Playing with Titles

Playing with Titles Playing with Titles Playing with Titles By Maeve Maddox Sometimes writers need to take time out from the slogging business of writing to play a little. This week several members of my critique group had a little fun with a feature at Lulu.com. The Titlescorer is an interactive feature that purports to analyze a book title in terms of how likely it is to find its way to the bestseller list. According to the information at the site, a research team analyzed the title of every novel to have topped the hardback fiction section of the New York Times Bestseller List during the half-century from 1955 to 2004 and then compare[d] them with the titles of a control group of less successful novels by the same authors. The data is based on about 700 titles. If you type in the titles of some bestsellers you’ll find yourself wondering how the research team arrived at its conclusions. Some blockbusters come up with â€Å"a 10.2% chance of being a bestselling title.† Along with typing the title, you have to choose from a couple of drop-down menus that ask you to specify â€Å"grammar type† and indicate part of speech. Depending how you answer, The DaVinci Code can score as high as 35.9% or as low as 10.2%. I’ll have to admit to having spent more time than I should have playing with it. No matter what combinations I tried, the highest score for any title I was able to come up with was 59.3%. One of my colleagues put in a title that scored 65%. I wouldn’t be too influenced by the results you get for your title, but playing around with the Titlescorer is as good a way as any to hash out your ideas. Just don’t play too long. That draft is waiting. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Is She a "Lady" or a "Woman"?Comma Before ButThe Two Sounds of G