Coming up with a good title of the book or story you’re writing is so important to its success, which is why I’m doing a few posts about it. Last week I talked about titles that scream the genre, and this week I’m going to talk about titles that create a sense of mystery.
The advertising copywriter term for this is an “open loop.” The title has a missing piece, and the agent, editor, or book lover wants to read more to attain closure or solve the mystery.
Internet advertising uses the open loop all the time… because it works! People see the headline, “Lose weight using this one weird trick,” and they can’t help but wonder what that trick is.
“Open loop” titles are a natural for mysteries, suspense, and thrillers, but they can work for several other genres as well.
Here are some examples of “open loop” titles.
This title makes me think: wait, is this a symbol I’m familiar with, or a symbol that no living human has ever seen? How did it get lost? Why does it matter?
The Silent Sister, Diane Chamberlain.
Why is she silent? What is she hiding? What does she know?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky.
Lots of avid readers are wallflowers! Of course they want to find out what the perks are.
What She Left Behind, Ellen Marie Wiseman.
Oh my God, what was it? Her baby? Her contact lens solution? What?
Secrets of a Charmed Life, Susan Meissner.
Who doesn’t want a charmed life? Tell me those secrets!
The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield.
Okay, back up. What were the first twelve tales? What’s the big deal about the thirteenth one? I have a lot of questions. (Great book, by the way!)
Confessions of a Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella.
What did she do?
The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien.
What things?!
Everything I Never Told You, Celeste Ng.
Tell me, damn it.
[AdSense-B]
Some titles have a strong air of mystery, while others are just a bit coy. It’s all a matter of degree.
Does your title ask a question that people want to answer? Do you think your WIP could benefit from a title like that? Let me know in the comments!
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How does “An Unlikely Coincidence” grab you? My first WIP.
That is such a perfect example of an “open loop” title! You know we all want to know what that unlikely coincidence could be. Good one, Suellen!
Great post, Bryn. The name “The Thirteenth Tale” reminds me of Sharon Shinn’s “The Thirteenth House,” which is the second book, not the thirteenth book, in her fabulous Twelve Houses fantasy series (start with #1, Mystic and Rider). It’s worth re-reading. Shinn has a way of making me read topics and characters I’d usually be too uncomfortable reading about.
I am not familiar with Shinn’s work, Kathryn, though her name sounded familiar! So I just looked her up on Amazon and her stories look like they are right up my alley 🙂 I’m really intrigued by your comment about her making you read topics and characters that would normally be a bit uncomfortable!
Great post! I am a sucker for the “open loop” titles. They grab my attention every time!
Oh yeah, me too. Thanks, Yvonne!
I love how you did this all with examples. My third book, ‘Dana’s Dilemma’ was the first one where I used an open loop title. It got a of interest and now I see why. Hmm…might have to rethink some future titles!
Aw thanks Anne! Diana’s Dilemna is such a good example, and it has a great ring to it, too… I’m not surprised it piqued a lot of interest!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
This is so timely, Bryn! I NEED to come up with a title for my book that I hope to self-publish soon. This gives me good things to think about. I was stuck on nouns. “The Keeper”, “The Burning Stone”, etc. Now I’m going to think about open loops….
And I loved the Thirteenth Tale. Great book!
So glad this was well-timed, JA! I have a post about another approach going up next week… not sure it will help at all, but tell you what, I’ll bump it up to Monday since you’re on a deadline 😀 I go back and forth on titles a lot.
Congratulations on having a book about ready to go — so exciting!
Great post. Thanks for this information.
Thanks for reading, Don! 🙂 Hope you have a great weekend.
I literally LOL’d (like, a LOUD LOL) at “Oh my God, what was it? Her baby? Her contact lens solution? What?” 🙂
Caitlin is reading The Things They Carried for her English class right now. She’s pretty fascinated with the story, whatever it is.
I really liked the title The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo when it first came out. Because a girl who has a dragon tattoo sounds like she would be someone I’d like to be friends with.
But I’ve still never read the book. I should probably do that.
😀
Great Advice Bryn! Got me thinking about many great titles and how this works for them. Gone With the Wind – what is gone, why is it gone, what will happen now, and where did it go? I really enjoyed Formulas for Catchy Titles #1 also!
What do you think of the title “War Against Humanity” and the title “What Exactly is Pluto”?
Hi Morgan! They are short and catchy. I do wonder, though, if they sound a little like nonfiction? That would be my only concern!
What do you think of the title Garden of Souls? It is the final title for a novel that I am currently working on.