Fussing over titles

[mrissa]

I was talking to Michelle about my books, and she brought up an association that has worried me before. timprov suggested that AKICILJ was a good principle to use, but it seems to me that it's opinion more than knowledge. So here we go, and please feel free to elaborate in comments:

[Poll #423689]

Note: please do not get abusive about titles. I have an acquaintance who said things to me (about a different title) like, "Did you pick that title because you want people to ignore your book?" Behavior like that is one reason this person counts as an acquaintance and not as a friend right now. If you think Sampo is a horrible title and you'd never read a book of that name, there are far better ways to express that sentiment.

Comments

[wshaffer.livejournal.com]

I like Sampo as a title, but the sampo story about why the sea is salty was a favorite of mine as a kid. I always sort of wanted a sampo. Of course, just because I like it doesn't mean that it's actually a good title for most of your target audience.

Is the sampo mentioned or introduced at all in the first book? If it's something that readers of the first book will be familiar with by the time they get to the second book, then I really think it's not a problem at all.

On a rather unrelated note, I liked Little Black Sambo as a kid, too. I remember having a long discussion with my parents about its racial overtones, though.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, the Sampo(s) is/are all over Thermionic Night.