tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post9180610134855810796..comments2024-03-28T06:28:49.282+00:00Comments on Picture Book Den: The Thing That You Call It In Not Many Words That Kind of Says What it is and All That... by Jonathan AllenUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-52090331963943204582013-08-22T12:38:51.366+01:002013-08-22T12:38:51.366+01:00Crikey! Dodgy innuendo titles, eh? One way to find...Crikey! Dodgy innuendo titles, eh? One way to find new markets....Moira Butterfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17355420549929911500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-74526108228453168912013-08-21T07:55:06.673+01:002013-08-21T07:55:06.673+01:00Reach for the sick-bag time! I agree, I'm not ...Reach for the sick-bag time! I agree, I'm not a fan of that book (or unduly cute titles either). Though the illustrations are good. They have to be fit for purpose after all. I was told by a publisher years ago that 'Guess How Much I love You' was quite popular amongst the gay community. She then made the gesture with two hands that fishermen make to indicate length. . . . Cough!<br />Sorry to lower the tone here but I thought it was funny. . . Apologies if it offends anybody.Jon Burgess Designhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686489273842347796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-13656433896051942832013-08-21T07:43:40.022+01:002013-08-21T07:43:40.022+01:00Three 'too's in one short reply. . . tsk. ...Three 'too's in one short reply. . . tsk. . .tsk. . . I'm slipping. . .Jon Burgess Designhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686489273842347796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-87054318939321792332013-08-21T07:41:50.175+01:002013-08-21T07:41:50.175+01:00With you on Aunt Fidget Wonkham-Strong and her iro...With you on Aunt Fidget Wonkham-Strong and her iron hat ;-) and illustrations by Quentin Blake too! There was a follow up book too, 'A Near Thing For Captain Najork', which is great too.<br />In Scotland and Ireland babies roar all the time, not like lions but I'm sure I've heard the word used to describe a baby crying vigourously. Possibly archaic. . . ;-)Jon Burgess Designhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686489273842347796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-37546235830081409242013-08-20T12:55:13.083+01:002013-08-20T12:55:13.083+01:00it's interesting how authors, editors and mark...it's interesting how authors, editors and marketing department often seem to massively disagree about titles. What seems to fit the bill for one person doesn't for another. I would have thought that the best ones are arresting titles - one or two interesting words worthy of further investigation (The Gruffalo), or unusual titles that make you glance twice (Captain Najork, The Baby That Roared etc). But maybe that's just my taste. Other people - probably a much larger market - like 'aaaah, how cute' titles - 'Guess how Much I Love You' being the most blatent. Moira Butterfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17355420549929911500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-6249976085858607572013-08-20T11:09:46.004+01:002013-08-20T11:09:46.004+01:00How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsme...How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsmen is one of my favourite ever books (with the best name ever for a character: Aunt Fidget Wonkham-Strong). I love titles and more often than I ought to, I start with a title (which can become quite forced). A recent one I like a lot: The Baby That Roared...<br />A story of mine that I've finished recently that is being sent around is one I really like BUT I still don't feel the title's quite right. Good topic: thanks, Jonathan!Juliet Clare Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06020801246132751659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-88349627901183958362013-08-20T10:29:56.758+01:002013-08-20T10:29:56.758+01:00A tricky one. Snow and friendship in one pithy phr...A tricky one. Snow and friendship in one pithy phrase is a tough call, I can see why they chose the friendship angle to focus on.Jon Burgess Designhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686489273842347796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-75834005525373266312013-08-20T10:25:42.257+01:002013-08-20T10:25:42.257+01:00Probably not ;-) It's quite a prosaic title to...Probably not ;-) It's quite a prosaic title to start with, you could say. . .Jon Burgess Designhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686489273842347796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-45273749244436770082013-08-20T10:24:53.269+01:002013-08-20T10:24:53.269+01:00And then you get a German Co production and the ti...And then you get a German Co production and the title gets long again! ;-)Jon Burgess Designhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686489273842347796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-4305413721156104582013-08-20T10:15:56.867+01:002013-08-20T10:15:56.867+01:00In a bookshop it can be quite fun to pick books th...In a bookshop it can be quite fun to pick books that appeal and then ask yourself why the titles attracted you in the first place.<br /><br />Sometimes I have a problem with finding the right title. I had a book that I called 'Snow Friends', but there were too many other books of the same name, so I changed it to 'Snowballs'. Later, the publisher wanted a title that reflected what the book was about (friendship) instead of something with a snowy/wintery theme that would restrict sales outside of the winter months. So they came up with 'Best Friends or Not?'. Now people would know what the book was about. I still like 'Snowballs' but I can see why their choice is better.Paeony Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13129555451791248798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-76211504146055216412013-08-20T09:17:09.431+01:002013-08-20T09:17:09.431+01:00Yup, titles are tricky! Wonder if Eric Carle's...Yup, titles are tricky! Wonder if Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar would have made it as The Caterpillar That Eats Lots.Jane Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01361379190770989657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-65143024151260407822013-08-19T16:37:19.456+01:002013-08-19T16:37:19.456+01:00Interesting and important. Another point to bear ...Interesting and important. Another point to bear in mind is that the shorter the title is the bigger the lettering can be, and the bigger the impact in that way. Pippa Goodharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17709422048047155208noreply@blogger.com