How do you come up with Series titles?

When I'm trying to come up with a title for a series, I do a few things.

1) If I already have titles for the stories in the series, I might see if they have something in common with each other.
2) I also have looked at the main characters for hints. The series I'm working on now is called "Butterfly", because that's the nickname of one of the characters.
3) Sometimes, I look at the plots of the stories or universe they take place in to name the series. I've got another series that mixes magic and espionage. It's called "Shades and Shadows", because in that universe a shade is a magical construct that allows a mage to be in two places at once. The other half comes from the fact that spies work from the shadows.

Anyway... those are some things you can look at. I hope that helps you.

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NaNo 2006: Steel Bars - 59,233 words
Screnzy 2007: The Enchanted Forest - won
NaNo 2007: Turning Beetles into Buttons - 51,949 words
Screnzy 2008: Simple Gifts - 43 pages total & Butterfly - 9 episodes

I've seen series named after the main character (Anita Blake series) the overall plot or theme of the tale (His Dark Materials) and magical items (The Lord of the Rings). Just name your series whatever feels right.

Remember that the title of the series should have something to do with all of the books rather then just one. If all else fails, name your fantasy land something really cool and base the series name after that (aka The Chronicles of Narnia).

*****
2007: Miss. Marin

You don't.
It comes to you.
~Laura

"Prople are like slinkies.
When they fall down the stairs, you laugh."

Series titles -- just remember that titles can always be changed (although sometimes the Author finds no reason to change it). And don't feel you need a title right away.

My overall series is Larelmian Legends, based on the name of my fantasy world (the source of my user name as well). Then there are the series within the series, sometimes based on a place (for example, the tentatively titled Auroran trilogy), or perhaps a magical theme (Gemstones), or a main character (The Ballad of Moran, Knights of Twilight), or a word commonly used in the title (Unicorn trilogy). I will admit some of these series are still primarily in outlined stages, incomplete, or needing to be rewritten. Still, I love naming everything.

Look at how other fantasy series are named, and you may see similar themes in how they're named.

"Be nice to the imaginary people. Don't kill too many." -- e-mail from my youngest sister, June 23, 2008

During October '07, there was a thread about chapter names. I read through it, looking for good ones. I found "The Shards of a Shattered Mind" and I loved it, cuz it represented my novel perfectly. So I chose that for my title Then mid-November, I realized that my current idea was too long for one book, and it would have to be a trilogy. So I decided to name the series 'The Shards of a Shattered Mind', and the books "Stainless Steel," "Cold Iron," and "Tarnished Gold." (btw, no clue why I chose those. Its totally a whim, and I'm probably going to change them). Thats how I chose.

"Four walls scare me, especially when they are white."

This may be strange, but my stories came from my series title. I call it The Champion series because my characters are trying to save the human race and, so, are champions. I didn't write it like a series, though, because I am a new writer and have been told that it's easier to write a book and then build the series once the first book is published because no publisher wants to buy two books from an unknown until tested. So....I started with the first/last champion of my series and named the book for her. Later on, I guess if successive books sell, it can be billed as the first in the series. If the first sells, I can pitch the rest of the series.

word of warning on that ... make sure your first book has a VERY satisfying ending! :)

I just went to turn in a review of an advanced reader edition book a few weeks back ... I hated the book. It was terribly muddled and unsatisfying. Not till I went to the review page and saw the updates on it did I see that it was actually the first book in a series ... nothing in or on the book or the webpage prior to that time said anything about a series. Knowing that, I can excuse some (but not all) of the first book's flaws ... but if it had been sold as a standalone, I'd have been warning people not to waste their money.

So ... a warning to all us aspiring series authors ... make sure that first book is GOOD, and do let your publisher know that it's got series potential too. :)

I really love titles (for anything) that come from quotes, lyrics, or poetry. My favorite example is Philip Pullman's famous trilogy, which is called "His Dark Materials." That comes from a line in John Milton's epic poem "Paradise Lost," which was his inspiration for the books. Even if your series is not connected to any other work, you could try looking at your favorite songs, poems, or whatever anyway.

I like them because it's a great way to come up with a title that sounds deep and significant to the ignorant reader and appeals to the knowledgable reader's sense of conspiracy and inclusiveness, when they recognize the source. You don't have to use something mighty like "Paradise Lost," either. It could just be your favorite Linkin Park song or something your local senator said that resonated with you, y'know?

Titles are tough with me, but I save my favorite quotes from EVERYTHING (sitcoms, viral videos, conversations, poetry, etc.) so I'm prepared. My working title for this year's nano is my MC's name, but once it's done I'll probably comb through my old standby, Walt Whitman's poems, to find something that makes me sound like an intellectual :D. Good luck!

Thank you KristenS. I THINK my ending is satisfying and can open the doors for sequels. My fear is that the following stories won't be AS good as the first-that seems to happen a lot in series.

You're probably fine ... it was just a general warning to all of us. :) At the same time I was reviewing that particularly terrible book, I read another extremely cheesy fantasy book for review. The cheesy fantasy one was fantastic, very amusing, rather corny, but lots of fun. I was disappointed when it ended. And then I check ... and it's going to be a series too! This was one that was so fun I'm actually going to go buy the hardback when it hits the shelves (I want to see the recipe the character was raving about) and now I find I get to read even more of them someday. THAT is how we want our readers to feel ... satisfied and wanting more, and with the delightful realization that they're actually going to get more. :)

(The fantasy was called The Magic Thief, and according to the cover it's due out in June. Juvenile. It's a first novel. I enjoyed it because it was funny, had good characters, was clean, and actually contained a few surprises for me as an adult reader without being too deep for its intended audience. A real winner since I recommend a lot of books to young friends.)