Is putting Heaven in my book title a bad idea if the book isn't religious?
I have a really good title for this book, but I'm scared it implies the book is religious when it's really not. The title is "The Only Way To Heaven Is Up." It mostly focuses on people overcoming tragedies. I'm trying to keep this post as generic as I can, however.
So the question is, is incorporating religious elements such as this into a book title giving the wrong impression?
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I think it would be fine; "Heaven" is not really a religious element, people use it all the time to refer to pedestrian real world things. (The same could be said for the word "pray").
"That dessert is heavenly".
"How was your week in Hawaii?" RESPONSE: "Heaven."
I think that is a clever title. You (and your publisher) will figure out your book category; if it is not religious you won't be put in the religious or self help sections, you will be put in fiction where you belong. Then nobody expects your book to be religious.
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Giving your book a misleading title gives it an unnecessary extra hurdle to overcome in finding an audience. This title runs the risk both of attracting religious readers who will be disappointed by the actual content, and of turning off non-religious readers unnecessarily. It isn't necessarily a problem that cannot be overcome, but why take it on if you don't have to? It doesn't strike me as being such an amazing title that you couldn't find a decent secular replacement for it.
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As a reader I think it's a common title. If it is a religious book then it would be placed in the "religion"section. Also, the cover can make a difference and of course if you write a good summary then I don't think you'll have a problem. Good luck!
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