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Feedback requested

I have a new book forthcoming from the Urban Institute Press, probably next month. My working title was "The U.S. Corporate Tax: What Is It, and Where Is It Headed?"

Now I hear from the Press that they propose to cut the subtitle and simply call it "The U.S. Corporate Tax."

I liked my subtitle but I am not dogmatic about these things, and regard title choice as largely an empirical problem based on how prospective readers would react. I would probably be willing to call the book "Iggy the Frog" if I were persuaded that this title would work best, although frankly I regard that as unlikely.

There's also an aesthetic element to title choice that I value for its own sake, but I don't want to push that too hard at the expense of other objectives.

My concerns with the proposed short title are that it seems (a) too generic, (b) insufficiently informative, and (c) potentially misleading if people think it is simply an overview of the law. But my contact at the Press argues that the short title positions the book as definitive on its topic, anything longer starts narrowing the appeal, etc.

Readers' thoughts on this or suggestions would be most appreciated, whether offered in comments or offline.

Full post as published by Start Making Sense on December 09, 2008 (boomark / email).