It is often, though far from always the case, that writers have a working title for their manuscripts in progress
I keep getting positive feedback on what I call the placeholder name for my current manuscript. But the problem is, I don’t love it. I see its appeal and I definitely understand how it feels like the title for a mystery story. But, to me, it’s just not clicking. Maybe it’s because it’s very short. Just two words. Nine letters. (With apologies, I feel like I can’t actually write said title here.) Granted my first published novel had a one-word title (Audition); but my second one had a nice, meaty 6-worder and I liked it better. It sold better but then, the title probably wasn’t what moved that needle. As the bard is often quoted, “a rose by any other name…” and all that jazz.
Yet, for some reason, this title issue has had me feeling stuck, which led me to wonder, “Does one need to lock in a title before finishing a manuscript?” And, “Are longer titles better or more helpful for the writer-in-process?”
These are the questions which (combined with procrastination) pointed me down a rabbit hole of novel title research. Pithy, evocative and epic phrases grace book covers aplenty but I narrowed my focus to mysteries, my current genre of interest. Herewith a few results of my research: some favorite examples of long and short titles, their plots, origin stories and a quote or two.
Three luscious long book titles
SPECIAL TOPICS IN CALAMITY PHYSICS by Marisha Pessl
Published in 2006, Special Topics in Calamity Physics is bit of a genre-bender, combining satire, coming-of-age, dark academia and mystery with chapters titled like a course syllabus reading list.
Admittedly “terrible at titles,” Pessel explains her titling process for this novel to the Kenyon review here https://kenyonreview.org/2006/11/a-conversation-with-marisha-pessl-part-i/ It involves perusing college course catalogs and a good sense of humor.
…never try to change the narrative structure of someone else’s story… Spend your energies on your story. Reworking it. Making it better. Increasing the scale, the depth of content, the universal themes. And I don’t care what those themes are – they’re yours to uncover and stand behind – so long as, at the very least, there is courage. (from Chapter 1)
A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER by Holly Jackson
Jackson incorporates interview transcripts, project log entries and traditional narrative text into her 2019 YA mystery debut, which became a massive best-seller and spawned a Netflix series.
Jackson explains how she named her book with help from Goodreads lists and inspiration from an iconic Douglas Adams book title here https://www.tiktok.com/@agoodgirlsguidetv/video/7387087485966372128
But there was one final player in this story… and it’s us. Collectively we turned a beautiful life into the myth of a monster. We turned a family home into a ghost house. And from now on we must do better. (from Chapter 24/Epilogue)
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME by Mark Haddon
Haddon’s 2003 crossover mystery is narrated in the first-person voice of a boy with autism and notable mathematical abilities, and features chapters named for prime numbers. Haddon saw this work as his first adult novel but his publisher successfully released both adult and YA editions.
Haddon discarded his working title with inspiration from an 1892 Sherlock Holmes story by Arthur Conan Doyle entitled, “The Adventure of Silver Blaze,” as he explains to London Theatre News here https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/7-facts-curious-incident-dog-night-time/
Mother used to say that it meant Christopher was a nice name because it was a story about being kind and helpful, but I do not want my name to mean a story about being kind and helpful. I want my name to mean me. (From Chapter 29)
Two pointed and pithy short titles
VERITY by Colleen Hoover
Hoover’s 2018 psychological thriller follows struggling writer, Lowen, who is hired to complete the series of Verity Crawford, a best-selling author who has been injured in a serious car accident. Instead, Lowen discovers Verity’s hidden autobiography and must decide whether to expose its potentially damning truths or keep Verity’s horrifying secrets hidden.
Answering questions on Goodreads, Hoover noted that, “As far as book titles, I almost always come up with the title first and work it into the book somehow.” As a reader, I see Verity as an evocative title because it both highlights the concept of “truth,” a key theme in the novel, and is the name of a central character.
An autobiography encouraging the reader to like the author is not a true autobiography. No one is likable from the inside out.
A writer should never have the audacity to write about themselves unless they’re willing to separate every layer of protection between the author’s soul and their book. (from Verity Crawford’s manuscript/autobiography within the novel)
THE MAID by Nita Prose
Prose’s 2022 debut novel features a neurodivergent hotel maid who discovers a corpse in one of the guest rooms she cleans and soon finds herself the prime suspect in his murder.
In a 2022 Publisher’s Weekly article, Prose describes the incident that inspired the concept (and ultimately title) for her debut. After accidentally interrupting a maid cleaning her London Hotel room: “It occurred to me in that moment what an intimate and invisible job it is to be a room maid. Simply by cleaning my room every day, this maid knew so much about me. But what did I know about her?”
Truth isn’t always the highest ideal; sometimes it must be sacrificed to stop the spread of pain to those you love. (Chapter 5)
My truth is not the same as yours because we don’t experience life in the same way. We are all the same in different ways. (Chapter 14)
Who Wins the Long Versus Short Title in Mystery Novels Face-Off?
I have come to realize that while I have a personal penchant for longer titles – juicy mouthfuls that take multiple lines in the cover design – both long and short title can work if they effectively evoke the book’s story and vibe. It also doesn’t matter whether you find the title before or after you write “the end.” What’s important is that if you feel the need for a working title to center your concept or drive your writing forward, then build one that unclenches your stomach. And, if you just don’t care about the title while you’re in process, write on with my envy and compliments.
What are your favorite mystery book titles and why do you love them? Is a title important (or essential) to you when working on a manuscript? Drop a comment and let me know.
