LOL, FREE VIAGRA is an awesome title. I'm sure it's just the legalities of the trademarked name that stopped him from using it.

Lisa

Let's hope so, Lisa.

Paul, among his many excellences, doesn't write-down to his readers. He throws in allusions that any educated person will understand

I'm not sure hat you're implying here...that the title Harbingers will appeal to a more intelligent audience?

I know you didn't respond to any of my quotes directly, but since I seem to be the only one who dislikes the title, I don't know who else this would be directed at. My dislike of the title has nothing to do with my understanding of the word. Do I think that Harbingers is just too obscure a word to use as a title? Absolutely not. Am I floundering around a dictionary trying to decipher the meaning? Again, a resounding no. Anybody smart enough to read a novel, even a genre novel, should either already know what the title means or be able to find out with relative ease.

What I don't like about the title boils down to what I've already said.
I think its a clunky term.
Rick Moody just came out with a novel called The Diviners, and I don't like that title any more than I like Harbingers. Does that make me less intelligent than Martha Mulligan down the street who absolutely loves the title? That's absurd thinking...in my opinion.

This leads me to my next point, which is bound to be unpopular, but as someone, somewhere once said, "Who gives a flying f*&k?"

I think Paul has a problem with exposure (There, I've said it!). Whether that comes from his publisher, his editor, or his publicist, I don't know. Maybe it comes from Paul himself. Maybe he's content with where he lies in the publishing world, but if I were an author, I sure wouldn't be.

Most of us agree that Paul is a highly skilled and professional writer. He's prolific, he's talented, he's multi-faceted. He can write a medical thriller better than Robin Cook. He can write a mainstream thriller better than James Patterson. He can write horror better than, oh I don't know, Robert Mcammon or John Saul or even (in my opinion) Dean Koontz. So why doesn't he get the publicity? Why don't more people know his work?

Now, I know he's highly regarded by nearly everyone associated in his field. The small presses love him. Anthology editors want him for everything. Lately, he's even returned to doing comic book work.

So where's the publicity work from his publisher? Why are there rarely more than a couple of copies of his books on the shelf of bookstores, chain, major market store or small town indys? Why don't bookstore managers know who he is? Well, the answer to this last one is obvious if you've ever worked in a bookstore. Not all bookstore managers are readers. Not all bookstore employees are readers either...(I've found most bookstore employees in my neck of the woods to be teachers who can't find a teaching gig) So don't be surprised when you go into B&N and ask for Paul's latest if the clerk looks at you like you're an alien and says, "Uhhh, Who?" This is forgiveable though, there are a lot of authors out there...thousands and thousands. No one can know them all.

Where the F#@K am I going with this, you ask? Well, putting a clunky title like Harbingers out there for the masses isn't going to help Paul's exposure at all. If anything it's going to hurt it. Kissing ass and licking boots and saying things like "Oh, I just love that title" no matter what I really think, is not how I operate. If I were putting out a book and asked if everyone liked my title, and everone said they did just to appease me, and I put the book out, and guess what, the title sucked after all, I'd be more than a little dissapointed with my crew. Paul deserves a little honesty here, and I for one am going to speak up.

I'm not sure hat you're implying here...that the title Harbingers will appeal to a more intelligent audience?

I know you didn't respond to any of my quotes directly, but since I seem to be the only one who dislikes the title, I don't know who else this would be directed at. My dislike of the title has nothing to do with my understanding of the word. Do I think that Harbingers is just too obscure a word to use as a title? Absolutely not. Am I floundering around a dictionary trying to decipher the meaning? Again, a resounding no. Anybody smart enough to read a novel, even a genre novel, should either already know what the title means or be able to find out with relative ease.

I'm not sure what Mike meant, but I do find that questionable. I doubt you'll have resolution to it untill next weekend, he doesn't post that much.

What I don't like about the title boils down to what I've already said.
I think its a clunky term.
Rick Moody just came out with a novel called The Diviners, and I don't like that title any more than I like Harbingers. Does that make me less intelligent than Martha Mulligan down the street who absolutely loves the title? That's absurd thinking...in my opinion.

Never judge a book by it's cover. But from what we've been told about it, I like Harbingers.

This leads me to my next point, which is bound to be unpopular, but as someone, somewhere once said, "Who gives a flying f*&k?"

I think Paul has a problem with exposure (There, I've said it!). Whether that comes from his publisher, his editor, or his publicist, I don't know. Maybe it comes from Paul himself. Maybe he's content with where he lies in the publishing world, but if I were an author, I sure wouldn't be.

Most of us agree that Paul is a highly skilled and professional writer. He's prolific, he's talented, he's multi-faceted. He can write a medical thriller better than Robin Cook. He can write a mainstream thriller better than James Patterson. He can write horror better than, oh I don't know, Robert Mcammon or John Saul or even (in my opinion) Dean Koontz. So why doesn't he get the publicity? Why don't more people know his work?

Now, I know he's highly regarded by nearly everyone associated in his field. The small presses love him. Anthology editors want him for everything. Lately, he's even returned to doing comic book work.

So where's the publicity work from his publisher? Why are there rarely more than a couple of copies of his books on the shelf of bookstores, chain, major market store or small town indys? Why don't bookstore managers know who he is? Well, the answer to this last one is obvious if you've ever worked in a bookstore. Not all bookstore managers are readers. Not all bookstore employees are readers either...(I've found most bookstore employees in my neck of the woods to be teachers who can't find a teaching gig) So don't be surprised when you go into B&N and ask for Paul's latest if the clerk looks at you like you're an alien and says, "Uhhh, Who?" This is forgiveable though, there are a lot of authors out there...thousands and thousands. No one can know them all.

Indeed! Wilson desrves to be at the top of alot of catagories! IMO, he blows Koonts out of the water. And his multi-genre work is exceptional. Not every book is a classic, but ALL are worth a read.

Where the F#@K am I going with this, you ask? Well, putting a clunky title like Harbingers out there for the masses isn't going to help Paul's exposure at all. If anything it's going to hurt it. Kissing ass and licking boots and saying things like "Oh, I just love that title" no matter what I really think, is not how I operate. If I were putting out a book and asked if everyone liked my title, and everone said they did just to appease me, and I put the book out, and guess what, the title sucked after all, I'd be more than a little dissapointed with my crew. Paul deserves a little honesty here, and I for one am going to speak up.

Are you off of your soapbox yet or is there a volume two?


KRW

Cooking with the Antichrist

One of the funniest phrases I've seen lately.

Congrats, Lisa!

Harbingers is a cool word; I actually get dark imagery from it, since I rarely see it in a good context, like "harbinger of free cash" or something. I do agree with Snake that as a word, it's a bit awkward (for some reason I keep wanting to stick an "r" after the "b") and doesn't quite roll off the tongue as well as say, "Infernal," but I think that that's as much a basic problem of the English language as much as anything else. The idea it conveys works well for me in the context of all the previous Jack books and Jack's future course.

I do agree that Mr. Wilson doesn't get the publicity he deserves. I don't agree it has to do with the titles of his novels, though. What about all the "mass friendly" ones like "The Tomb", "SIMs" or "Conspiracies"? Can't get more straightforward and simple than titles like that. Same with "Haunted Air," "Hosts," "Midnight Mass," etc etc. All very catchy, meaningful, easy to say and remember titles.

Are you off of your soapbox yet or is there a volume two?
KRW

Actually, I just borrowed the soapbox from Maggers. I'm sure she'll want it back.

I do agree that Mr. Wilson doesn't get the publicity he deserves. I don't agree it has to do with the titles of his novels, though. What about all the "mass friendly" ones like "The Tomb", "SIMs" or "Conspiracies"? Can't get more straightforward and simple than titles like that. Same with "Haunted Air," "Hosts," "Midnight Mass," etc etc. All very catchy, meaningful, easy to say and remember titles.

I didn't mean to imply that Paul's lack of exposure was due to previous titles, only that the proposed new title wouldn't help in that regard.

Nor was I implying that Paul's books should all be "simply" titled (I think someone else suggested that a simple title would be best).

If I looked at the title "Harbingers" and got question marks in my head from it, I'd actually pick up the book to take a look at the back cover and flip through it. And who knows, maybe that title just made another potiential Jack addict. If it'll make a potential reader stop for just a second to give a book a chance, even a mysterious, "clunky" title will be powerful :p

If I looked at the title "Harbingers" and got question marks in my head from it, I'd actually pick up the book to take a look at the back cover and flip through it. And who knows, maybe that title just made another potiential Jack addict. If it'll make a potential reader stop for just a second to give a book a chance, even a mysterious, "clunky" title will be powerful :p

I like the title Harbinger. I voted for it, though it wasn't my idea. It was my favorite of all the offerings on that thread. I like the word harbinger. Judging it strictly on a title, I'd rather, "The Harbinger". I doubt that would fit as well with the story and the way previous titles have gone, but it sounds so cool to me.

Just read in FPW's newsletter that he has decided on "Harbingers" as the title for the 10th RJ novel. I think he might have said that here, too. But it's now officially official and Lisa was credited with the brainstorm! Lisa's gonna get mentioned in the acknowledgement section of the book, too.

Way cool, Lisa, you brilliant Ms. Thing!

Congratulations, good title.