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

[seagrit.livejournal.com]

Ok, so I didn't read the comments all that thoroughly, but have you actually said yet what (a) sampo is, for those of us that are still clueless? The best I can come up with is "Finnish mythology something-or-other".

As for titles, I have to admit, they do play a large part in what I initially pick up to read. If I came across a book titled "Sampo" without knowing the author, I probably wouldn't even read the dust jacket, just because "Sampo" doesn't give me, personally, any clue as to what the book would be about. ("Midnight Sun Rising", on the other hand, probably would get picked up.) But if it were part of a series that I liked, it wouldn't matter what the title was.

[timprov.livejournal.com]

The great thing is, that's the best the Finns can come up with, too.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I haven't yet, but I will soon.