The best titles satisfy as many of the following criteria as possible:
- The title grabs the reader’s attention.
- The title sums up the book’s concept so it will be clear what the book is about.
- The title is unique and doesn’t match another one exactly; this will increase the chances that your book doesn’t get confused with similar ones.
- The title piques a potential buyer’s interest and creates excitement and anticipation.
- The title hints at how the reader will benefit if they read the book.
- The title matches the tone of the book.
- The title does not mislead the reader.
- The title should have keywords in it that a reader will search for when looking online for a book that covers your topic.
- You should love the title as it’ll stick with you longer than anyone else.
For nonfiction books, the title must be very clear as to what the book is about. Clever or cute titles may sound witty but they do not tell a reader what the book is about. The four seconds you have to catch someone’s attention before they move on will be wasted.
Nonfiction books often start with one of the following:
- How to
- The Secret to/of
- The Art of
- The Truth About
- Love
- The Story of
It’s not a coincidence so many books start with these words; they have been shown to be successful at attracting readers.
For fiction books, consider hinting in the title about something one of the characters has to do. Or an event in the book. Or the title could give the reader a hint about something that will occur in the story. Use punchy action words in your title- this is not the time to be wimpy. Titles can be names of people or places in the story, a possessive term, an expression, or a play on words. The options are limited only by your creative imagination.
What if you’re stumped and can’t think of a title, even a mediocre one? Give brainstorming a try. Find a quiet spot, a piece of paper, and your favourite writing instrument that allows you to write fast. Close your eyes and think about your book for a couple minutes. Run through it chronologically in your mind and when you get to the end, open your eyes and jot down the first 20 titles that come to mind. Twenty seems like a lot but trust me – don’t even think about the number, just start writing. A lot of what you end up with will be garbage but you might have a gem in the pile.
If you are still stuck, type “title generator” into an online search engine and you’ll see a number of title generating websites come up. The sites let you plug in some key words and ideas for titles pop up. You may not find an ideal title but it can help if you are stuck for ideas.
Some writers find that perusing poems, song lyrics, and other artful words has led them to phrases that make suitable titles. The next time you have the radio on, try focusing on the words. Or when you are walking through a book store, grab a random book of poetry off a shelf.
Consider having an attention-grabbing title as well as a subtitle that explains more about the book. These types of titles are longer but are often more explanatory. Popular ones include:
- The Wealthy Barber: Everyone’s Commonsense Guide to Becoming Financially Independent
- Guerrilla Marketing for Writers: 100 Weapons to Help You Sell Your Work
- Sell Your Book on Amazon: The Book Marketing Coach Reveals Top-Secret “How-to” Tips Guaranteed to Increase Sales for Print-on-Demand and Self-Publishing Writers
- Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy
- The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher
- SEAL Target Geronimo: The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama bin Laden
Once you’ve chosen a title, if you want to be reassured about your choice, run it by people. You’ll tell more by their facial reaction than their words what they really think of your title. Someone may say a title is fine in a misguided attempt to spare your feelings yet the sour look on his face the seconds after you said the title will reveal his true opinion.
Spend as much time as is necessary pinning down a spectacular title for your book; having an irresistible title will greatly increase its chances of success.
Toby Welch - Toby is a full-time freelance writer who specializes in magazine articles, online writing, e-books, and manuscript editing.
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