I think it depends on what your book is about. Seth Godin's "Purple Cow" book might seem pretty blind- and to someone who hasn't read the book it is. But actually, as Godin describes it, a "Purple Cow" is a cow you notice, because it's different from the rest. This ties in exactly with what Seth's book is about.

I'd recommend you look through your book for an anecdote or metaphore that resonates strongly with the theme of your book. Find your title there.

Remember the heat wave in France in 2003? Someone somewhere came up with the perfect headline:

"Frogs Fry"

See that? Just 2 words, 2 syllables, but it tells you exactly what the story is about, in an eminently memorable way. I don't have anything against blind book titles, but my suggestion is for you to decide what your book is about, and then think of the best & simplest way to convey exactly that.

When browsing books I haven't heard of, I will usually read the back blurb first only because there are many books I've enjoyed that have had the most boring covers or titles that didn't jump out at me. Usually though I read things by authors I've enjoyed or because a friend suggested it. I read your book because I've been a fan of the blog and column for so long I knew that your book would be good just as I'm sure that regardless of any new title, I'll enjoy any other books you write.

This in essence is the same topic as the pickup lines from yesterday. Not everyone's interested in a pickup (or a disproportionately-clever book cover), and others will merely resist poor execution.

"Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable"?

Just what I needed: more buzzwords.

Four months or so ago the company president stopped by to talk to us - about 40 people who could be spared from running the process. The third time he said, "work smarter, not harder", I held up a hand and stopped him. "Excuse me - but doesn't that start at the top? You're talking to people who literally have no choice but to follow procedure and do what they are told." He didn't expect to have somebody who studied our processes in the audience, and didn't know that the crowd was going to discount what he said. Things didn't go downhill from there, but it was all over right then.

The hard lesson is that whatever you write or say, you can't say something that's been said before or that your target audience doesn't want to hear - unless you can say it and make them like it.

There I go, illustrating what I was warning against: you already knew that.

But I wouldn't have bought the book above.

For non-fiction? The author's name sells the book. I buy books by someone who I think knows what they are talking about.

Although anyone who titles a book on business practices "Purple Cow" probably doesn't.

Sex sells, use double entendres. Too bad you are not writing a gardening book. You could call it “Fire Bush” “A Red Heads Guide to Garden Health”

Kind of a lame example; however..........

How about "I dunno, could be better..."? That title would have me reading the back cover, at least.

I mean that.

OK, let me put it another way. You can knock yourself out trying to be clever, selling a book or chasing tail....

You can knock yourself out trying to be clever

True, but I don't think that's always the case with blind titles. I'm torn on Purple Cow. I think it's a compelling title that would probably make me stop to take a second look. I think it has more impact if the potential reader knows it's a business book, though. If one was looking for book of that sort, the title is great because it stands out from the rest of the rather wordy titles of that genre. And the title makes perfect sense once you start reading the book (I hope it's explained in the book).

My favorite "blind" titled book I've ever bought is this one. To be fair, I did find it on the "Weird, Odd, and Wonderful" table at Barnes & Noble, but it did catch my attention. Mauve as a title just made me stop and take a second look. And it, too, is a title that makes perfect sense within the context of the book. It's about the man who accidentally invented the color mauve while he was trying to synthesize quinine. It revolutionized several industries and was probably the first big industrial foray into recycling (you could now use the waste coal tar for something rather than throwing it away).

This one, too, has a subtitle, so maybe that's a difference in good and bad blind titles. But the single word title is still accurately descriptive of the book, even if you don't know what it means just by looking.

A question: is this just an issue with nonfiction? Many, many novels have blind titles (that then, hopefully, make sense as you read the book). In fact, several of my favorites have titles that make sense but aren't ever explained (Trainspotting, A Clockwork Orange and The Wanting Seed to name a few). I've seen nonfiction and fiction books alike that have titles that are too cutesy and clever by half; I've seen both whose titles are too wordy and dry, too. I know that in a nonfiction book, especially those of the self-help genre like Purple Cow, you want something clear. But I prefer something concise, and bonus points for clever or humorous as long as it's within the context of the book.

Purple Cow: Making Your Business Stand Out in the Herd would have made more sense.

Too much cow metaphor for one book, Jen.

And thanks, everyone.

I'm reminded of "She'll Do Anything For A Tennis Ball."

And no, that's not the title I'm thinking of, but a waitress we like at our favorite restaurant said that about her German shepherd, and I found it funny.

I never saw a purple cow;
I never hope to see one;
but I can tell you anyhow;
I'd rather see than be one!

- Gelett Burgess (1895)

Ah, yes, I wrote the "Purple Cow"—
I'm Sorry, now, I wrote it;
But I can tell you Anyhow
I'll Kill you if you Quote it!

- Gelett Burgess (1897)

Seeing the title Purple Cow would make me think the idiot minumum wage employee had misshelved a childrens book

> a waitress we like at our favorite
> restaurant said that about her German
> shepherd, and I found it funny.

It's wonderful, but only because you paid off the riddle.

There's nothing as mundane as obscurity for its own sake. I always loathed Bob Dylan... This piece from Steyn set my heart free. And I grew up to dislike filmmakers like Wes Anderson and Tim Burton. These people don't seem to realize that the world is full of mundane mysteries and impenetrable personalities. To imagine that the culture needs more of them is to think far too highly of one's own powers of discernment. There are plenty of interesting conundra for the gifted to explicate.

'Sides, "purple cow" has been in use as a metaphor since I was in 8th grade. It was the "black swan" of the early 70's. Wikipedia says it's much older than that. It's not "blind", it's just infrequently seen.

That's some hilarious writing, that Steyn piece.

Shit, I didn't even link to the right part of it.

"With Dylan, the songwriting styles they were a-regressin'..."