August 2003
Can You Answer My Questions About Book Titles?
I hope you can answer my questions about book titles. I just discovered a book with the same title as my children's book manuscript. Can you have more than one children's book with the same title? Also, I am working on a book with a number in the title, "14 Tips for ..." Should I spell out the number or use numerals?
There is no rule -- written or unwritten -- about two books with the same title. When your manuscript is in the submission stage it doesn't matter if there is another title out there that's the same as yours. Once a manuscript is contracted for publication, the editor will most likely discuss a title change with you, especially if it's a duplicate with another title in print. Between you and the editor, you'll come up with a new one that suits your book just fine. For that reason, I always advise writers not to get too attached to their titles.
The same goes for numbers in titles; once the book is contracted, the editor will decide whether to publish the title in numerals. However you can do a search at Amazon.com for books with numbers in the title and see how other publishers have done it. As an editor, I assume most titles are published with numerals, such as "7 Steps to Better Grades."
For a terrific, in-depth look at titles, read "The Theory and Practice of Titles" by Brenda Clough.
Why Show Not Tell?
When I finished my book some people read it and said I was telling and not showing. However, I just read a wonderful middle grade book called "Horse in New York" and it was a deliciously written story TOLD (not shown) by a cute, funny protagonist. The author had the smartest, snappiest, funniest way of putting things. I loved this "tell" book. So tell me, why show not tell?
Is the book written in first person POV? First person lends itself more to "telling" than "showing," especially in middle grade and YA fiction.
I looked up Horse in New York by Cam Parker at Amazon and found it was published by Camelot (Avon) in 1989, which tells me the editor at Camelot at that time liked that style of writing and loved the story enough to publish it. There are exceptions to every rule.
There's usually a reason behind any exception to the rule. A really good story with humor, snappy dialogue, and rich details written first person that contains a lot of telling, would still probably catch an editor's eye. Children's editors are always looking for a good story.
Spend some time reading the current popular children's books. Publishers Weekly published a list of Bestselling Children's Books of 2002. Pay attention to POV. Look for instances of showing and telling. Studying the technique of other authors is a good way to understand your own.
Why Do Editors Detest Rhyming Stories?
Aside from the fact that most people rhyme poorly and take all kinds of liberties they shouldn't with rhyme, why is it that editors detest rhyming stories even if they have wonderful plots?
Not ALL editors detest rhyming stories. Or rather, some editors like stories in verse, but many editors detest rhyming stories.
Rhyming stories, or stories written like a poem in stanzas, often sacrifice story for the sake of rhyme. Stories in verse contain words that rhyme, but most of all the words invoke a rhythm, a beat. Successful stories in verse -- ones the editors like -- contain a strong plot, lively characters, and a good story.
The 2002 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market contains an excellent article on the subject, (if you don't have a copy, maybe your local library does). In her article "Is it Really a Crime to Write in Rhyme?", Barbara J. Odanaka says:
" ... editors often complain that the bulk of rhyming manuscripts they receive are just plain stinky. Mangled meter, forced rhyme, inverted sentences to accommodate rhyme ... the pet peeves go on.
"As many editors know, a manuscript written in rhyme, even when the rhyme and meter are perfect, does not guarantee a good story. A bee and flea can sit by a tree, but if that's the whole of your plot, well ...
"Comb the shelves of bookstore and libraries; analyze catalogs. Note which publishers support rhyme -- and which do not. You'll save time, postage, and spare yourself an insta-ject if you avoid sending verse to publishers who rarely buy it."
In other words:
- Rhyme right
- Put story first
- Be extra creative
- Rhyme for a reason
- Research the market
For more information:
- The Theory and Practice of Titles
- http://www.sfwa.org/bulletin/articles/clough.htm
- Publishers Weekly Bestselling Children's Books of 2002
Peggy Tibbetts has been a professional writer, editor, and full member of the Society for Children's Book Writers & Illustrators for the past 26 years. She offers courses in children's writing and has edited several successful children's manuscripts. She is the author of the children's novel The Road to Weird, as well as the adult novel Rumors of War. Peggy also moderates the The Write List discussion list at Yahoo.
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