Have you noticed that a novel seldom has a subtitle? Subtitles usually belong to the realm of non-fiction—and what a gift someone gave us when he or she invented subtitles. (A subtitle follows a title, and the two are separated by a colon.)
Let’s
be clear about subtitles: “Your subtitle is not just some front-cover
formatting slot to fill,” writes Susan Kendrick.
Susan
is right. Your memoir’s subtitle has hard work to do. It helps accomplish your title’s
goals.
A
title’s goals are to:
- establish a distinct identity for your memoir,
- catch potential readers’ attention,
- entice them to buy your book,
- read it when they get home,
- and recommend it to their friends.
A
subtitle sheds light on a book’s title.
A
subtitle also:
- tells how your book is different from others,
- hints at what a reader will find within the book,
- expands on the title,
- entices readers,
- and might allude to secrets within.
Brooke Warner wrote recently, “The most popular trend in memoir . . . is to identify
your key theme or themes, and build a simple subtitle around that: A Memoir of
Faith, A Memoir of Resilience, A Memoir of Love and Loss.”
Brooke
says that type of title works “because generally memoir readers are seeking out
memoirs based on themes they’re drawn to or exploring in their own lives.”
You’ll
want to read Brooke’s post, "An Author's Guide to Book Subtitles." In it she
includes Eight Key Takeaways for Book Titles.
Look
at these memoir titles without their subtitles:
The
Perfect Storm
Jackie’s
Girl
Love,
Africa
What
Remains
A
Long Way Gone
Thin
Places
Thirteen
Days
Plunder
Little
Matches
Falling
Awake
Did
they intrigue you and make you want to buy them? Do you have a good idea what
they’re about? Probably not.
Now
look at them with their subtitles and notice how they reveal the book’s
contents:
The
Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men
Against the Sea, by Sebastian Junger
Jackie’s
Girl: My Life with the Kennedy Family, by Kathy McKeon
Love,
Africa: A Memoir of Romance, War and Survival, by Jeffrey Gettelman
What
Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love, by Carole Radziwill
A
Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier,
by Ishmael Beah
Thin
Places: A Memoir, by Mary DeMuth
Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban
Missile Crisis, by Robert F. Kennedy
Plunder:
A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure, by Menachem Kaiser
Little
Matches: A Memoir of Grief and Light, by Maryanne O’Hara
Falling
Awake: An America Woman Gets a Grip on the Whole Changing World One Essay at a
Time, by Mary Lou Sanelli
Kisses
from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption, by Katie David Majors
Review
the goals of a title (above). Do the subtitles help accomplish those goals? I
say yes, except for two.
Mary
DeMuth’s Thin Places: A Memoir, is still vague. I’d prefer a subtitle that offers
better hints about what readers will find within. People acquainted with the
definition of “thin places” will have some insight into the book’s contents,
but many people don’t know the term. From the back cover, thin places are the “places
where the division between this world and the eternal fades. . . . snatches of
holy ground . . . where we might just catch a glimpse of eternity.”
Also
Kisses from Katie’s subtitle doesn’t work well. Readers need to read the back
cover to learn that at age nineteen, Katie moved to Uganda and adopted thirteen
children.
How
long or short should a subtitle be? Mary DeMuth’s subtitle is two words, “A
Memoir.” Mary Lou Sanelli’s is a whopping sixteen words long. There are no
“rules” for how long a good subtitle should be, but it’s best to avoid
unnecessary wordiness.
Here are tips for crafting a strong title/subtitle:
- Choose an easy-to-understand title.
- Choose an easy-to-pronounce title.
- Choose an easy-to-remember title.
- Consider the benefits of a short, crisp title.
- Witty can be good—if it really works.
- Even if your title isn’t short, be concise: Does every word need to be there?
- Read your title aloud. How does it sound? (See Priscilla Long’s advice from last week as well as Susan Kendrick’s “What Makes a Good Subtitle and How Long Should it Be?”)
- Beta readers, and others who have helped you with your manuscript, might suggest titles.
- Choose a title that feels just right to you.
Finally,
let me once again encourage you to read—even study—Susan Kendrick’s post, “What Makes a Good Subtitle and How Long Should it Be?” It’s packed with helpful info,
not just subtitle length.
Have
fun crafting your memoir’s perfect subtitle!
No comments:
Post a Comment