title feedback?

[Gregg Bell]

I've written a non-fiction book about spirituality. The tentative title is:

101 Things Wrong With Organized Religion: And Why God Is Still Great

I like the title and it fits the book well, but I'm concerned about people being turned off by the first part of the title, like they're not going to like the negative aspect of things being wrong. But that is what the first part of the book is about (101 things wrong with organized religion).

Think it's okay the way it is? I wouldn't want to misrepresent the book, but I don't want people to be turned off by the title either.

Any feedback? Thanks.

[ATDrake]

If the semi-colon is meant to mark a subtitle, but the reasons why God is still great does indeed make up the second half of the book, I'd consider changing it to a single unpunctuated sentence (or use parentheses) so that the notion that this is still a primarily positive book gets relatively equal emphasis.

IMHO, if the latter bit becomes a subtitle, it could get lost as several venues tend to omit subtitles or place them on a secondary line on the product page (such as you might see at Google Books), so your book would appear to be primarily negative to the casual browser, instead, and that doesn't seem to be the effect you want?

[crich70]

I'd go with just "Why God is still great." Or at least rephrase the part about organized religion as it might tend to turn away a good sized segment of your intended readership.

[Froide]

I'd go with something more on the order of:

Why God is Still Great (101 Critiques of Organized Religion)

[gmw]

How about: "Disorganised Religion, But God is Still Great".

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

If the semi-colon is meant to mark a subtitle, but the reasons why God is still great does indeed make up the second half of the book, I'd consider changing it to a single unpunctuated sentence (or use parentheses) so that the notion that this is still a primarily positive book gets relatively equal emphasis.

IMHO, if the latter bit becomes a subtitle, it could get lost as several venues tend to omit subtitles or place them on a secondary line on the product page (such as you might see at Google Books), so your book would appear to be primarily negative to the casual browser, instead, and that doesn't seem to be the effect you want?

Thanks ATDrake. That is really a good suggestion about not letting the subtitle (and I did intend the 'why God is still great' to be a subtitle) kind of fall off from the title. I never even considered that something like that would occur.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by crich70

I'd go with just "Why God is still great." Or at least rephrase the part about organized religion as it might tend to turn away a good sized segment of your intended readership.

Thanks crich. I think you've got the right idea here. I know when I look through Amazon's non-fiction stuff I don't see any negative titles. And yet my book is what it is so I don't want to misrepresent it either.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Froide

I'd go with something more on the order of:

Why God is Still Great (101 Critiques of Organized Religion)

Thanks Froide. I think your suggestion is excellent. I like the simplicity of crich's suggestion, but the whole first half of my book is the 101 things wrong with organized religion. To just say the title is "Why God Is Still Great" and then have people read the 101 things wrong would be throwing them.

Your suggestion allows me to accurately represent the book and lead with the positive part of the title. And as ATDrake said about the colon sort of severing the subtitle, I think it would be important to keep the subtitle (of the way you have the title) connected to the title and the parentheses allow me to do that. And I like your turning 'things wrong' into 'critiques.' It softens the negative aspect of 'things wrong' and adds gravitas to the title.

Brilliant suggestion. I may go with it verbatim. Thanks very much!

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by gmw

How about: "Disorganised Religion, But God is Still Great".

Thanks gmw. Really interesting, concise way of putting it. I like it a lot. "Disorganised Religion" mitigates a lot of the negativity of the way I had the title. But in some ways my book is more negative about organized religion. "Disorganised Religion" kind of makes it sound like it just needs to get organised. Thanks man.

[varlog]

If this post was posted in Hardened Debaters forum I'd probably propose something else , but in this forum I would go for simplicity:
"God and Organised Religion" and eventually subtitle:
"How to Deal with Screwtape"... if appropriate...
so much for simplicity...
Anyway it would catch my eye.

[exscentric]

Yours works for me. or God is great in spit of organized religion.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by exscentric

Yours works for me. or God is great in spit of organized religion.

I think you dropped an e exscentric.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by varlog

If this post was posted in Hardened Debaters forum I'd probably propose something else , but in this forum I would go for simplicity:
"God and Organised Religion" and eventually subtitle:
"How to Deal with Screwtape"... if appropriate...
so much for simplicity...
Anyway it would catch my eye.

Thanks. That's nice and simple. Not sure most people will get Screwtape though.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by exscentric

Yours works for me. or God is great in spit of organized religion.

Thanks exscentric.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

Thanks. That's nice and simple. Not sure most people will get Screwtape though.

It's from C.S. Lewis isn't it? "The Screwtape Letters."