Help Me Pick a New Book Title
9 Comments
Can you help me decide on the subtitle for my next book ?
I am finishing my long-overdue photography book about the National Parks, to be released this summer for the NPS Centennial: 456 pages, 450+ photographs, 120,000+ words, 60 maps, 12×10 inches, $65. The book has two unique features. It is comprehensive, with images from each corner of each US National Park in a beautiful design. It doubles as a photography guide (location notes, with a bit of my experiences and impressions). More details are at TreasuredLandsBook.com, where you can also enter a draw to win a free signed copy.
The working title is “Treasured Lands” because it is the name of my traveling exhibit, but it itself, it doesn’t say “National Parks”. I need a subtitle. With that in mind, I have created a survey with exactly one question: “Which subtitle would make you more likely to purchase my book”. To see the options and vote, click here if you don’t see options below.
Create your own user feedback survey
In addition, would you be interested in reading a chapter of the book ? This would be about a single national park (you let me know which one you are interested in), and I’d like to hear your ideas, rather than grammatical corrections. If so, email me.
Thanks for your help!
Love the cover, QT. Beautiful. I would opt to leave out the 59 from the sub-title because as soon as there are 60 parks then the title will sound out-dated.
Thanks for the comment, Richard. Very sensible, Dayton Duncan said the same. On the other hand, 60th would be a pretext for a new edition that would sound more updated. 59th was 2013, but 58th was 2004.
Good point QT. Might come down to what your future plans are then.
I actually like having the 59 in the subtitle. I do understand the point about the possibility of it becoming outdated, but also it’s an opportunity for a revision. Or even selling a stand alone chapter with the new park. IMHO if you say “All” and then a few years down the road a new Park is added, then it becomes misleading.
Thanks Elizabeth, that’s a very compelling point for 59 over “all”. How would you sell a stand alone chapter, though ? I’ve never seen that done before.
Photograph America sells something like this, though not just the parks (there are some of those). You could just do it via ebook format, on park-by-park or even regional basis.
Looking forward to publication!
I used to subscribe. What you are describing is definitively in the cards, since I’ve much more information (and images) that can be be fit in 7 pages – average for each park in this book.
I like the title as it is. It’s not long. Your explanations make the title meaningful with regards to the outstanding efforts you put into making those marvelous photographs available to the public. As a photographer, I envy your ventures and learn a lot from those awesome photos you took, large and small!
Agree with those using the 59 in the title, it is simple, too the point, and most of the others are too long for some to write about. They are more apt to mention the book in email etc. Means free publicity. They would be less likely to write the entire longer names. With tons of relatives, know Id only use the shorter title. (My grandfather had 21 children, and all had 6-13, most of his grandchildren like me had 5-6, though one has had 11.) Fortunately, we have a website where we can all keep in touch.
Bob Johnston