Help! Vote for the title of my book

Dec 5

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I need some help with the title for my gospel book. It’s time to start sending proposals to publishers, and I need to have something to put on the top of the proposal. Apparently they want something a little more creative than “You Really Need to Read This: Trust Me.”  So I’ve listed some options below and I need your input.

You don’t need to know much about the book. This is a poll about titles. So it’s really a question of which title (if any) would catch your eye and make you more likely to check the book out more closely. The basic gist of the book is to tell the broader story of the Bible as the context for understanding the gospel, but to tell it in a slightly different (i.e. quirky) way. And it’s geared primarily for younger Christians (teens and twenties) and people who still like to think that they’re “younger” Christians (like me).

Okay, enough background. Here are the polls. The first one offers some suggestions for the main title, and the second lists possibilities for the subtitle. You can only vote for one each, but feel free to leave comments.

About Marc Cortez

Theology Prof and Dean at Western Seminary, husband, father, & blogger, who loves theology, church history, ministry, pop culture, books, and life in general.

Posted on December 5, 2011, in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. 11 Comments.

  1. marykoepkefields | December 5, 2011 at 7:29 am

    Fun! Thanks for letting me play.

    Reply
  2. Doug | December 5, 2011 at 7:45 am

    for the subtitle- sorry i vote “other”

    Reply
  3. Derek Ouellette | December 5, 2011 at 7:54 am

    Hey Marc, sounds like it’s going to be a good one. I want to tell you which I’ve selected and tell you why. The titles about the undead, the living dead, and zombies have been popular lately (consider Matt Mikalatos hilarious and witty book that recently came out, “Night of the Living Dead Christian”). I like original, but maybe going for what’s trendy is the right thing to do. What do I know, I’m only a marketer in Christian retail? 🙂

    I think people are getting tired of books with the prefix of “re-” (I hear complaints all the time on Facebook). So for me it was a choice between “Unpacking the Story” (but again, I hear the same complaints about the “un-” prefix too), and “Hidden Treasures”. So I looked at the subtitles to help finalize my choice.

    Given your synopsis I chose “Hidden Treasures: Finding the Gospel in Unusual Places” Good luck on your book.

    Reply
    • Marc Cortez | December 5, 2011 at 10:44 am

      Great thoughts, Derek. Thanks. And I have to admit that Matt’s book was the inspiration for the “Good News for the Living Dead” option. Interesting feedback about “re” titles, though. That’s interesting. Thanks for the feedback.

      Reply
  4. irishanglican ~ Fr. Robert | December 5, 2011 at 7:57 am

    “Teens and 20’s”? wow your a brave soul! 😉

    Reply
  5. Jonathan | December 5, 2011 at 10:05 am

    Marc – as a pastor to young adults, I am looking forward to this book.

    Reply
  6. Craig Beard | December 5, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    Marc – I voted for “reTold: The Gospel Story Like You Haven’t Heard It Before” (though I think that subtitle would sound better as “The Gospel Story Like You’ve Never Heard It Before.” Another — and I think, catchy — subtitle might be “Hearing the Gospel Again for the First Time.”

    Reply

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