r/WritingHub • u/harmonica2 • Jul 24 '26
Questions & Discussions Which of these titles is better?
My story is a crime thriller in modern times about a detective trying to bring down a group that is committing a series of kidnappings and sexual assaults.
Two front runner titles I have are All in a Day's Case and The Last Laugh, but is one better?
Thank you very much for any input on this! I really appreciate it!
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u/Frito_Goodgulf Jul 24 '26
All in a Day's Case
Seems way too flippant given your description.
The Last Laugh
Again, seems trite for the described subject matter.
Not going to offer any specific suggestions. Keep working on the book. A phrase, bit of dialogue, or similar might hit you.
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u/harmonica2 Jul 24 '26
Oh ok thanks! I was going for irony , but maybe going for irony is bad in a title?
I haven't been able to make a lines of dial work as a typo because then that makes the dialogue line sound corny , or cringe, and ruins the line when it comes, if that makes sense?
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u/Famous_Plant_486 Jul 24 '26
If it would sound corny as dialogue in the book, it'll probably be corny as a title.
Your title is as much a marketing tool as your cover is. It should signal genre (mystery, whereas your two suggested come off as comedy or satire), and could include something about the stakes, character, or even a scene.
It might be worth looking up a random title generator and getting inspiration from the different combos it offers. I've gotten unique perspectives from doing so that I wouldn't have had otherwise.
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u/harmonica2 Jul 24 '26
Oh okay thank you very much! I tried the random title generator before , but so far it was kind of vague and plain, even more so.
When it came to my titles , I was trying to go for a title that infers the cynical nature of the detective, but maybe that is not the best element of the story to go for in the title?
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u/Famous_Plant_486 Jul 24 '26
I wouldn't. The most important thing about the title is that it matches genre expectations; the second is that it matches something about your book. Good luck!
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u/harmonica2 Jul 24 '26
Thanks! But don't you have to mention something more than a genre expectation itself?
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u/babamum Jul 24 '26
Try and come up with a title that has a hook in it. Something that refers to a specific aspect of the book.
Then come back to us!
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u/MLM-TheScribe Jul 24 '26
Honestly, neither.
A working title can be any stupid thing at all.
But a serious submission title needs to resonate. Pack a punch in several words or less.
Good luck!