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srebak Since: Feb, 2011
#1: Dec 31st 2014 at 7:03:09 PM

I'll cut right to the chase; in a fantasy novel i'm writing, i've chosen to use the title: Island of Dragons. The main character is a dragon from this island and the story does start at titular location, but the rest of the story is about the MC traversing the other islands near his own. So i ask you, do i need to change the title?

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#2: Dec 31st 2014 at 9:23:26 PM

You'll have to consult your editor if you plan on publishing it, they'll have insight on what the best selling title would be. If it's a Selfpub, offer "test titles" to members of your family, friends, or beta/alpha readers and see which one works best.

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Paradisesnake Since: Mar, 2012
#3: Jan 1st 2015 at 2:46:22 AM

Title is usually the first thing a potential reader learns about your work, thus it has an important role in selling it. A good title catches specifically the eye of your focus group. That's why we have tropes like Mad-Lib Fantasy Title and Mad Lib Thriller Title: certain words instantly tell us what genre the work in question belongs to.

Take for example Hyperion or The Matrix. When a reader/viewer interested in sci-fi sees a title like this they can instantly see that this is something they might enjoy. Kill Bill is an obvious revenge story, and no one is surprised to hear that violence plays an important role in Battle Royale.

Now, your title has the word "dragons" in it so it at least fills this role rather well. However, in addition to just raising interest, title also has the role of guiding it. It can tell us the central theme of the story. It can help us figure out the meaning behind a more abstract story. It can actively deny us any new information, aiming to only make us even more confused. Or maybe it just sounds cool.

In the end titles are tools. If you think your title sends your readers the message you want, then it's a good title. If not, then try to come up with one that does.

edited 1st Jan '15 3:48:56 PM by Paradisesnake

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#4: Jan 1st 2015 at 3:44:42 AM

If you don't think it really fits/works and can't think of anything better, don't sweat it. Just use it as a Working Title and keep on with your story. Perhaps later on something will happen that will give you the inspiration for a better title.

Most of the things I work on have Working Titles that serve only to tell the projects apart - "Survival Story", "Fantasy Kitchen Sink", "Proto-Cyberpunk".

Compared with actually getting them finished and getting the action, dialogue, pacing etc right, the actual title is unimportant.

And who knows, somewhere while I'm halfway through the last act I'll have a brilliant inspiration for what it should be called. If not, I can agonise over it later - after I've finished the rest of the work.

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