Questions tagged [titles]
For questions about problems you encounter while working on the title of your literary work, such as legal questions about the copyright, style questions about capitalizing words in the title, process questions about finding a title that fits your work or questions about the influence of a publisher on the title of your work.
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How to rephrase and simplify a title? Need help with sentence structure
I have the following title:
Why drinking from a glass bottle is better than drinking from a glass
cup at work?
I meant to say that there are lots of benefits to drinking from a glass bottle such ...
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1
answer
83
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Is it OK to name stories after songs?
I've been writing a story for a while, initially and continuing to be inspired by the song "People Are Strange" by The Doors. For a majority of that time, I've called the story People Are ...
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3
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Is there a style convention for how to "format" a book title in plain text (no formatting)?
Typically book titles are ideally italicized or otherwise underlined. For example:
In his book Some Book Title, John Doe describes...
Is there any style convention for what to do if you are limited ...
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1
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462
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Are book and movie titles italicized when mentioned in dialogue?
Just to be clear: I understand the rules on punctuating all manner of titles in writing. I want to know do these rules apply when used in dialogue.
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1
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Should the Table of Contents be title case?
I did read Which words in a title should be capitalized?
Now I'm asking myself when creating the "Table of Contents" for a book should I apply there the same rules for capitalization in the ...
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1
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432
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Is copying a book title considered plagiarism? [duplicate]
I'd like to know if choosing an already existing book title is a type of plagiarism?
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1
answer
103
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Does the title of a work have to be in the same person as the work?
In a recent work I wrote, the body of it is, as in most of what I write, in the third person. However, my title is in first person, using the word “we.”
Is this is an acceptable thing to do? Does the ...
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3
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Suggestion/help needed with book series' subtitles containing series numbers
I have a series of books, e.g. Acme Travel Series...
Book Title: London Sightseeing
Subtitle: Acme Travel Series
(Book 1 of Acme Travel Series)
Book Title: Tokyo Sightseeing Volume 1
Subtitle: ...
- 111
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0
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83
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Is a comparative title in an ongoing book series considered a recent comp or not?
I have a novel where I have an excellent comparative ("comp") title in mind, but the book is part of an ongoing series of novels (scifi/fantasy, if it matters). The suggested time range for ...
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1
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112
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Should an edit notice be in plural when mentioning multiple document titles?
I'm sending a message to a group of people informing them of an edit to one of their documents now mentions a reference to multiple documents and their titles. There is a total of four documents with ...
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2
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2k
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How can I confirm that my book title isn't already taken?
I am writing a book that I plan to self-publish through Amazon's self-publishing service.
My book is non-fiction. Searching Amazon.com, I could not find any other book with my title, yet it seems a ...
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1
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94
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Can we save the name of a book we want to publish? [duplicate]
I want to publish a book in India, with a particular name. Can I save the name for using it in future? Or if there is already one book published with the same name, can I use it again?
- 221
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2
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59
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Section headings: "to check..." vs. "checking"
I have a technical document which consists of the following sections:
1. Assignment statements
2. Concatenation
3. Data types
4. To check whether key exists
5. To retrieve value
6. To check whether ...
- 129
0
votes
1
answer
38
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Interrogative section headings are fine in a tech business blog?
I have a feeling that I overuse questioned headings in my writings about tech and business issues. I don't want to give examples of texts but, believe me, I use (or want to use) it very frequently ...
- 115
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1
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48
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How to properly put asterisk around a term?
How do I properly put asterisk around this title? Do I put it at the end of the title of after the term, KonMari Method?
Which one is correct?
How the KonMari Method Changed My Daily Routine*
or
...
- 21
0
votes
0
answers
85
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Title within a title: How to format properly using Chicago style
Would this be an appropriate way to format the title of my essay, or should it be different? I am using the Chicago style. I am using two book titles within my own title.
Would this be the proper way ...
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2
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425
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Multiple superimposed supers
I'm trying to figure out the correct formatting for multiple supers for the intro of my film. I imagine four separate superimposed lines, one appears, then fades away, until they are finished. How ...
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2
answers
125
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Can we use a title that alludes the opposite of what we're arguing for?
Let's say you decide to claim that time is absolute and not relative as Einstein said. Can you still use a title like "Einstein's time", "Relativity of time", "The geometry of time", "Time dilatation",...
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votes
10
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Why are one-word titles so dominant in books, film, and games?
Something I talk about with friends when planning and sharing our projects & media we like is titles - and specifically my disdain for one-word titles. They seem to be more than dominant in ...
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3
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Using a prominent phrase from the title of a film in the body of an article, essay or paper, without referencing the title
I'll start with a clear example. You are writing an essay about the film The Wizard of Oz. Following the rules of titles, you put the film title in italics whenever you use it.
But then you use the ...
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votes
4
answers
223
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Is it the right call to title my romance a 'legend'?
I am writing a book and I plan to call it "Legend of (name of the protagonist)". But I'm writing in first person (protagonist). Searching the meaning of the word "legend" in google I get: "a ...
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Do I need to change the title of my book because it is similar to the Transformers Universe?
I used the name Primus and Primes for my book and these are from the transformers universe. My concept is totally different. Is this a copyright infringement?
I introduced a secret society named "...
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1
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190
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Is it confusing to name a chapter after a non-POV character?
I've got another chapter title question.
In the first chapter of my story, a significant secondary character is introduced, and I think it makes sense to use the character's name as the chapter title....
- 3,305
5
votes
2
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351
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Using quote as title - disadvantages
There are multiple examples of works of fiction using for their title a quote from another famous work: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls and more.
The ...
9
votes
3
answers
407
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Reusing story title as chapter title
I've come up with a good title for my story, but it would also work really well as the title for the first chapter. However, I wonder whether it's at all advisable to do that. Do other stories do that?...
- 3,305
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votes
2
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248
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Can I use a TV sitcom name as part of my book title
I would like to use the title of a TV sitcom in the title of my book. How do I find out if this is without legal ramifications?
2
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2
answers
153
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Changing titles, same story different angle
I have written a piece stemming from an idea about a particular process that leads to the attainment of magical abilities. The working title was written for the small, 250 word, treatise that I used ...
- 10k
2
votes
1
answer
78
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How do I write a long title in APA?
I'm writing a science paper for school, and my teacher said I need a
short title (running title) and a long title that uses active voice (a sentence).
How do I write the long title?
The short title ...
7
votes
3
answers
208
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Is a tag line useful on a cover?
I am playing around with cover art ideas and have some that are quite interesting. I have added a brief tag line, not quite a subtitle, to the cover to indicate the genre. Frankly, the artistic photo ...
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5
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2k
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Shortening a title without changing its meaning
Essentially, I want to change:
Managing a lot of people is a very difficult problem
to:
Lot of people, difficult problem
I understand that when you shorten a title, it will become more vague, ...
4
votes
1
answer
148
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Would publishers accept a title which includes the F-word?
I have a title for a novel, however, it would lose its zeitgeist if I couldn't include the F-word. I can't go in to details without giving away the title.
Would this limit the potential audience ...
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vote
2
answers
50
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Reversing title and subtitle in foreign edition
I am publishing a book with an American publisher. My contract allows me to make a separate contract with one particular foreign publisher for a translation in his language. That foreign publisher ...
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4
answers
3k
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How to search for titles of novels that are or begin with a word or phrase previously used as the title of many nonfictional works?
Say I have a possible title for a novel I am writing, and it's a word or phrase that has been used in the title of quite a large number of nonfictional works, sometimes as the whole of the title. But ...
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1
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90
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Indexing a long title with multiple parts and "The" at the beginning
In indexing a lengthy, clumsy title like this:
The Orphans, The First Day: The Blue Sedan
I'm wondering where the ", The" should be placed:
Orphans, The, The First Day: The Blue Sedan
...
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votes
5
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302
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How do I finish my stories although I have both ideas and titles for them?
Almost every day I come up with new titles and rough ideas for new books to write. I e-mail them to myself, happy and longing to write them down. I have published two books, and I know I can write. ...
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3
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3k
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Is Having Two Titles Bad Style?
In older literature - mostly 19th century - I noticed a common tendency to provide two alternative titles for a text. One example I just came across is:
Varney the Vampire; or, the Feast of Blood
...
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1
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3k
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What is the correct way to print song lyrics on a gravestone?
I need to know the correct way to quote a song lyric on a stone that is to be placed in a memorial garden.
The first part of the song is in quotation because that's the way it's written in the ...
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1
answer
241
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How do I label a graphic novel series?
Similar to the issues brought up in Structuring a novel like a television or graphic novel series, I'm adjusting a saga I'd conceived as an animated TV series of ~42min episodes, 13 episodes per ...
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votes
2
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Book Series - Is using 'Volume #' OK (with no book name)
I've written a book (the first in a series) and am getting read to Kindle Direct Publish the book. While I do have a good name for the world and series, I am having a hard time coming up with the name ...
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3
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2k
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New story in 'same universe'. When is it a sequel? How to title?
This is a two-part question, and I hope that's okay.
1. Would it classify as a sequel
I've created a 'universe' in which one main story takes place so far. This will presumably be my first book. It ...
- 2,571
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1
answer
64
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“ The doctor spirit 'Dr. Tom' ” - possible book title? [closed]
I have written a book about a medical doctor who died. This doctor's spirit however comes back and takes control of normal, random people to continue his medical profession. Hence, the spirit is a ...
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45
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Titles as Real Estate [closed]
For a piece that I’m writing, I’m looking for the titles of well known of literature that could double as the heading of a real estate listing. I’ve come up with:
As You Like It
Wind in the ...
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3
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187
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Is putting Heaven in my book title a bad idea if the book isn't religious?
I have a really good title for this book, but I'm scared it implies the book is religious when it's really not. The title is "The Only Way To Heaven Is Up." It mostly focuses on people overcoming ...
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6
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5k
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System for Coming up With a Good Title
I have come up with a way to make it easier for myself and others to come up with titles. I am in need of advice to tell me whether or not if it is a good system for coming up with a title for a sci-...
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1
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95
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Use of "salesy" secondary titles on Amazon
I was looking at the sales rankings on Amazon today with my publisher and he pointed out that all of the self-published best sellers have a short title then a semi-colon followed by a pitch line (see ...
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5
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421
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Too Long for Title/Subtitle?
I was considering naming my book "Cherry on Top." However, because this may be hard to search for on Google, I was going to add a subtitle. Perhaps make the full title/subtitle "Cherry on Top: Not so ...
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2
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A different question regarding titling a novel - Edited
THIS QUESTION HAS BEEN EDITED: KEEPS ORIGINAL TITLE TO MAKE SENSE OF EXISTING ANSWERS, BUT I'M ADDING THE FOLLOWING: I do somewhat regret choosing "farmers" as my fake title, since most ...
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Need help titling my book? [closed]
So... I'm writing a book that takes place in an alternate world. In this world, there are a bunch of islands that align with the star sign constellations (Ex: Gemini, Sagittarius, etc.) the island ...
2
votes
1
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874
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Books with similar titles
I wrote a book and after publishing it, went to search for its availability. That's when I discovered that another book written 8 years ago has the same title. My title, unlike the other one, includes ...
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votes
2
answers
85
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A tale of noun?
I'm trying to write a blog under the heading "A tale of happiness".
The problem is that it sounds odd and almost all the heading that sound right have "two $NOUN" format (in case of common nouns) ...
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