# Title Options



## wainscottbl (Feb 27, 2015)

So a title can sell books. A bold title makes people look. The title I prefer or have in mind is "The Passion of Robert Clyde". Passion being in the sense of an allegory or metaphor of Christ's passion. But "The Pervert" has a boldness to it. The story is about a man who rapes and murders young girls, one seven and one four, in the most brutal manner. The surviving sister goes to the prison to tell the man how she feels but eventually begins to have compassion for him, etc. His execution grows closer, etc. 

1. Which do you like "The Passion of Robert Clyde" or "The Pervert"
2. Which would market better and would a publisher prefer one over the other?


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## Docbad (Feb 27, 2015)

Hmmm, personally, considering the severely heinous nature of this guy's crime, I feel like "The Pervert" would practically be a misnomer, you know? Does the story itself mirror the Jesus' trial and execution? If so, "The Passion of Robert Clyne" might be the better title, in my opinion.... Just my two cents, brother.


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## wainscottbl (Feb 28, 2015)

Docbad said:


> Hmmm, personally, considering the severely heinous nature of this guy's crime, I feel like "The Pervert" would practically be a misnomer, you know? Does the story itself mirror the Jesus' trial and execution? If so, "The Passion of Robert Clyne" might be the better title, in my opinion.... Just my two cents, brother.



Yeah, it focuses on suffering, redemption, etc. It does not mirror the trial and execution of Christ, however, as the guy is guilty, but there is a suffering of the protagonist and his own suffering thorough her eyes--the whole story is told from her POV. I think the idea of a "passion" works better. Besides, "The Pervert" my stick out too boldly. "The Passion of Robert Clyde" has a more refined, softness to it. It is about something human and ultimately human love.


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## Kyle R (Feb 28, 2015)

wainscottbl said:


> 1. Which do you like "The Passion of Robert Clyde" or "The Pervert"
> 2. Which would market better and would a publisher prefer one over the other?



I can't answer the second question for you, as I'm not a publisher.

But as a reader, I would prefer the first title, as there's a character name in it. And one thing I love about fiction is characters.

Food for thought: 

_*The Mystery of the Iron Mask*_ sold 11,000 copies annually, but when the title was changed to _*The Mystery of the Man in the Iron Mask*_, over 30,000 copies were sold that year.

My personal opinion is that sales increased (nearly tripled!) because the new title involved the mention of a character. :encouragement:


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## Caragula (Mar 1, 2015)

Agree with Kyle, I prefer 'The Passion of Robert Clyde'.  You have to have an eye for stuff like search engines, domain name and the like too if you're hoping the book will get published, the former is more 'specific' to your creation.


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