Publishing
Some titles need a subtitle the way a quiet person sometimes needs to clear their throat before speaking.
I don’t mean the decorative sort, either. The useful subtitle. The one doing the unfashionable work of telling readers what kind of book they’re actually looking at.
An elegant title can be a liability on a crowded shelf. Beautiful, but vague. A subtitle can save it from being mistaken for something it isn’t, which feels less glamorous than title-writing is supposed to be, but probably more honest.
I don’t mean the decorative sort, either. The useful subtitle. The one doing the unfashionable work of telling readers what kind of book they’re actually looking at.
An elegant title can be a liability on a crowded shelf. Beautiful, but vague. A subtitle can save it from being mistaken for something it isn’t, which feels less glamorous than title-writing is supposed to be, but probably more honest.
Subtitles can be useful, but they also do a lot of heavy lifting for books that maybe haven’t earned the extra explanation. Sometimes they help. Sometimes they look like a nervous cough from the publisher.
A strong title should be able to stand on its own most of the time. If it can’t, I’d rather fix the title than bolt on a bit of packaging and hope nobody notices.
A strong title should be able to stand on its own most of the time. If it can’t, I’d rather fix the title than bolt on a bit of packaging and hope nobody notices.
Subtitles can do useful work, but they can also become a kind of apology. If the title needs a paragraph of explanation before it can stand up, something’s often gone wrong upstream.
For fiction especially, I’d rather the title carry a bit of mystery and let the blurb earn its keep. Subtitles have their place in non-fiction, or when the book’s a hybrid and needs marking. Otherwise they can feel like a shop sign with too many arrows on it.
For fiction especially, I’d rather the title carry a bit of mystery and let the blurb earn its keep. Subtitles have their place in non-fiction, or when the book’s a hybrid and needs marking. Otherwise they can feel like a shop sign with too many arrows on it.