Banterist - Name Amy's Book

From New York, original humor & commentary by Brian Sack.
Subject to all the flexible quality standards of internet self-publishing.

Name Amy's Book

My friend Amy has written a book. The book's running title is Taxi Confidential: Confessions of New York City Cabbies and Passengers.

It's a mouthful, kind of like my last two titles: In the Event of My Untimely Demise and The Deposition of Lou Bagetta.

Amy is troubled. Deep in her heart she feels like somewhere out there, somewhere not here, is someone with a killer title for her book. Maybe a clever play on the taxi thing. Like Fare Play or A Checkered Past.

Maybe that person with a killer title is you or someone you know. It certainly isn't Yul Brenner, who died in 1985.

This is your chance to be in the acknowledgements page of a book. You can drag your friends to Barnes & Noble, take it off the shelf, open it up, point to your name and say, "That's me!" It could be the start of a proper book titling career. This could be the recession-proof job you were looking for. Or a lark.

This is from Amy herself:

"The book itself is a compilation of true NYC taxi experiences collected from both drivers and passengers, taken from the '70s through present day. The answer to the question I'm always asked: Yes, there's a chapter on sex in cabs.
Right now, the cover is going to be semi-graphic, mainly black and white with some bright color worked in, a la Sin City. So the title should reflect this. In other words, "Yellow daisy ride" wouldn't work. Also, the publishers will want key words somewhere in the title or subtitle for search purposes (taxi, cab, driver, new york city, etc.).

Anyone who successfully names this book will get a big thank you in the acknowledgments, and if they live in NYC, a chocolate milkshake on me."

And a copy of the book.

No pressure, but she's got little more than a week before the publisher commits. Leave your ideas in the comments section so no one can claim they thought of it first.

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A couple come to mind:

TRUE TAXI TALES

and

BIG YELLOW LIFE
real stories from NYC taxicabs

Posted by: Ben Turk Tolub | March 13, 2009 1:08 PM

Checkered Careers:
True Life Stories From New York Cabbies

or the gut-busting ...

From the mouth of Cabbies

Along for the ride

Yellow.

Posted by: Jody | March 13, 2009 1:15 PM

Personally, I feel that the running title has great potential. Initially, it sucks the reader in but then it grows long and the reader is out of breath before he finishes saying it. Perhaps it would be best to simply shorten it.

Taxi Confidential: Confessions of a Cabbie

I would read it.

Posted by: mowglibaby | March 13, 2009 1:55 PM

Cabull

A play on the words :

Cab Slang for taxi

Cabal A group club, may be involved in intrigue or secret underworlds)

Bull - short for bullshit.

Posted by: brian | March 13, 2009 2:32 PM

"Taxicab Confidential" sounds better & more balanced than Taxi Confidential, so I recommend that. But then shorten the secondary title as someone else suggested, while also trying to jazz it up a little. Right now it's way too literal and stodgy. Honest, sure, but you can't sell a minivan by saying "please buy our large-sized petroleum-powered family mobility device."

Also, "Confessions" I don't like -- that's for Catholics. So how about:

Taxicab Confidential: 35 Years of Backseat Debauchery

Taxicab Confidential: 35 Years of Backseat "Driving" if you Catch my Drift (that one, you may note, is not serious)

Taxicab Confidential: True Stories from New York's Taxi Industry

Taxicab Confidential: True Stories from the Cabs of New York

Posted by: the one R. J. Couture | March 13, 2009 3:26 PM

Looking forward. Looking back.

A fare to remember

Yellow blur

Where to?

The meter's running

Another world

What some people will do

My time

There was this one time...

I've got a good one

OK, I'll stop now

Posted by: Dennis Wolfe | March 13, 2009 3:39 PM

Thru the throng: a taxi's perspective of NYC

The maddening crowd and NYC cabs

What rush hour? Life of a taxi in NYC

Into the fray; life of a NYC cabbie

Posted by: Claire | March 13, 2009 3:46 PM

Here we go (Amy can ignore these):

What's That Smell?

Please Slow Down.

Please Go Faster.

Wrong Turn.

Where's The Seatbelt?

The Weather Is Nice, Yes.

Hailing Frequency: Taxi From Outer Space

Posted by: Adam H. | March 13, 2009 4:01 PM

Fare-y Tales:Confessions from a New York Taxi

Posted by: sharisue | March 13, 2009 4:04 PM

NYCT Blue:

True Stories from New York City Taxi Drivers and Their Passengers

Posted by: D Sack | March 13, 2009 4:26 PM

My thoughts:

"On Duty: Taxi Tales"

"Follow that Taxi!"

"This one time at band camp: Taxi Confessions"

"Checkered Lives in a Checkered Cabs"

"Pushing the flag down: Stories from a Cab"

"Meter Jockey Stories:

I'm out. Bryan

Posted by: Bryan F. | March 13, 2009 5:15 PM

"On the Meter, Off the Record" or "On the Meter, On the Record" You could go either way.

Then you could subtitle with "Tales from the Front Seat" or "NYC Taxi Tales," etc.

Posted by: sarah | March 13, 2009 5:34 PM

Yellowlogue (apologies to Martin Amis)

Latka like you.

The Seats of New York City.

Mean Seats.

Sticky Seats.

The Only Reason Ford Still Exists.

Hello Yellow.

Diet Hello Yellow.

Behind the Plexi.

The Truth Behind the Plexi.

Odors, Motors and Stupid Fucking Pedestrians.

All's Fare.

Driver Irate. (apologies to Michael Stipe)

What The Fuck? It's Five Thirty. How Can You Go Off Duty Now?

Hails Army.

Hail in a Handbasket.

I don't know Greenwich Village.

(bumper sticker graphic) My Other Car Doesn't Exist.

Did You Just Hit That Guy With the iPod?

1010 Doesn't Always Win.

Incense and Condom Wrappers.

34th to Bleeker in 37 Years.

Taxidermabrasion.

Yellow Fever.

Yellow Folly.

Livery and Onions.

Taxi Grab.

Taxi Fab: Trips through the City.

Posted by: david Paprocki | March 13, 2009 5:42 PM

Hmmm... how about:

"Back Seat Driver"

"New York Belted"

"Checkered Rides"

"Cab Tales"

Posted by: vetinari | March 13, 2009 6:44 PM

All I can come up with are these few:

"Taxivents" portmanteau of taxi and events (yeah, kinda dumb)

"Life ain't Fare"

"Death and Taxis"

I would vote for Dennis's suggestion, "The meter's running" if I got a vote.

Posted by: Alexander | March 13, 2009 11:04 PM

"Hairy purse commerce: New York taxi tales"

Posted by: deckchair guru | March 13, 2009 11:31 PM

Hairy purse should be fairly self-explanatory, btw...

Posted by: deckchair guru | March 13, 2009 11:32 PM

Well, one thing for certain - you still have a large fan base Brian, and apparently we still check in often. You got 17 replies in less than 12 hours. :)

Posted by: Isaac | March 14, 2009 8:32 AM

Cabbie Confessions:
a Revealing Ride through the City that Never Sleeps

Posted by: Angie B | March 14, 2009 9:55 AM

Backseat Confiders.

Posted by: Brian | March 14, 2009 11:17 AM

Sorry missed the thing about keywords in my first read of the post.

I amend my suggestion to:

Backseat Confiders: Life in Taxis.

Posted by: Brian | March 14, 2009 11:20 AM

Cabfare

A Cabbie Never Tells

"Would I Lie To You?" : NYC's Taxi Tales

Dashboard Confidential

Shoulda Taken a Cab

Passengers and Passenjerks

Posted by: Royford | March 14, 2009 2:43 PM

Taxi Gab

The Tattling Taxi

Cabbie Chronicles

Tell-All Taxi Tales

If Cabs Could Talk

A Fly in the Cab

Posted by: Scott | March 15, 2009 7:51 PM

Obviously it should be: Stories About People Having Sex in Cabs

I mean, duh.

Posted by: Mickey | March 16, 2009 12:49 AM

Frontseat Driving: Stories from New York's Storied Taxi Cab Psychologists.

Posted by: Nathan | March 16, 2009 7:07 AM

I Thought I'd Seen It All : Tales From A NYC Taxi Cab

Posted by: Joe | March 16, 2009 10:13 AM

How about this:

In the Hot Seat

Posted by: Heather | March 16, 2009 10:29 AM

All Hail: Taxi Tales from the Big Apple.

Posted by: LisaLovesBacon | March 16, 2009 12:06 PM

The Rides of Your Life
Subtitle: Real, Wild Stories from NYC Cabs

Every Cab is Checkered
Subtitle: Real, Wild Stories from NYC Cabs
-or-
Real, Seedy Stories from NYC Cabs

Taxi Writer
Subtitle: One Woman's Compilation of True NYC Taxi Stories

The Plexiglass Airbag
Subtitle: Life in a NYC Taxicab

Posted by: Adam M | March 16, 2009 6:16 PM

Tour off Duty
Drive Me, Crazy
Passenger 58
Fare Game
A Brief History of Cabs (foreword by Stephen Hawking)
Take Me
Hail To The Chief

Posted by: Miles | March 17, 2009 12:30 AM

ON THE METER, OFF THE RECORD is the current fave.

-B.

Posted by: Brian | March 19, 2009 2:32 PM

I briefly scanned the suggestions and can't believe no-one has offered:

"Are you talking to me?"

Posted by: John M. | March 20, 2009 10:27 AM

Taxicology

Taxi-dermy: Inside the Life of NYC Cabbie

Posted by: StaceyB | March 23, 2009 9:05 PM

Fare Warning
Subtitle: True tales of New York taxis

Posted by: Suzanne | March 24, 2009 1:07 PM

Yo Taxi!

Posted by: Sk | March 24, 2009 3:35 PM

"I'll Walk from Here"

Posted by: Jesse Parris | March 30, 2009 11:51 AM

Hey guys,
Thanks for the great ideas! There are seriously so many here. But the publishers are sticking with 'Taxi Confidential' - subtitle coming soon.

My personal fave: On the Meter, Off the Record (brilliant).

"I'll Walk from Here" is also hilarious. It ranks right up there with "What Smells in Here?"

Posted by: Amy (as in the Amy of Name Amy's Book) | March 30, 2009 6:02 PM

Name Amy's Book

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