Some books need no further explaining, their titles are so well known. Catcher In The Rye. Gone With The Wind. The Great Gatsby. The Alchemist.
It's hard to imagine these novels called anything else. Though so often a book, while being written, will have a completely different working title to the name it is finally given. Just imagine if Fifty Shades Of Grey was called Pervy Businessman's Odd Fetishes. Not quite the same ring, right?
Some real life examples:
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett was once called Mistress Mary, referring to the main character. Mistress Mary sounds more minxy than her character actually is in the book, so we think the title change was a good idea.
The Great Gatsby had the working title of Trimalchio In The West Egg. Say What?! An obscure reference most readers would not have understood. Phew.
Lord Of The Flies went by the title of Strangers From Within while it was being written. Apt, that's for sure, though Lord Of The Flies is far more intriguing.
Atticus was almost the title of To Kill A Mockingbird. Though Atticus is one of the main characters, author Harper Lee didn't want to focus in on just one person, so changed the title.
Check out more original working titles in the below infographic:
Infographic from Jonkers Rare Books