squeequeg | No, it's probably the titles.

Something frivolous to distract you from the election: I require title advice!

I've got a goofy-ass steampunk-clockwork-Victoriana-dirigible short story that I'm really happy with. I'm currently in the last stages of revising it before I send it out. However, I've discovered that the title I chose on a whim -- "Escapement" -- is the same as the title of a Jay Lake novel that came out earlier this year. I haven't read this book, although I probably ought to, and I'm a little worried that my story will come off as an attempt to ride its coattails.

Should I change the title? I'm not particularly attached to it, although it did sound cool and had some nice resonances within the story. And the Lake novel is well-known (and critically acclaimed) enough that I don't want this light, silly story to stand in its shadow. (To give you an idea of just how serious the story is, the original working title was "Serpents upon a Dirigible.")

I'm a little torn. I love this story, and I want it to have a good chance out there in the big scary world. Any advice?

And now I'm going back to refreshing fivethirtyeight.com every ten minutes and gnawing my nails.