What Would This Title Mean to You?

[TromboneAl]

If you saw a book called The Protected Witness, what would you think it was about?

 

[REWahoo]

Hey, you're writing the book, you tell us!

I'd think it was about keeping a witness who was scheduled to testify for the prosecution in a major trial safe from the bad guys.

 

[harley]

Hey, you're writing the book, you tell us!

I'd think it was about keeping a witness who was scheduled to testify for the prosecution in a major trial safe from the bad guys.

yep.

 

[exnavynuke]

An all-seeing oracle that is secluded in a secure compound where they can tell a secret society what they witness in the world. Thus allowing that secret society to track down their evil nemesis secret society of bad guys. Obviously the oracle gets away or is kidnapped and must be returned before the bad guys can get away with their nefarious plans....


Or some random witness in a trial needs protecting from bad guys until they can testify....

 

[Winemaker]

A witness that practices safe sex

 

[GravitySucks]

Hey, you're writing the book, you tell us!

I'd think it was about keeping a witness who was scheduled to testify for the prosecution in a major trial safe from the bad guys.

+1

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I would say, "Hmmm, this book looks like it's about someone in the Witness Protection Program but it could be about a witness who's protected in some other way, maybe by a plea deal or something. Maybe I should pick it up and read the dust jacket."

 

[Jerry1]

I would think it was about some other type of protection than the witness protection program. Maybe like one of those stories where the protector needs to overcome the people who are trying to kill the witness before the trial. Maybe something like that Harrison Ford movie "Witness".

 

[MRG]

I would think the witness only thought they were protected. The protectors are who the witness needs protection from.

 

[Chuckanut]

Someone who had a plea deal to testify and was thus protected from prosecution herself

 

[TromboneAl]

A witness that practices safe sex

ROFL.

 

[W2R]

If you saw a book called The Protected Witness, what would you think it was about?

I would think it was about what life is like in the Witness Protection Program.

 

[Aerides]

quite literally i would think it's about someone in witness protection, or something very similar.

But maybe it's a witness to help the defense, so they aren't afforded state protection, but the private defense lawyer has to cobble together a pseudo-witness-protection?

 

[OldShooter]

I would think that it was a deliberately ambiguous book title and be mildly curious about what it meant. But probably not curious enough to buy the book. I read mostly non-fiction.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

Steve Martin's character in "My Blue Heaven"

 

[TromboneAl]

Good. The book will be about someone in the witness protection program, but I don't want people to think it's a courtroom thriller.

Still not sure if that's a good title, though.

The fun twist in the book is that, as part of the witness protection program, the main character is de-aged from sixty years old to sixteen. He has all his knowledge and memories, but he looks sixteen and goes to high school.

That doesn't happen until 50% through the book, so I can't reveal it, but perhaps some title (The Young Witness?) could work.

 

[OldShooter]

Well the purpose of the title is to get someone to investigate further, right? Worrying about whether it accurately represents the actual book may not be useful or may even be counterproductive.

It is important to be clear about what problem you are trying to solve. IMO, anyway.

 

[kcowan]

I would not pick up that book. Sounds boring...

Al's description is a little intriguing but still a stretch.

 

[Nemo2]

I would not pick up that book. Sounds boring...

Al's description is a little intriguing but still a stretch.

How about The Inoculated Retread?

 

[kcowan]

How about The Inoculated Retread?

It's a start! Maybe he needs to run a book naming contest here.

 

[USA]

A story about a “material witness” to a crime. Because of the title, I’d pick it up and read the jacket.

 

[LauAnn]

Second Time Around

 

[brucethebroker]

It's a start! Maybe he needs to run a book naming contest here.

Yeah....call it the "Beat Trombone Al contest" thread.................

...but that title may be misconstrued to mean take pipe wrench to Al.....