I think the subtitle is childish, and I prefer the original title as posted yesterday. You take this hobby seriously and I think using today's subtitle would mean not following through on your serious intentions.
The academic "tradition" of giving a tongue-in-cheek name to an otherwise serious article or paper seems to exist mostly among undergrads, in my experience.
Is there a joke I'm missing? Some kind of "draw in the players who play to boast and teach them the error of their ways" trap?
You cannot believe how much abuse I have taken these last three months because the title I like, the one from yesterday, is "dry" "boring" "dull" "hard to sell" etc., and that I need to acknowledge that D&D is a wonderous world of fantasy and imagination, and embrace that with my title.
I'd like a long list of people to say, clearly, GIVE US AN ACADEMIC TITLE THAT HAS MEANING, and dump the sales crap.
Given the quality and level of your writing I feel it would be a strange juxtaposition to have the second title be followed up with the content that you have provided glimpses of so far. You are writing a serious book for people who are serious about wanting to improve their games, so there is no need to shy from a serious title. While I would suppose that the secondary title may move a few more units, I doubt they would move into the hands of the audience that would appreciate the work you have done.
You're a serious guy, and have a serious product to sell. Mostly, to people who mind their quality as DMs.
Sure, I can be swayed by a catchy titular. On a blog post. Not so easy to lure me to spend $30 on a book, if I don't think, in advance, it will be worth it. But I'm not typical, I am led to believe. Although, if you are starting to believe in marketing crap, why not go all-in? Introduce pictures! Girls! Bewbs! Dragons! You know what lays in that path.
My 2 cents, keep being yourself. It gained you your current readers.
People pushing traditional sales and marketing philosophy at your book are missing the point of your book.
Your book with a clinical, "dull" title and a clean, "boring" cover will stand out in a sea of flashy, art covered, marketing titled books about the hobby. You'll have the only book related to tabletop gaming with an academic look.
Stick with your gut on this. We have enough slick-looking cleverly-titled books that don't say half of what you're going to.
Everything above the "or" is rock solid. If I saw this title on the shelves anywhere from 1981 to the present I would have bought it without hesitation.
I think the subtitle is childish, and I prefer the original title as posted yesterday. You take this hobby seriously and I think using today's subtitle would mean not following through on your serious intentions.
ReplyDeleteThe academic "tradition" of giving a tongue-in-cheek name to an otherwise serious article or paper seems to exist mostly among undergrads, in my experience.
Is there a joke I'm missing? Some kind of "draw in the players who play to boast and teach them the error of their ways" trap?
Thank you Maxwell.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot believe how much abuse I have taken these last three months because the title I like, the one from yesterday, is "dry" "boring" "dull" "hard to sell" etc., and that I need to acknowledge that D&D is a wonderous world of fantasy and imagination, and embrace that with my title.
I'd like a long list of people to say, clearly, GIVE US AN ACADEMIC TITLE THAT HAS MEANING, and dump the sales crap.
Ummm, yeah.
ReplyDeleteThis sucks, do what you do best, intelligent and to the succinct.
Given the quality and level of your writing I feel it would be a strange juxtaposition to have the second title be followed up with the content that you have provided glimpses of so far. You are writing a serious book for people who are serious about wanting to improve their games, so there is no need to shy from a serious title. While I would suppose that the secondary title may move a few more units, I doubt they would move into the hands of the audience that would appreciate the work you have done.
ReplyDeleteYou're a serious guy, and have a serious product to sell. Mostly, to people who mind their quality as DMs.
ReplyDeleteSure, I can be swayed by a catchy titular. On a blog post. Not so easy to lure me to spend $30 on a book, if I don't think, in advance, it will be worth it. But I'm not typical, I am led to believe. Although, if you are starting to believe in marketing crap, why not go all-in? Introduce pictures! Girls! Bewbs! Dragons! You know what lays in that path.
My 2 cents, keep being yourself. It gained you your current readers.
GIVE US AN ACADEMIC TITLE THAT HAS MEANING.
ReplyDeleteThe three most often used books on my shelves:
How to Cook Everything
Oxford English Dictionary
NG's Concise History of the World
Fantastic. I love market research. Give me more!
ReplyDeletePeople pushing traditional sales and marketing philosophy at your book are missing the point of your book.
ReplyDeleteYour book with a clinical, "dull" title and a clean, "boring" cover will stand out in a sea of flashy, art covered, marketing titled books about the hobby. You'll have the only book related to tabletop gaming with an academic look.
Stick with your gut on this. We have enough slick-looking cleverly-titled books that don't say half of what you're going to.
My final say on the subject, inspired by Matt's comment:
ReplyDeletehttp://xkcd.com/993/
Thank you, Scarbrow. That's exactly my thought, too.
ReplyDeleteEverything above the "or" is rock solid. If I saw this title on the shelves anywhere from 1981 to the present I would have bought it without hesitation.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Use the original title which has meaning and don't try to be cute with it.
ReplyDelete