Coming up with the titles for my books has been one of my favorite exercises so far. The title is one element of my books I did not research extensively like I have most of my self-publishing tasks. I based my title selection solely on personal preference.
I was very deliberate about selecting the title for Blue Violet. I knew that it would be the first of a series of four books. I wanted to make sure to select a title that would jive well with the other three titles. Personally I prefer titles that are on the shorter side but that also provide for good visuals for the book cover. And obviously the title has to have something to do with the book itself.
“Twilight” for example was a great title in my opinion. It was short and memorable, provided lots of options for graphics, is a lovely word to say, fit the book, and led to other titles in the series that kept with the theme. So those were my parameters going into picking my titles…
For Blue Violet I started with book content. I could easily gone with a title about supernatural powers, shape shifters, telepaths, or drag– (ah-hem… I won’t spoil that part for folks who haven’t had a chance to read it yet). But I found that a lot of titles in my genre already had something about those topics in them. So my book wouldn’t stand out. I also didn’t want to be too literal.
So then I started thinking of what could represent some of the concepts in my book. That’s when I came up with the idea of flowers. Many of you who’ve read Blue Violet might have missed the following description which is located on the page before chapter 1 starts:
I love the idea of the flower I select for the title having a meaning that fits the book. Flowers have lovely names that are memorable. They offer several options for graphics. In addition, I could tie all the books in the series together by the titles. This idea fit my original parameters perfectly.
I spent quite a bit of time hunting through various meanings for flowers, making sure they were flowers that would work visually for the cover, and narrowing down the list to ones I felt fit the book. Some of the options I considered for Blue Violet included:
– Larkspur (an open heart)
– Edelweiss (courage and daring)
– Acacia (hidden love)
– Queen Anne’s Lace (fantasy)
The second book in the series – which is Griffin’s book if you haven’t found that out yet – will be titled “Hyacinth” which means dedicated to Apollo, loveliness, and sorrow. I couldn’t have invented a more perfect title if I tried. As soon as I found that one, I knew it was the title for his book.
Books 3 & 4 of the series I’m still deciding on. I won’t tell you which character is the focus is of each of those books. But I will share some of the titles I’m considering.
– Nightshade (truth)
– Anemone (fading hope, forsaken, anticipation)
– Red Camellia (you’re a flame in my heart)
– Columbine (deserted love)
– Jonquil (violent sympathy, love me)
– Lotus (mystery & truth)
– Primrose (I can’t live without you)
– Snapdragon (strength, deception)
– Gardenia (I love you in secret)
– Forget-Me-Not (faithful love, memories)
What do you think? Can you guess who they’re for? Which do you like best?
I will leave it to my readers to agree or not on if I selected the right flowers for Blue Violet, Hyacinth and the other two when they come out. I still love the concept, and the titles I’ve picked so far. So that’s a good start!
Perfect name for the next book. Would have not thought Hyacinth had anything to do with Apollo which fits perfectly because of the whole sibling/twin thing.
It really depends on who the books are about. I feel like you'll do a book on Ramsey maybe… or maybe a new character will pop up.
The only book I'd be like eh would be Jonquil only because I don't know that flower and it sounds weird to me but you never know. I got used to Blue Violet and a ways in I thought it fit well/sounded good for the book.
Red Camellia is probably for his girl – Lila
Columbine makes me worried. You better not be planning what I think your planning.
She’s Got Books on Her Mind