Thread: Your help on my book title is highly appreciated!!!

Hello everyone,
my new book will be officially released with a press release 09-10/2011. I need your critical help in selecting the "right book title". The provisional one is "Romance on the Greek Isles". If you are kind enough to read the book synopsis - below - I would love to have your experienced opinion and possible suggestions on the book title.

Thank you very much,
Dimitri

Romance on the Greek isles…

Story:
Paul, 35, has a Harvard Business School (HBS) MBA, is very wealthy and is single. As he is well experienced in guiding MBA applicants, an elderly friend asks him to advise Sophie, 24, also single, in her successful HBS MBA application. Sophie is as beautiful as a Greek Goddess and extremely multitalented and smart. They both live in Athens, Greece. They madly fall in love. They date. But, so does an underlying tragedy appear. As their love passionately blossom, so does their tragedy sprout.
On their first date she tells him, “I respect you for not having taken advantage of me”… Does she mean it? Or does she badly want him? How badly does he want her? What is in their minds? What signals do they exchange? How do they interpret them? What will happen?
He visits her at HBS on her first year. They travel together, twice during the summer after her first year. Paul reserves two single rooms on their first trip to NYC although he badly wants her. She makes her advances but he rejects them because of what she told him on their very first date. She is crushed. After the first trip to NYC and her rejection she decides to give him a second chance.
He invites her to Paris. She sends him strong signals, but the NYC scenario is repeated. Both want each other badly but Paul is afraid. Sophie is fuming mad. She decides that the next time Paul invites her to a trip she will refuse his offer and dump him. Paul attends her graduation. Shortly after, he emails her with another invitation to a sandy luxury Greek resort. He mentions two single rooms, again. She mails him back declining his offer angrily. He calls her. All hell breaks loose. She is fuming mad. He interrupts her proposing a suite. She talks for ½ an hour explaining that she wants to be flirted, and feel wanted. Paul explains that he only followed what she told him on the first date. She madly goes on for another ½ hour explaining that it’s the man’s job to do the courting and consummate the relationship. She feels insulted, humiliated and ignored. They agree that she calm down, think cool and to text him. Three hours pass and she texts: “Let’s go”. They go to the resort and it happens. The consummation is described indirectly, obliquely without the words sex, making out etc. ever being used there or at any other part of the book. He proposes marriage. She warmly accepts. They spend a week, on a friend’s villa on the green Greek island of Kefalonia, with its white beaches, azure sea and a tall mountain with very dark fir trees. They stay in an Athens resort. They buy a house near Athens. They travel to Switzerland, Boston and NYC on business. They visit Cuba and Saint Bart’s. They travel to India, Tanzania and Namibia and then to Paris. Paul’s friend lends them his yacht and they cruise barren, off the beaten track jewels of islands with their white washed houses. They get married a few days before New Year’s and spend their honeymoon in Venice…

Themes:

• Romance: The book is very passionately, romantically written. It is very amorous, dreamy and atmospheric as their love dialogues spread throughout the book. It is definitely not erotica, just pure romance.
• Poetry: Their original love poems dot the book. The writer finds ways to interject their love poems exchanges even when they are together.
• Travel: the writer emphasizes detailed, vivid scenery and atmosphere description wherever they travel. He tries to make you feel that you are actually at the spot.
• Balanced life: in Athens they see Paul’s friends who are mostly wealthy. But they also see his former colleagues from his past jobs who lead a humbler life.
• Philosophy: a lot of their philosophical deliberations enhance the book. A central theme is poverty. When visiting HBS they endow a Chair. Its purpose: to convince American Corporations that by investing in third world countries they can both profit but, also help these countries create jobs and develop economically. They promote the Chair with PR firms and lobbying firms and their cause is a success…

[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME~1/Dimitris/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image002.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME~1/Dimitris/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image004.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME~1/Dimitris/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image005.jpg[/IMG]

Meet and Greet in Crete

Ha ha. Sorry. I'll try to think of something.

From what I hear, unless your name is as well-known as John Grisham or Stephen King or perhaps Clive Cussler, you are very unlikely to have any say whatsoever in the title of your book. To the publisher, a business person whose sole aim in life is to make money, your book is no more than a business venture. I think you’ll find the publisher employs creative people whose job it is to dream up book titles that will grab the prospective buyer’s attention (the buyers are the ones with the money, the ones who are going to make the publisher rich ). The publisher trusts the track record of these employees to deliver the goods and is most unlikely to go with input from an unknown in this field. So stop worrying about it.

Yes I am completely unknown. As you obviously did not care to know I self publish with Create Space/Amazon. It is my own responsibility to find my own title. So when you don't know the facts I find the tone of your response unpolite to say the least. I was expecting your help and not a teacher's talk to a first grader. I suggest that in the future you direct your anger elsewhere, not to me.
Dimitri

From your synopsis I would say that its less to do with Greek islands and more to do with the relationship itself. they seem to spend a long time getting together and also they go travelling elsewhere when it finally blossoms. Perhaps think about the central theme of the book and use that to inspire your title. I must say while reading the synopsis I was under the impression you have written a romantic comedy. Sorry if its not. But also remember that titles must be eye catching and do not necessarilly need to define the book content. Is there a key, implied, section in the story that finally makes things happen? What is it about the couple that prevents them from getting together straight away?

I appreciate your time and input.
Thank you,
Dimitri

How about "Chasing Aphrodite" or "The Quest for Aphrodite"? After all, you describe the woman as goddess-like in her beauty, and Aphrodite is the most beautiful of the Greek goddesses.

A very good suggestion. Although not a Goddess but a queen, Helen of Troy was considered a true beauty. I'm always amazed how Americans know Greek mythology so well. Congratulations and thank you,
Dimitri

Why would Americans knowing Greek mythology be a surprise?

And, not to rain on your thread but, you wrote the book so surely you can come up with a title for it? Also, if it's already set for release in either September or October, depending on how you display your dates, then wouldn't the title also be confirmed? Seems a bit late in the day to be choosing titles for an accepted and soon-to-be released book.

1. Let me specify. I'm Greek American living in Greece. Believe me the Anti-Americanism and unbelievable misconceptions about Americans in Europe are just terrible and this goes back centuries. Many times I declined dinner invitations because I was sick and tired of hearing nasty comments on the American people. When they think of Americans (in their jealousy inferiority complex) they only think of McDonald's and KFC. Believe me they consider the average American to have a very low level of education. I constantly receive hate e-mails on this. I had the opportunity to study for six years in the States AND IT IS NOT TRUE. I met many "average" Americans and many times I met people who knew more than me on Greek philosophy, mythology, history etc. and I was so embarrassed. You have excellent museums and music halls all over. And you have a library in every city and tiny village. This Europe doesn't have. If you don't believe me on the above just use Google on European anti-Americanism to find out.
2. I do have a proposed title for my book: "Romance on the Greek Isles". I was just asking for help for finding something possibly better.

Thank you for your input in any case,
Dimitri

If I got what you are shooting for, I think A title like "Missing Signals" might come close. Oh, and as for the mythology, I ran a course in that subject for several years. It included Greek,Roman, Norse, and others.

If I got what you are shooting for, I think A title like "Missing Signals" might come close. Oh, and as for the mythology, I ran a course in that subject for several years. It included Greek,Roman, Norse, and others.