impressions" would not have been a bad title as an alternative to "Pride and Prejudice," but many others were much worse. I am glad you found this topic interesting.

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      bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I really enjoyed this article. I love reading about little known facts, trivia, and such that aren't blatantly known. John's look at famous book titles and the possibilities the authors ran through before settling on the final moniker was interesting and fun, something I'd not thought about prior to reading John's article.
      
      Thanks for another entertaining read, John! And thank you, Misbah for giving us a place to chat about John's work without inundating his personal email inbox!

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         Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you for reading this, Shauna.i am glad you found it interesting, fun, and entertaining. Thanks again Misbah for sharing both of these articles..haha, yes my email inbox needs clearing..I think I have 19,000 unread emails.

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            Misbah786posted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Yeah! I did something good. Lol!

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         Misbah786posted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Lol! Thank you, Shauna.

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   Jodahposted 3 years ago

   Misbah, thank you so much for starting this thread. I am glad you found the article interesting and informative. Choosing the right title sure is a tough job.

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      Misbah786posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      You are most welcome, John.
      Blessings always!

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   bhattucposted 3 years ago

   That is a lovely account of giving titles to the book or any work by a writer. Interesting reading. Well presented, John!

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   Jodahposted 3 years ago

   Thank you for taking the time to read this article, Umesh. It was very interesting to research this information.

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   surovi99posted 3 years ago

   This was an interesting read. Your examples showing how book titles were eventually changed to become bestsellers were very intriguing. I really enjoyed  and loved reading about them. Thank you for sharing, John. Looking forward to the next edition.

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      Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I am glad you found this article interesting, Rosina. I often spend more time on my titles than writing the content I think. Much appreciated.

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   Miebakagh57posted 3 years ago

   I like the title changes, if that impact a story better.                                  Seriously, I've use this same method to change many an article title, and the fine result speaks value.                                Okay...waiting for part 2.

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      Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Glad you enjoyed this and follow some of he same methods yourself, Miebakagh. Part two has been published.

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         Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

         John, happy to hear that. Will go look for it.

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            Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks, Miebakagh.

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   Pamela99posted 3 years ago

   This article is very interesting, John. I know it is tough to come up with that perfect title. The list of classic books you listed are great examples.

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      Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Pamela. I don't feel so bad when I keep changing titles of my articles now.

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   Misbah786posted 3 years ago

   Here's the link to the 2nd part of the article written by John Hansen:
   https://hubpages.com/literature/It-Is-A … but-Werent
   
   This part is also very interesting and informative. I am sure everyone will enjoy this one as well.
   
   Thank you to everyone for starting the discussion and thanks a lot John for this wonderful article.

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      bravewarriorposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I also enjoyed Part Two. Thank goodness some of the titles were changed to what we know today. Of Mice and Men stands out. The original title is vague and doesn't spark curiosity.
      
      However, there are a couple that John featured where I actually like the original title better. For instance, Roots. I don't think the title would prompt me to pick the book up off a shelf to see what's inside. However, Before This Anger piques my curiosity. I would, at the very least, read the jacket cover to see what "this anger" is and how it drives the book.
      
      Tess of the D'Urbervilles would not tickle my curiosity either. I have no idea who she is and don't care. Conversely, Too Late Beloved appeals to the fiction reader I am. That title is more intriguing. Too late for what? Is this a mystery? Was a crime committed? Love lost? Open the book and find out!
      
      Interesting articles, John. I enjoyed them both.

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   Jodahposted 3 years ago

   Thank you, Misbah, for starting this thread and for sharing both parts of my article. I hope others find it interesting also.

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      Misbah786posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      My Pleasure!

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    surovi99posted 3 years ago

    Thank you, John, for the second part of the article. It is amazing and intriguing as well. So many book titles changed to become renowned books of today- that itself is awesome. I am glad you spend more time on the title of the content than the content itself. That is why most of what you write is alluring and speak to us. Thanks for sharing again.
    
    Thank you, Misbah, for letting us start discussions on both parts of this wonderful article by John.

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    Jodahposted 3 years ago

    Thank you so much Rosina. I am glad you found it as intriguing as the first. I hoped it would be.

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    pstraubie48posted 3 years ago

    It IS ALL IN THE NAME, for sure. John has pointed that out to those of us who ponder over our titles endlessly which often, if selected well, will entice others to read a book or article.

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       Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you for reading my article ps. I hope it was helpful.

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    Carb Divaposted 3 years ago

    John, it's good to see you still writing here. Your articles are always entertaining and educational. Thanks for an interesting article.

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       Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Hi Linda, I don't think I will stop writing here, but trying my hand at some different things at the moment. I am glad you found this article entertaining and educational.

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    Brenda Arledgeposted 3 years ago

    John
    This is so interesting.
    It reminded me of Twas The Night Before Christmas...it was originally called A Visit from St. Nick.
    
    I doubt if any of these would be best sellers or even remembered if the titles had not been changed.
    That title is sometimes tricky...but so important.
    
    Great write.  I enjoyed learning about these..like Gone With The Wind.

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       Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Yes, Brenda, your mention of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ made me wonder how many famous poems and songs have had their names changed before publication? It must be many. I know that one poem I write that was chosen to be recorded as a song has had its name changed three times and they still are not 100% happy.

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    Peggy Wposted 3 years ago

    Finding the right title for a book can definitely impact sales.  Good work, John!  I wonder what some of the eliminated potential titles were for some of those best sellers?  It would be fun to know.

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       Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Hi Peg, yes I am sure some good  books just flopped because,of weak titles. I found this interesting to research and I am sure there are so many more that could be added.

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    vidsagsterposted 3 years ago

    A very interesting and informative article, John. A good title is very important as it can attract readers. And deciding on a good title is difficult. I have faced this problem many times. Thanks for sharing.

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       Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Vidya, I too am always changing my titles. Even on articles like this one, I think I tried four different ones before I was happy.

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    jansharesposted 3 years ago

    Misbah, thanks for sharing this amazing article. John, I found this piece informative and very entertaining. I can relate on some level as I just published my first book which had a title for almost a year and a half as I worked on it. When I reached the publishing stage, my publishing consultant said, "Umm, you need to change that title; too long and provocative." So I got to work writing out titles by interchanging the different words. She ended up sending me suggestions which I used. It was an interesting process as your excellent article reveals. I really enjoyed it and look forward to Part II.

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       Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       I am glad you found this article worthwhile, Jan. I felt the need to write something other than my usual poetry and I thought this may be a subject not oversaturated and interesting. I hadn’t read a lot about this before so hope others would enjoy learning about these alternative, unchosen titles.

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    jansharesposted 3 years ago

    Just read Part II, equally as entertaining. Excellent work, John and so original.

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       Jodahposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks again,

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    Jodahposted 3 years ago

    Thank you, Shauna. I am glad you enjoyed this topic and I have to agree with your observations. I found I liked a few of the original title ideas better as well.

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