how to write book titles

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Blog • Perfecting your Craft , Book Marketing

Posted on Jun 27, 2018

How to Title a Book: What Do Good Book Titles Have In Common?

So you’ve (finally) finished your book, only to find one last question standing between you and the bestsellers list: how to title your book. Maybe you don’t like the working title you’ve been using these past few months. Perhaps you’ve come up with a title you love — but everyone else says that it might hurt your market potential.

So what makes for a truly good book title? Luckily, there’s a short, simple, 4-point checklist that will help you choose a book title that’s guaranteed to catch a reader’s roving eye. Only joking! Although that would be nice, wouldn’t it? While there’s no sure-fire method for formulating the perfect title, this post will give you ideas for devising a title that enhances your book and gives it the best chance of success.

We recommend downloading this actual free book title checklist to follow along while you read this post. Otherwise, let's get started!

FREE RESOURCE

Book Title Checklist

Create a title that stands out — and sells.

Why do book titles matter?

Without a book title, your book can't exist. Having a title in place before you start writing can help inform or reinforce your themes and motifs  as you plan your novel. To learn more about the planning process, go here for a  complete guide and a free book outline template. Secondly, if you don’t already think of the title of your book as a marketing decision, start now. Your book title might be the single most important marketing choice you make. The title plays a key part in creating a first impression — possibly even more so than your book cover design . Think about the last time you browsed Amazon or looked at a bestsellers list. Chances are that what caught your eye was the:

• The book cover design, and

Now, a good title won’t magically make a book sell, but a bad one will hinder sales at best and, at worst, alienate its core readership. With that in mind, let’s start making some good decisions!

What do good titles for books have in common?

Like we said earlier, there are no hard-and-fast rules for crafting the perfect title. There are, however, some patterns and similarities between good titles that may help you choose your own.

They intrigue and entice the reader

Think along the lines of: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?  by Philip K. Dick.

They match the book to its genre

Think along the lines of: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie .

They are (normally) of a sensible length

The aim is for your readers to have some idea what’s going on, without revealing too much or having a paragraph on the front cover. Long titles can work — just think of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer — so long as people can recall just enough of it to find it on Amazon (or by asking a bookseller in a store).

Think along the lines of: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.

They help readers discover the book

Think along the lines of: Beekeeping for Dummies or Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker.

Things to watch out for

Whilst there aren't things you  need  to do, and so there aren't things you need to  not do when choosing a book title, there are certain things that are best given a wide berth.

Overly complex language

Even books about a specialist subject can have a simple, accessible title, like Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Remember that a title is there to intrigue and entice — not repel and frighten off readers by making them think that your book is going to read like a thesaurus.

One-word titles

If you title your non-fiction book “Bottles,” it’s going to be very difficult to rank as the first search result: you’d be competing against people selling hot water bottles, books on the ecological impact of plastic water bottles, and research on bluebottle flies. Avoid confusion by striking the balance between cryptic titles and ones that attempt to summarize the entire book on the front cover. (The exception is flash fiction , where the brevity of one-word titles matches the brevity of the story itself.)

Potential confusion

Don’t get caught out — be careful not to choose a title that might be offensive in certain regions, or that might have an unintended double meaning. Equally, if your book title relies on a reference that is extremely local, or perhaps a little niche, it might be an idea to reconsider and aim for something more universal.

How to title a book: a couple of methods

There really are no bad ideas when you’re coming up with potential titles — just ones that are better than others. Try to write down anything that comes to mind.

Start free writing

Write absolutely anything that comes into your head: words, phrases, names, places, adjectives — the works. You’ll be surprised how much workable content comes out from such a strange exercise.

Look for formulas or set phrases

Obviously, we’re not advocating plagiarism, but try playing around with formats like:

“The _____ of _______”

“______ and the _____”

These will work for certain genres, though they are by no means the only patterns you can play around with. Have you noticed how many blockbuster thrillers these days feature the word “woman” or “ girl” somewhere in the title?

Use characters as inspiration

If your central character has a quirky name or a title (like Doctor or Detective) you can definitely incorporate this into your book title. Just look at Jane Eyre , Percy Jackson , or Harry Potter , for instance —  working with one or more or your characters’ names is a surefire way to get some title ideas down. Equally, you can add a little detail, like Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure , to add a little color to a name and make it title-worthy.

Do the same for setting

Is your book set somewhere particularly interesting or significant? Even if your title isn’t just where the action takes place (like Middlemarch by George Eliot), it’s something to have in the back of your mind. You can include other details, like The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum or Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay, to give your readers a sense of action and character, as well as setting (which tend to be linked).

Is there a particular phrase or idea you can work with?

Think Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird here — this is a central symbol and significant piece of dialogue in the novel. It’s enigmatic (what does it even mean? Is it a warning? An instruction?) and makes us really sit up when these words appear in the text itself. Try and think of your inspiration for writing your book or sum up your central theme in a few words, and see if these inspire anything.

Find inspiration from other works

You might be surprised at how many books refer to other works in their titles ( The Fault in Our Stars by John Green comes from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar , and Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men takes its inspiration from a Robert Burns poem). Going this route allows authors to use an already beautiful and poetic turn of phrase that alludes to a theme in their own book. From Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls to Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials , so many books have used this technique that might also work for you.

To subtitle, or not to subtitle?

In non-fiction publishing, there’s a trend of evocative or abstract titles, followed by a subtitle that communicates the content (and is packed with delicious keywords that the Amazon search engine can’t resist). This is also another way to get around long titles — and to add a little panache to an otherwise dry subject matter. In the United States, it’s also quite common to have “A Novel” as a subtitle (if, you know, it’s a novel). In the United Kingdom, this practice is much rarer.

Start with a generated title!

If you’ve gone through all of the above and are still wringing out your brain trying to come up with the golden formula — fear not! There are other ways to get the cogs whirring and inspiration brewing, such as title generators .

What are the rules for choosing a book title?

There are no actual rules when it comes to naming your book. Editors and agents might have their own rules of thumb. But hey, it’s your book and you can call it what you want to. That being said, each retailer has its own particular rules and standards for titles — rules you’ll need to adhere to if you intend to publish there. Let’s take a look at Amazon’s guidelines. Not permitted in Amazon book titles:

• Unauthorized reference to other titles or authors – so don’t think you can get away with titling your book “Stephen King’s Dreams.”
• Unauthorized reference to a trademarked term.
• Reference to sales rank (e.g., "bestselling") – even if it is a bestselling book.
• Reference to advertisements or promotions (e.g., "free") –  a lot of people search for ‘Free books’, which is why Amazon doesn’t want you to call it that.
• The title field should contain only the actual title of your book as it appears on your book cover.
• Foul, vulgar, or obscene language – as Jeff Wheeland , author of  There's More to Life than a Shitty Cubicle found out, you can't advertise your book on Amazon if you swear in the title.

Whilst Amazon doesn’t always effectively police their own rules, if you want to build a reputation as an author, you’ll naturally want to avoid underhand practices.

Test your book title

Congrats! If you’ve got this far, it’s time to test your title. Thought you were done? Oh, no. Even if you are 110% certain that you’ve hit upon the next Harry Potter title-equivalent, a little market research won’t hurt and could be the crucial difference between an okay and a bestselling title.

Here are some ways you can check if your title floats in the real world and in the heads of your audience who, after all, are the most important people in this process . It’s vital to remember that book titles are ultimately for readers.

Start local

Begin with your family and friends, but remember that if you just poll inside your immediate circle for feedback, chances are it will be biased towards the positive and not totally objective. While this may be great for the ego, at this stage in the game you need some genuinely constructive criticism. Distinguish who your target audience is (they might not be your friends), and try to get some feedback from these people.

Facebook groups

Like many things, there is a Facebook group for this exact purpose. Just searching for ‘book title review’ or ‘test book title’ will yield some preliminary results. All it takes is to put up a post asking people to choose between two or three, and some real-life (probably literary-headed) people will give their honest opinions. If you're looking for a group to help you out, why not check out The Street Team , a book marketing group moderated by Reedsy?

SurveyMonkey

In a similar vein, gain the opinion of people slightly further out of your inner circle by making a survey on SurveyMonkey and share the link with as many people as you can. Obviously, this will start amongst friends and family, but if you encourage them to share it the ripple effect should kick in and you’ll be getting some valued feedback from all sorts of participants in no time. Nothing beats genuine, honest opinions, and it’s even better the wider you can cast your feedback — people are less likely to be clouded by personal bias if they don’t know you.

Not a fan of SurveyMonkey, or want to try different survey methods? Check out this list of useful SurveyMonkey alternatives .

Run an Adwords campaign

Depending on your technological capabilities (although it sounds more complex than it is in practice) you can A/B test your title, provided you have a final two, via an Adwords campaign . This way, success is measured by clicks, and you have in-depth analysis to work off. This will require a bit more work than the others, maybe involving creating ads that have people sign up to for a free sample or free chapter of your book. But, like most things that take more effort, the results will be worth it.

Unbiased surveys

We were recently introduced to Pickfu — a testing service that allows authors to ask strangers their opinion. Their tagline is ‘optimize without an audience,’ shouting loud and clear how they’re going to help you test your book title, even if you don’t have hundreds of willing participants that you know personally. Getting the opinions of strangers is just as (if not more) useful than polling those you know personally — they are sometimes going to be more like your target audience than those closest to you.

Now it’s your turn

Your book title is the foundation that your book will stand on once it’s published, and will be a key part of convincing readers (or publishers!) to take a chance on your book. Hopefully, all this will get the ball rolling on your book title, and we’d love to hear the results!  Once you've got a title you're happy with, double check you're capitalizing it properly by reading through title capitalization rules . You can't be too careful.

3 responses

Tom Chmielewski says:

27/06/2018 – 18:51

I use basically the same tactic that I used writing headlines for newspapers and magazines I've worked for. I search out a phrase that hits at some core idea in my novel. In my first novel, "Lunar Dust, Martian Sands," I took from a prayer at a Martian memorial service for a crew who died when their tug exploded, and partly quoted the prayer on the back cover. "We travel beyoond Earth on Moon dust, and build our homes from the sands of Mars." The Moon dust is the Heiium-3 found in the dust to fuel the fusion drives for the interplanatery tugs. The Martian sand is the raw materialls on the planet colonists use to build their homes and other structures. Martian Sands is also the name I'm using for the book series.

Esbe van Heerden says:

19/12/2018 – 05:13

These are amazing tips on book titling, wow! This blog in general is sooo helpful. Something I’ve seen work for nonfiction authors, in particular, is a really simple formula: 1. The defining main title 2. The informative subtitle 📚The Defining Main Title📚 Make sure your main title is short (around 5 words or less) so that it is easy to remember, and specific. It needs to be easy to say when you talk about your book, and something you wouldn’t be embarrassed saying over and over again at a formal event. It could be something to do with your brand (Start With Why—part of Simon Sinek's brand), a movement in your industry (Deep Work—a focus-based movement in the entrepreneurial industry) or something else related to your book's theme that's catchy. 📚The informative subtitle📚 Make sure the subtitle gives context—it can be longer, more SEO-friendly, and descriptive. This is especially important when your main title is catchy or based on a brand, because that means the main title isn’t necessarily a good indicator for a fresh reader as to what the book is about. So the subtitle needs to give a new reader this context. When brainstorming subtitle ideas, here are three quick tips:
 1. Don't be a stuck record player! Avoid writing a subtitle that informs the reader about something they can already glean from the main title—don’t repeat ideas from your main title.
 2. Become a keyword master. Amazon is the biggest search engine after Google and YouTube and your subtitle should include a few key keywords. In saying that, don’t overdo it—it still needs to make sense and sound genuine to potential readers.
 3. Be clear and concise. Don’t let people get bored before they even finish reading the title of your book! And once you’ve come up with a few potentials, always ask yourself: What does the title I’m considering sound like when I say it out loud to new acquaintances at a party? If you are embarrassed to say it or can’t remember it—you’re in trouble. If people get what your book will be about after hearing your title—you’re onto a winner.

ginger northcutt says:

20/02/2020 – 12:16

i have become a great fan of reedsy this year. just like this one on titling, all the articles, how-to breakdowns, the courses (& much more still to explore), they all have been super-informative & offered w/ clarity & then more resources are given. you will be seeing me hanging around reedsy's place more often, for sure!

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Table of Contents

Why Do Book Titles Matter?

The 5 attributes of a good book title.

• Steps To Find The Perfect Book Title

Does Your Book Need A Subtitle?

More Ways to Read

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How To Come Up With The Perfect Book Title [Ultimate Guide]

Don’t Have Time Right Now?

Shockingly, there’s little useful guidance out there about book titling. What advice exists is usually of little help:

• Trite (“Go with your gut!”)
• Superficial (“Browse bookstores for ideas!”)
• Or worst of all, actively harmful (“Don’t spend too much time on it.”)

They’re all wrong.

Just like companies that spend millions on naming new products, and media companies that spend time testing different titles for blog posts , you should spend substantial time and energy finding a great title.

This is a very important decision, one you need to get right to ensure your book has the best possible chance of success.

In this comprehensive guide to picking the perfect book title, I will walk you through how to think about book titles, then tell you how to pick yours, and how to test it.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this Scribe Guide:

• Attention Grabbing
• Informative (Gives an Idea of What The Book is About)
• Easy To Say
• Not Embarrassing or Problematic For Someone To Say It

Specific Steps To Find The Perfect Book Title

Step 1: Get Clarity On Your Book Goals

Step 2: brainstorm several potential titles.

Step 3: Make Sure This Title Is Not Already Popular

Step 4: Pick Your Favorites & Test Them

Test #1: Imagine People Saying The Title

Test #2: See What People Click On

Your book title is the most important marketing decision you’ll make. Period.

The title is the first thing the potential reader sees or hears about your book—even before the cover in most cases—and getting it right is the single most important book marketing decision you’ll make. The title forms the basis of the reader’s judgment about your book.

Let’s be clear: A good title won’t make your book do well. But a bad title will almost certainly prevent it from doing well.

The iconic example of the importance of a book title is the title change that led to an obscure book becoming a #1 best seller.

In 1982 Naura Hayden released a book called “Astro-Logical Love.” It bombed.

She then took the exact same book, changed a small amount of the content, and changed the original title to a different title, “How to Satisfy a Woman Every Time…and Have Her Beg for More!”

That book became a massive cultural phenomenon and #1 best seller. Same book, same content, just a different title (I would argue a perfect title).

The takeaway for you is simple and clear: Spend time figuring out the best possible title for your book, because it will largely determine what people think about your book, and thus, your book’s success.

A good title should have all of these attributes:

• Attention-Grabbing
• Memorable & Searchable
• Informative
• Easy & Not Embarrassing to Say

1. Attention-Grabbing

There are a million things pulling on people’s attention. The right title helps you stand out and make that important first impression. A boring title is a killer.

There are many ways to grab attention. You can be provocative, controversial, exciting, make a promise, etc. The point is your title should make people stop and pay attention to it.

Here is what #1 best-selling author Tim Ferriss says about titles:

“The 4-Hour Workweek also bothered some people and was ridiculed by others, which I took as a positive indicator. It’s not accidental that Jay Leno parodied the book on-air—the title lends itself to it, and that was by design. You can’t have strong positive responses without strong negative responses, and beware—above all—the lukewarm reception from all. ‘Oh, that’s nice. I think it’s pretty good,’ is a death sentence. “

2. Memorable & Searchable

It’s much easier to get a reaction out of someone and then be forgotten, than it is to get a reaction and also be memorable.

Remember, a book’s title is not only the first thing a reader hears about your book, it’s the one piece of information that a potential reader has that leads them back to the book itself.

If your book is recommended to them by a friend, and they can’t remember the title, then they can’t go find it in a bookstore or on Amazon. Best-selling author Scott Berkun says it well:

“Often [the title] is all a potential buyer ever gets to see, and if they can draw interest the book crosses its first of many hurdles in the improbable struggle of getting noticed. But titles only help so much. Most people hear about books the same way they hear about new bands. Or new people to meet. A friend or trusted source tells them it was good and it was called  <NAME HERE>. The title at that point serves as a moniker. It’s the thing you need to remember to get the thing you want to get and little more. “

This also means you want the book title to be easily searchable. In the world we live in, search is how people find things now. If your title does not lend itself to easy memorization and searchability on Google and Amazon, that is very bad.

3. Informative (Gives an Idea of What the Book is About)

This is the least crucial aspect for fiction titles, but very important for non-fiction. The title, including the subtitle , should give the reader some sort of idea of what the book is about.

People aren’t going to do your work for you; the easier you make it for them to understand the subject, the more likely you are to draw in the people who’d find your book interesting.

A good test is to ask yourself this: If you were to tell someone the title of your book at a party, would they have to ask what it’s about?

If so, that’s probably a bad title.

Don’t out-think yourself on your title. A title that is overly clever or unclear signals the book is for people who immediately understand the word or phrase—which makes people who don’t get it right away feel dumb (and less likely to buy the book).

By using a word or phrase that is either not immediately understandable by your desired audience or doesn’t convey the point of the book, you’re putting a huge obstacle in front of your success.

Though your title should be informative and easily understood, it doesn’t need to spell out the entire book. Take Malcolm Gladwell’s bestselling Outliers for example: this title does a great job of cuing the content of the book without describing it outright.

4. Easy & Not Embarrassing To Say

Having an easy to say title is a concept called cognitive fluency. It means people are more likely to remember and respond to words and phrases they can immediately understand and pronounce.

Without going too far into the psychological literature, the point is this: Don’t try to be sophisticated at the risk of being obscure.

It’s a basic fact of human psychology—people don’t like to feel socially awkward. If a book title is hard to pronounce, or more importantly, if it’s a phrase that sounds stupid when said out loud, it makes them far less likely to buy it, and chances are they won’t talk about it to other people.

One of the most important things to think about when picking your book title is word of mouth. Think about how people will feel about saying this book title out loud to their friends. Does it make them look smart or stupid?

The worst possible title is one that makes someone feel silly saying it out loud. For example, if the book title is something like “Why Racism Is Great,” no one is ever going to tell their friends about it, no matter how good the book is, because they have to then face the scrutiny of why they bought that book in the first place. Social context doesn’t just matter some; it matters a lot.

Take this list of bad book titles , and imagine saying any of them out loud to your friends in a serious way—you’d never do that.

Generally speaking, shorter titles are best. A short title is not only more memorable and easier to say for your target audience, it also gives space and flexibility for a better book cover. A one-word title is the best.

People get lured into crafting titles that are exacting and long-winded in an effort to make the title signal the book idea and audience. In the title, stick to the core idea. If you want to get wordy, then leave that to the subtitle.

If you can, aim to keep the main title around 5 words or less. The subtitle can offer context or tell a bit more about what the reader will learn. Cameron Herold’s book Meetings Suck has a pithy title, with a subtitle that helps the reader see why the need the book: Turning One of the Most Loathed Elements of Business into One of the Most Valuable.

How To Come Up With A Book Title

Your goals for your book determine what type of title you pick.

If you want to build a brand out of your non-fiction book, your title options are quite different than if you want to publish a racy thriller.

Let’s examine all the functions your book title can serve, and the places for potential use, before we walk you through the precise process of thinking up title ideas:

How A Book Title Can Be Used

• To sell the book to readers
• Establish the author’s authority in a subject
• Be a hook for the author to get media visibility
• Branding for a company, author, conference, or course materials
• Advertise/market the book
• Used in speeches, slides, or other in-person activities
• Used in reviews, blog posts, articles, etc.
• Something the author has to say in all their press appearances
• Become a defining part of an author’s future bio
• Decorate the cover
• Identify the Amazon/B&N listing
• Start a line of books
• Use on t-shirts, flyers, or other promotional material
• Brand a main character or character’s name (Harry Potter)

The point of this whole list is simple: Know which of these objectives apply to your book, and make sure your title can serve those objectives.

For example, if your goal is to build a brand, make sure your book title is your brand. Dave Asprey’s first diet book is called The Bulletproof Diet , because that’s his brand: Bulletproof. The book is about selling everything around the book, not just the book itself.

If your goal is authority in your field, make sure the book title sounds authoritative to whom you are trying to speak. Whimsical doesn’t work in serious academic fields, whereas serious doesn’t work in comedic fields.

If your goal is to get media attention and raise your visibility, make sure the book title l appeals to media and makes them want to cover you.

Brainstorming for titles is not a specific thing you do for an hour, but rather a long term process. It may take you months and hundreds of book title ideas to finalize your title.

But you start by simply brainstorming titles. Literally start a file and write down every working title you can think of for your book.

I know that telling someone to brainstorm is like telling someone to “be creative.” There is no best way to brainstorm, but there are a lot of best practices.

This is a list of every possible way we know of to find a good book title, complete with examples of book titles (remember, these techniques are not just for your main title, they will be the basis for your subtitles as well). Most of these are for nonfiction titles, though some can be used for novel titles.

Also, don’t be afraid to put bad titles on your brainstorm list. Bad titles actually help you–because they will get you to a good title. Here are some best practices:

Use Clever or Noteworthy Phrases From The Book

This is very common in fiction, and can work well with novel titles. It also works well with non-fiction books where the concept of the book can be summed up quickly or with one phrase.

• The Black Swan
• Lecturing Birds On Flying
• I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell

Use Both Short and Long Phrases

We usually start with a really long title and work our way down to much a short title. The goal is the main title be as short as possible—no more than 5 words—and have the subtitle offer the context and put in important keywords.

Use Relevant Keywords

For non-fiction especially, search matters. You want to make sure that when someone searches for the subject or topic of your book, it will come up on Google and Amazon. But it’s a balancing act, because you don’t want to sacrifice the authenticity of the work for what looks and feels like a search string query.

If you are unsure of this, go look on Amazon and see how often subtitles and titles use additional keywords to attract more search engine traffic.

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons In Personal Change
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
• Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business Into A Sales Machine With The $100 Million Best Practices Of Salesforce.com

Make a Promise of a Benefit

Some of the best titles promise to help readers achieve a desired goal or get some wanted benefit. They specifically call out an end result that people want:

• How To Win Friends and Influence People
• Getting Things Done
• Think And Grow Rich

Be Simple and Direct

Some of the very best titles are just basic statements about what the book is. There is nothing wrong with this, it can work well, especially for strictly instructional books.

• Getting Past No
• The Power Of Habit

Target an Audience

As we said, people use titles to judge if the book is for them. Part of helping people understand this can be targeting them in your title. You can target specific audiences by naming them or by describing their characteristics. This works especially well if you have a series of books, and then do versions targeted to specific niches.

• What to Expect When You’re Expecting
• Physics For Future Presidents

Offer a Specific Solution to a Problem

This is very popular in the self-help and diet spaces.

You tell the reader exactly what problem your book solves in the title. This is similar to the promise of a benefit, but not the exact same thing; a benefit is something additive, like being sexy. A solution to a problem takes away something negative, like losing weight.

• Man’s Search for Meaning
• 6 Ways to Lose Belly Fat Without Exercise!
• Secrets of Closing The Sale

Use Numbers to Add Credibility

Specifics, like numbers, add credibility and urgency to your titles. The can provide structure for your information, or they can make hard things seem easier. Specificity enables people to engage the idea in a more concrete way, and gives bounded limits and certainty on time frames as well.

• The 48 Laws of Power
• The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
• The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership

Pique The Reader’s Curiosity (But Withhold The Answer)

Using statements that seem to be impossible, unusual contrasts, or paradoxes can make readers curious about what is in the book. The idea is to make a claim or statement that seems a little far-fetched or fantastical, but promises delivery. This is very popular now with headline writing on sites like UpWorthy and ViralNova.

The iconic recent example of this with books is one we already mentioned, The 4-Hour Workweek. Everyone wants to know how to work 4 hours a week, except it seems impossible, so you pick up the book to see what that guy is talking about.

• Networking Is Not Working
• 10% Happier
• Who Moved My Cheese?

Use Metaphors or Symbols Associated With The Themes in Your Book

Humans think in symbol and metaphor. Using these powerful devices can help you create a strong title that really resonates.

The iconic metaphor-based series is “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” The title signals the warm, nurturing feeling that our culture associates with chicken soup and connects it to something else–stories that nurture your soul.

• The Untethered Soul

Use Alliteration

Alliteration is the use of the same letter at the beginning of all or most of the words in your title. This makes things easier for humans to remember.

• The Mighty Miss Malone
• A Storm Of Swords
• The Pop-Up Paradigm

Alter a Popular Phrase

This is common in book titles and tends to work well—taking a famous phrase and altering it in a way that makes sense for you book. This works because it’s close to something people know, but not exactly the same thing.

• The War of Art
• Assholes Finish First

Slang can work really well, especially if it’s used in a way that is non-intuitive but also novel.

• Ain’t Too Proud To Beg
• No Mopes Allowed: A Small Town Police Chief Rants and Babbles about Hugs and High Fives, Meth Busts, Internet Celebrity, and Other Adventures

Try cliche formats (or reversing them)

There are a ton of book-naming tropes that can work well if used correctly:

• The Art of [TOPIC]
• The Myth of [TOPIC]
• Confessions of [TOPIC]
• How to [TOPIC]
• The Joy of [TOPIC]
• The End of [TOPIC]
• The Art of Racing In The Rain
• The Myth of Male Power
• Confessions of An Economic Hitman
• How to Train Your Dragon
• The Joy of Sex
• The End of Science

Done poorly, these kinds of titles can seem cliched and cloying instead of fresh. This technique is best used when it offers a twist—but isn’t so far out that it confuses the reader.

Consider Coining a Phrase or New Word

This is very helpful, especially if you want to create a brand or company or extended product line out of your book, or brand a character name. The problem with this is that it’s not an easy thing to do. Many authors try to create new words; few succeed, so try this sparingly. The most important element of this technique is that the word is easy to say and understand.

• Essentialism

Use Amazon/Goodreads/Wikipedia For Inspiration

If you’re feeling stuck, you can always go look at how other books are named.

• Wikipedia’s list of best selling books of all time
• Goodreads list of best book titles
• Amazon’s current best selling books

Use Copywriting Manuals For Ideas

If you are truly stuck and cannot think of anything, read some books about copywriting. They are not specifically about book titling, but copywriters have to understand the sell triggers, and they will give you tons and tons of examples. These are three of the best out there:

• POP!: Create the Perfect Pitch, Title, and Tagline for Anything
• The Ultimate Sales Letter: Attract New Customers. Boost your Sales.
• Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich: Create Winning Ads, Web Pages, Sales Letters and More

Step 3: Check Copyright, Trademark, Keywords and Popularity

First off, let me very clear about this: you cannot copyright titles.

Technically, you can call your book “To Kill A Mockingbird” or “Lord Of The Rings” or even “The Holy Bible.”

That being said, copying a popular book makes it VERY hard for your book to stand out, and pretty much guarantees a lot of negative reviews from people who are not getting the book they expected.

That being said, you can trademark a title, if it is part of a larger brand. For example, the term “Bulletproof” is trademarked in the health and fitness space by Dave Asprey. You (probably) can’t title a book “The Bulletproof Diet” because it infringes on a trademark (not the copyright ).

If this is confusing, and you have a book title you think might be a trademark infringement, then talk to an IP attorney.

Also, make sure you check that the title and subtitle have the right keywords you want to address your market, and aligns with any domain and brand issues you have.

Step 4: Pick Your Favorites

At this point, you should have a long list of title ideas. Once that’s done, you can move on to the next step: picking your titles.

I cannot emphasize how important this next step is:

Everyone has opinions on book titles. Most of those opinions are stupid and wrong.

Even people who get PAID to come up with book titles (editors, publishers, etc.) are usually bad at it.

Here’s a great test as to whether or not you have a good book title: imagine one of your readers talking about your book at a party to other people.

If you can see them confidently saying the book title aloud, and the people listening nodding and immediately either understanding what the book is about based on that (and perhaps a sentence or two of explanation), or asking for a further explanation because it sounds interesting, then you’ve got a good title.

If you imagine any other reaction than this one, you need to re-think your title, and probably change it.

Remember, so much of book marketing boils down to word of mouth, and word of mouth is all about people signaling things to other people. You want your book title to inspire and motivate the right people to talk about it, because it lets them signal the right things to their friends.

Test #2: (optional) Test Actual Clicks

Here’s one of the keys to testing your titles: test both the main title and subtitle and test them in many different iterations. Usually what you’ll find is most things test about the same, while there will be one thing that clearly tests better as a title and another that clearly tests best as a subtitle.

This is a great piece about the step-by-step process of using Google Adwords to test a title.

If you have a large audience already, you can also use Survey Monkey .

For real customer feedback, I recommend using Pickfu .

I would also recommend Google Survey . This is real market testing of real people and can be done fairly cheaply.

How Not To Test Your Book Title

Most of the things authors do to test their titles are very, very bad.

For example, posting on social media is NOT TESTING YOUR TITLE. In fact, posting on social media is about the worst possible way to test a title.

Why is this?

Well, your social media friends are probably not your audience, and a tweet about the title won’t help you. And even worse, everyone on your social media has an agenda relative to the author that will often put you off-kilter.

Friends and family don’t work. Generally speaking, they want to make you happy. They don’t want to give you an objective answer. Or they want to make sure you look good, but they don’t know what will actually make you look good.

Furthermore, oftentimes colleagues will be critical—because they are jealous. It happens a lot, and they will give you bad advice , even if only unconscious.

And some authors will go to their marketing teams for title advice, which can often lead you way off-kilter. Do you know the saying that a camel is a horse designed by committee? When you start getting opinions from lots of different sources, you get the “camel effect” hardcore.

If you’re doing a non-fiction book, yes, probably so.

The way we like to frame it is that the title is the hook, and the subtitle is the explanation. The subtitle is the promise of the book.

Books need a subtitle if it’s necessary to contextualize the subject alluded to in the main title. Typically, the subtitle tells the reader some combination of what the book’s central premise is, who the book is for, and what promise the book delivers on or need it meets.

Some examples where subtitles help contextualize the title and deliver the promise of the implied title:

• The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape The 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join The New Rich: See how the title hooks you by being interesting, and the subtitle explains the premise? Very well done.
• Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead: It’s a bit long, but the same thing is going on here; the subtitle contextualizes and frames the title, which is clear, easy to understand, and say.
• Kitchen Confidential: This originally had a subtitle, “Adventures In The Culinary Underbelly,” but it was later dropped. No subtitle was needed on this work of non-fiction, because the meaning is clear, especially when paired with a picture of a chef on the front (and because it became very famous, which helps).
• The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11: This is an example of a book where the subtitle is very important. That title could mean many things, but the subtitle quickly signals what the book is about and who it’s for.

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How to Write Book Titles [+ Our Fail-Proof Formula]

POSTED ON Sep 7, 2023

Written by Nicole Ahlering

So you’ve written a book . Congratulations! The hard part is over, right? 

Sort of. There’s a little more brainstorming to do before you send your book into the wild. Now, you need to figure out how to write a book title that captivates would-be readers and gets them to pick up your book.

Or, maybe you've just decided to write a book and want to start with a book title for inspiration. It's always a good idea to have at least a working title before embarking on your first rough draft.

Keep reading to learn how to write a book title that gets all the right attention – and get your hands on our favorite free tool for generating hundreds of great book titles instantly!

In the guide about how to write book titles, you’ll learn…

The fail-proof formula for creating book titles.

There’s no one-size-fits-all way for how to title your book . But we do have a formula you can use as an excellent jumping-off point! 

Before we dive into the specifics, bear in mind that the best title for your book is the one that nails your book positioning and, ultimately, gets the most sales. So, if you’ve found a title that deviates from this formula but is skyrocketing sales—that’s totally fine! Let this serve as inspiration rather than a rigid guideline. 

Step 1: Remember your audience 

Chances are you identified your core audience long before you started writing your book. Similarly, keep it in mind as you write your book title and subtitle.

It should appeal to whomever you’re selling to and be appropriate. For example, the process of figuring out how to write a book title for a YA fiction novel would look very different than a steamy fantasy romance read.

Step 2: Determine the key themes and concepts in your book

It’s simple: you need to start by knowing what you’re selling. 

Now, you might not be overtly selling something in your book – especially if it's a fiction novel. But yet you are. It could be an escape from life (fantasy, sci-fi), an ideology or a lesson, a character, a mind-boggling mystery, or a couple of jumpscares.

Make a list of the key themes in your book , what it will teach your readers (or how it will entertain them), the names of key characters, and anything else that feels relevant. 

This information should guide the creation of your title. 

Step 3: Brainstorm keywords and key phrases 

It’s important to include the terms your readers are searching for when writing your book description . However, the rules don't necessarily apply when thinking about how to write book titles. 

Once you have your list from step one prepared, distill it into a handful of keywords and phrases that reflect what your book is about and the purpose it serves. 

Writing a self-help book? Examples might be Transform Your Life with Meditation or Use Timeblocking to Unlock Your Full Potential .

Compare those more descriptive self-help titles with a few of the memoir examples we've compiled, like Walden or My Mother's Daughter .

Step 4: Incorporate emotion and intrigue 

At the end of the day, humans are emotional beings. So, if you want to sell your book, you’ve got to appeal to their feelings. 

Use the keywords and concepts you ideated in steps one and two to help you identify what your book will make your readers feel. Is it relief? Stress-reduction? Inspiration? Make note of it. 

Step 4: Start brainstorming 

Just as the first draft of your book was messy, your book title brainstorming process will be, too. That’s okay! The point is to get your ideas on paper (or screen). Using the keywords, emotions, and concepts you’ve identified in the above steps, start listing potential titles. 

Focus on creating something that’s as concise as possible while still grabbing your reader’s attention. There aren't too many rules for learning how to write book titles, but if you’re writing a genre that tends to have a specific title structure, you might use that for reference.

For example, many cozy mysteries use a “[noun] and [noun]” approach, like Biscuits and Blackmail.

Step 5: Test your book title and ask for feedback

Once you’ve narrowed your brainstormed ideas down to about ten potential book titles, it’s time to start getting feedback. 

Ask as many people as you can not only their thoughts on your titles but also what they assume the book is about. You want to understand what they think they’ll get out of it based on the name. 

Be sure to ask if there’s anything they find confusing, offensive, or otherwise off-putting about the book titles you've written too. 

Step 6: Make sure your chosen title is unique

Once you’ve narrowed down your best titles based on feedback, it’s time to start searching. 

Review booksellers, blog posts, articles, and more to ensure your book title (or something very similar) isn’t already being used by another author. If it’s not, you’re good to go! 

How to write book titles for Amazon

Nearly all of the authors we work with choose to self-publish on Amazon . And for good reason. Amazon sells millions of books each year. But to be a part of the top authors on the platform, it’s vital to learn how to write book titles that make yours stand out. 

Following our formula above, start by being descriptive. Your readers should have a good idea of what they’ll get out of your book just from reading the title. If they have to guess at the book genre or subject matter, your title isn’t ready yet. 

You may also want to highlight your book’s USP or unique selling point. If it’s a self-help book , what is it teaching folks how to do? If it’s fictional, why is it more compelling than the other novels on Amazon? Let us know in the title. 

Next, think about keywords people who are looking for your book might search for. If they’d like to learn how to become a better leader as an introvert, words like “leader” and “introvert” should be in your title. 

Finally, you get bonus points for creating a sense of intrigue and evoking strong emotion in the reader—that’s how you get them to click “buy!” 

As a reminder, before listing your book on Amazon, do a search to make sure there isn’t a book already selling with a similar name. 

How to write a book title for a book review

If you’re writing for a book review, start by listing the book’s full title and the author’s name. While you want to keep the title of the book concise, it can be helpful to add a very brief blurb with some context about the book. 

An example might be: Review: ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald – A Glimpse Into Roaring Twenties Society or and example from our own blog, I’m Glad My Mom Died: A Review of the Unflinching Jennette McCurdy Memoir

How to write a book title for your author website 

Much like writing a book title for Amazon, you want the book title you write for your author website to be engaging and give readers an idea of what the book is about. 

Even though you aren't competing against millions of other book titles on your own website, you still want to ensure your book title is reflective of your author brand and the image you want to convey. Make sure you know who your target audience is, and write a book title that appeals to what they’re looking for. 

If you thought you could get away with skipping keywords in your title here, you’d be mistaken. This is an excellent opportunity to leverage search engine optimization, which means getting more eyes on your book. 

So think about what your (potential) readers might be searching for—a solution for procrastination? A fluffy romance novel where nothing bad happens?—and make sure you’re using those keywords in your title. 

A quick note here: Once you experiment with how to write book titles for your genre and settle on one for your book, that title will stay the same everywhere. You don't want to confuse readers by using one book title on your Amazon listing and another slightly different one on your website. We're just giving you ideas of the different places you'll be using your book title and different things to keep in mind for each.

How to use a book title generator 

Need a little more assistance learning and practicing how to write book titles? We’re here to help. As leaders in the self-publishing world, we've coached thousands of people through the process of writing and publishing books that become bestsellers.

And we know a thing or two about a good title. We've also got the inside scoop on how to subtitle a book people will actually buy.

To make this process that much easier for you, we've created a completely free book title generator that helps you come up with a working title for your work. Whether you're writing fiction, nonfiction, or children's books, it will use specific prompts to generate a title that is unique and interesting.

Don't like it?

What’s a working title, you ask? It’s a “placeholder” or draft of your book title. It's subject to change (and often will), but it helps you zero in on the key points you want in your final book title. For many, it's also the inspiration for beginning their draft. Having a book title at the top of your page feels like progress – and it is!

While it may not be the exact title that goes out on your published book, it’s an excellent jumping-off point to assist you in the brainstorming, book outlining , writing, and editing processes. 

To use the book title generator, you simply input the genre of your book and a description of what it’s about. The more details, the better. The generator will do the rest! 

If you're working on an autobiography, fantasy, or horror book and find yourself in need of extra inspiration for the ideal title, we've got you covered with these tailored tips:

• 50 Eye-Catching Autobiography Titles
• Fantasy Book Name Generator: 100s of Title Ideas
• Create Terrifying Titles: Free Horror Book Title Generator

Some folks find brainstorming and thinking about how to title their book to be great fun. Others think it’s daunting. 

Wherever you land on the spectrum, know that you have a lot of help available as you find a title that helps your book sell. If you find you need more guidance, schedule a book consultation today . We can’t wait to meet you! 

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How to Write a Book Title Correctly: A Step-by-Step Guide + Examples

Few things should scare you more than a botched title. It’s true not only for books but also for any piece of writing you may produce—including blog posts and thought leadership articles. 

Let’s be honest: we all would like to think that people don’t judge a book by its cover, but that simply isn’t the case. People do judge a book by its cover, and they certainly judge a book by its title. Readers are unforgiving. You absolutely cannot afford a botched title.

In most cases, a botched title means your piece of writing won’t be read. And if your piece of writing happens to be a book, you’ve wasted a lot of time, effort, and probably money. In this post, we’ll break down how to write a book title correctly.

There are 7 steps to writing a book title correctly:

• Understand the Structure of a Book Title
• Be Able to State the Unity of Your Book
• Define the Appropriate Tone and Style for the Title
• Choose the Most Compelling Image Possible 
• Select Strong, Visual Words That Invite Readers
• Test Out Your Book Title With Your Target Market
• Tweak Your Book Title and Make a Final Decision

Follow these steps in order and you are almost guaranteed never to regret your book title choice!

1. Understand the Structure of a Book Title

Nonfiction book titles follow a standard structure: a title, generally 5 words or less, and a subtitle, generally 3 to 7 words. These are simply a rule of thumb; book titles and subtitles can be longer or shorter.

• Title : 5 words more or less 
• Subtitle : 3 to 7 words

The title and subtitle vary in length because they serve different purposes. While the goal of the title is to grab the reader’s attention while indicating what the book is about, the subtitle’s role is to provide more information about what the book promises to offer. 

• Title : hook 
• Subtitle : explanation   

• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
• Girl, Stop Apologizing
• 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote for Chaos
• The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great
• Can’t Hurt Me
• Girl, Wash Your Face
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• Kushner, Inc.
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones
• How to Win Friends and Influence People
• Dare to Lead
• Never Split the Difference: Negotiation as if Your Life Depended on It
• Mindfulness in Plain English
• Leadership Wisdom From the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari 
• Unfu*k Yourself
• Becoming Supernatural
• Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

2. Be Able to State the Unity of Your Book

To find a good title and subtitle, you must be able to state the unity of your book. This expression comes from Mortimer J. Adler’s book How to Read a Book . While Adler applies this idea to reading other people’s books, it is just as true for your own book.

To state the unity of your book is to state the book’s content in one sentence. In Trivium Writing’s Architecture of Writing methodology , we call this the thesis. Informed by your writing goal and purpose, the thesis is the main point to take away from the book.

One of the reasons people struggle to write their book titles correctly is that they don’t have their books in order. In other words, their book is disorganized and lacks a coherent message and structure. That’s why Trivium Writing offers book coaching services.  

3. Define the Appropriate Tone and Style for the Title

Each word and phrase conveys a different tone, so if you want to control your readers’ perception when they see your book, you must be deliberate. Before you spend time choosing the words for your book title, decide which tone you wish to convey.

Here are some tone examples :

• Analytical 

Here are the three possible styles :

By being deliberate with your tone and style, you’ll be able to attract your audience. For example, you should use a negative tone to appeal to a discontent audience, while you should an optimistic tone to appeal to a hopeful one.

While some audiences prefer an informal style, others prefer a formal one. For example, take two books on the same topic. 

The title of Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? by Michael Sandel, a Harvard professor, is informal in style as it contains a contraction and a direct question. The audience for the book is the general public interested in an introduction to justice. 

The Authority of the Court and the Perils of Politics by Stephen Breyer, a then-sitting U.S. supreme court justice, is written in the formal style as it contains the formal word “authority” and no informal element.

Notice the different tones of the two books. Sandel’s book inspires intrigue and curiosity, while Beye’s book inspires urgency and negativity. While the former is open-ended and interrogative, the latter is declarative and closed. Make sure you choose wisely.

4. Choose the Most Compelling Image Possible

You ideally want to create an image in your reader’s mind with your book title. Visual book titles are often the best and the most unforgettable. They also force you to conceptualize your message in a more compelling way.

If you are going to use a visual title, the image should align with your book’s content by being present in your book. In this sense, it may be best to find your book title before writing. If your book is already written, you may find an existing image in your book. 

So, how do you go about creating this image for your book title? Assuming you haven’t started writing your book already or that you’re going to make changes later, you should start by looking at the categories that divide the world.

Here are 8 categories:

• Nature : trees, flowers, clouds, ocean, etc.
• People : men, women, children, etc.
• Animals : foxes, wolves, eagles, etc.
• Abstractions : truth, perils, authority, etc.
• Domains : architecture, psychology, art, science 
• Roles : mother, father, king, queen 
• Objects : couch, book, car
• Shapes : circle, square, star

Each of these categories contains words with different tones and styles. But the categories in and of themselves have their own tone. Think of what that tone is when you choose a category or a word. You can feel that tone yourself and ask for feedback.

For example, using an image of nature is more grounded than using an abstract concept such as truth or a domain. Meanwhile, using an objective will make your image heavier using a shape will make it simpler.

5. Select Strong, Visual Words That Invite Readers

Now that you have laid out the foundations for your title, it’s time to choose the actual words you will be using. In that regard, it is essential to remember the different words available to us, which are also known as parts of speech. 

• Determiners : the, a, an, etc.
• Nouns : tree, man, foxes, etc.
• Adjectives : brilliant, beautiful, etc.
• Verbs : sprint, run, build, etc.
• Adverbs : quickly, violently, slowly, etc.
• Prepositions : of, off, on, in, etc.
• Conjunctions : for, and, but, or nor, yet, since
• Interjections : oh, hey, etc.

While you have a number of parts of speech available to you, not all of them are created equal. In other words, some are more important than others, and while you may use many of them, you probably won’t use them all.

The most important parts of speech are nouns and verbs because they are the main content words—the types of words that create images. While nouns show a person, an object, or a concept, verbs show actions. Both can underlie your book title.

While choosing between nouns and verbs is partly a stylistic choice, that decision should be informed by the book’s content. Verbs are more active than nouns, so in many cases, they may imply that the book is more practical.

For example, Building a Business in 7 Easy Steps uses a verb and suggests a very practical book. Business Creation 101 , which uses a noun, does not sound as practical, though it may well be. Meanwhile, The Making of an Enduring Business , by using a different verb and an adjective, sounds more elegant than the first two titles. 

6. Test Out Your Book Title With Your Target Market

Once you have a tentative title for your book—and you can have many—you should test it out with your target market. Find people who fit your reader avatar and who are interested in providing you feedback on your early work. Ask them what they think.

As an aside, you should always have beta readers who can provide you with feedback throughout the book writing and publishing process. Make sure you ask them unbiased questions so they can give you valuable, accurate information.

The best way to ask your target market about a book title is to present it to them and ask what they think. Don’t ask any specific questions yet; simply ask your readers what they think. This will help you collect unbiased information about how they feel.

Once you have their initial reaction, ask them which emotions the title evokes. While still general, this question is a bit more guided. Then you may move to more specific questions that give you precisely what you want, such as:

• Does this title make you want to read the book?
• Is this a title you would feel good reading in public?
• Does the title tell you what you’ll get from the book?

7. Tweak Your Book Title and Make a Final Decision

Target market feedback is subjective, and every person will have different opinions. While you shouldn’t let it dictate everything, it’s essential to take this feedback seriously. As a rule of thumb, if more than three people raise a point, pay attention to it.

You shouldn’t necessarily change your title to please your target readers, but in many cases, your readers will lead you in the right direction. For example, if three or more readers indicated that the title is unclear, it’s safe to say your title needs some work.

It is always good practice to have a few backup titles in case your original title doesn’t resonate with your audience. You can also make tweaks to your title; for example, you can change the emotion and the image in the title as well as the explanation in the subtitle.

After making tweaks to your title, run it by your target market once again to see what they think. You may want to repeat this process several times if you can’t find a title that works, is compelling, and resonates with your audience. Your book title matters after all.

If you still feel confused after reading this blog and don’t know where to start with your book title, consider our consulting services. For a small fee, we can help you brainstorm title ideas and help you select the best one for your audience and book.

Click below to book a call.

Article by Leandre Larouche

Leandre Larouche is a writer, coach, and the founder of Trivium Writing.

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The Ultimate Guide to Titles: Book Titles, Article Titles, and More

by Kellie McGann | 37 comments

You've written something: a book, a blog post, an article, a listicle, some work of written art. And now you're about ready for the world to read it, but one thing is missing: the perfect book title, article title, or novel title.

Your title will either grab your readers attention or be another phrase they glance over. It is the deciding factor of whether or not they read your work of art.

After running and working on various blogs and books over the last few years, I've learned a few things that grab readers' attention. Here are my best tips to writing the perfect nonfiction book title, blog post title, or novel title.

How to Come Up With the Best Titles for Books and Blogs

Book titles and blog post titles are often very different. Depending on what genre you are titling, you'll use different tactics. Here are strong strategies for each one:

Nonfiction Book Titles

When titling a nonfiction book, it's best to be very clear about what your book is going to do for the reader. In nonfiction, we aim for simplicity and clarity .

Some of my favorite nonfiction book titles are  Seven Habits of Highly Effective People , How to Win Friends and Influence People , and our own,  Let's Write a Short Story .

All of those bestselling books have titles that make it very clear what is inside their covers. They are upfront with what they plan to teach and offer you.

Novel Titles

With fiction, we're allowed to have a little more fun.

Some of the best fiction titles are the ones that you don't understand until the middle or end of the book, like Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies .

Here's a fun exercise for fiction writers: Go to your local bookstore and walk through the fiction aisles. Pick out the books that seem interesting to you and write down those titles.

Then, compare them. What do they have in common? Why did you pick them? What stuck out?

Blog Post / Article Titles

I'm going to share one of my best-kept secrets for titling blog posts. It's a hilarious website called Portent Title Maker that generates funny and sometimes inspiring titles ( check it out here ).

They're not always the best titles, but they can get you thinking and give you a good laugh.

There are a few ways you can catch people's attention and gain more clicks for your blog post. Try including:

• Numbers (e.g. 12 Tips to Make Better Sandwiches)
• Buzzwords (e.g. words like confessions, open letter, and Taylor Swift)
• “How To” (e.g. How to Make the Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich)

Blog post titles follow similar rules to nonfiction titles, but have the same creative freedom as fiction titles. When people are skimming the internet, they have the world at their fingertips, any piece of information is just a click away.

Blog post titles need to have clarity, but also enough creativity to set them apart from the hundreds of other blog posts on the internet.

The Most Important Question When Considering a Book Title

As I write this, I'm sitting at a bookstore, staring at a hundred books and their titles. Some of them I want to read more than others, but each book title connects with me in a different way.

Some titles connect to our sense of adventure, some to our past, and others to our dreams.

The most important question to ask is:  How does my title connect to the reader?

As you are titling your most recent novel, blog post, or short story, ask yourself that question.

What have you titled recently? Let us know your thoughts on titles in the comments below .

Choose three of your favorite fiction and nonfiction books. Pick one of each and try re-naming them! Let us know the before and after titles in the comments below . Remember to use some of the concepts from this post!

Happy titling!

Kellie McGann

Kellie McGann is the founder of Write a Better Book . She partners with leaders to help tell their stories in book form.

On the weekends, she writes poetry and prose.

She contributes to The Write Practice every other Wednesday.

37 Comments

‘How domestic violence is making the world a better place’ – is what I got. Hmm, click again.

‘Why domestic violence is hotter than Jennifer Lawrence’ … ‘Save your marriage using only domestic violence’

…….. I think, maybe not those titles.

For a long time I wanted to call my novel ‘Unaware’; as basically the abusive character is so charming that nobody ever suspects he could possibly want to hurt anyone, and they are unaware of what he does to my main character when nobody is looking. But for the past few months I’ve really wanted to call it ‘The Beautiful Wallflower’, I’m not exactly sure why, but I just feel drawn to it.

From your post, I wonder if “The Wallflower” would be enough… the meaning is held in the one term where the power of the bloom is initially unrecognized, but then surprises with strength in a beautiful fragrance. The actual flower is a favourite in our gardens where they complement but are not showy relative to other flowers, yet coming close, the fragrances is simply wonderful.

I agree. I like The Wallflower – it’s more mysterious and open to interpretation.

Thanks for your feedback. This is sort of the whole ‘less is more’ situation. 🙂

Yeah, portent is much better for funny titles. Domestic violence isn’t. I like the idea of the wallflower, sounds like it fits the description of the book well. Maybe you could add a description to the wallflower that alludes to the abuse. Like bruised or something? Sounds like an good story-line, let us know what you choose!

Although the subject matter was a bit sick and twisted, the very same idea of a conflicting theme never usually paired together is always interesting.

Yeah, “The Beautiful Wallflower” sounds great! I think the other stuff (“Save your marriage using only domestic violence”) could sound too sensational and insensitive. It sounds like a great story that could change people’s lives: I’ve come in contact with abuse and abusive people, and there’s too much shame around the subject. Stories can change the way people see things, and writing a good, sensitive story about it could make all the difference.

I’ve been writing a trilogy for a while now. These are the current titles that I came up with on the fly. Open to suggestions and helpful feedback. 🙂 Series title: Second Silence Book 1: Calling Crow Book 2: Burning Bright Book 3: Imperial Dawn

Thank you! My personal favorite is Imperial Dawn, but it would be cool to see what others thought as well.

Hmm, these are all really interesting. It’s hard to tell what the books are about exactly, but they do peak my interest.

I like “Calling Crow” because it is mysterious to me. I also like the Series title (not that I knew series had overall titles) Second Silence, it makes me wonder what the first one was, and silence is always intriguing, there is so little of it in this world.

I recently wrote a blog post but- since it’s really still a blog that’s just starting out- I worry if I titled my most recent post too long. Sorry if this comment is lacking in grammar but I just got up and have a lot to write right now.

Heather, what was your title? I’ve been finding that longer post titles are becoming more accepted depending on their flow. And since you’re still starting, there’s no pressure to have the perfect titles. It’s fun to try out different ideas and see what works best for you!

The latest post title is. “David Tennant- People Who’ve Inspired Me”

Apparently it’s been giving my FB fan page a big boost in reach- which I’m pleasantly surprised by (even if my page views are relatively low)

Original book title: Through the Narrow Gate. My title: The Wrong Choice

Original book title: When the Lion Feeds

My title: My Beloved Africa

Original title: The Minaturist My title: An Extraordinary Gift

Like you, Kelly, I’m looking at heaps of book titles on the shelves around me. I tried renaming the three original titles with mine, but I can’t match them at all. I’m still not satisfied with the title of my NaNo story. I know it will come to me as I edit, so I’ll wait for it to pop up. I am drawn to books by their titles and covers. It’s never easy for me to choose a ‘killer’ title, and so I play around with Lulu Titlescorer. It’s fun! Thanks for your post. Lilian

Lillian, thanks for sharing your re-named titles. So fun! It’s funny how so often our titles just come to us when we least expect it. Looking forward to hearing what you come up with!

What I title most often are songs, and there is a whole different set of rules for titling those. I’ve titled an article, “When words failed me” on my blog, an article about an experience I had with an atheist on Facebook. My most complicated experience with titling was my novel. I went through four names in four years before finally settling for one: “Things Unseen”. I’ve spoken about my novel on here before, and it’s based on Hebrews 11:1, ” faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (But I thought changing it to “Things Unseen” was more captivating of a title) My friends have always kidded with me about my indecisiveness when it comes to naming my book, but to me, title is everything. I really agree with this article, and I’ll definitely reference it in the future! “Whatsoever ye do, do unto the glory of God” Reagan

Reagan, sounds like you have lots of titling to do. I’m SUPER indecisive too and always struggle sticking with something. My books title has changed 3 or 4 times and I’m still not sure! Glad you liked the article!

Good to know! Thanks!

I have personally no problem with coming up with titles for my novels. They seem to just come to me and I write them down. Some of my book titles are as follows:

1. Diana: Daughter of Darkness 2. Saving Superman: Shadow of the City ( Book one in the Shadow Savior Series) 3. Never Let Go: Letters To God All of these are copyrighted so no stealing!! lol

Titles of books are not copyrighted nor are song titles so you can see 3 “The Beach House” books in one summer. Your intellectual property (your idea) can be copyrighted. From a librarian who started a book for children called “Family Secrets Should Be Kept.” An adult friend suggested adding the word “Secret.” My 10 year old niece, who fits in the target audience, said, “I ‘d never read a book with a title that long. It should be called “Family Secrets.” Of course that is my new working title (based on a dramatic monologue I once had to memorize). Wish I could locate that humorous monologue! Beth

I heard from someone else that appropriating some famous and classical stories can work too. One example would be a story that I did on Wattpad using my friend’s advice was about a god-like spirit getting free. When most people think Gods, they think of either Judeo-Christian gods, or Mythical gods. But religious themed stories have been done to death, so that leaves the mythical god themed stories and what are the most famous mythical gods? The Greek Gods! Now there aren’t very many classical stories about gods, but there are some famous poems, like Prometheus Unbound by Mary Shelley, which pays homage to the man who stole fire from the Olympians. The story is a good pick too, because the title word is ‘Unbound’ which refers to when something is freed or unleashed. The story I made revolves around that, the spirit is called Vajra, so there was the title: Vajra Unbound! 😀

Kairu, Sounds really interesting! I like the premise. That title is just simple enough so that the reader gets a good idea of the plot, but just mysterious enough to get them to pick the book up! Great job!

A very good article all round, but made extra-special by the link to ‘Portent Title Maker’ –– I could lose hours playing with that!! Thanks, Kellie 😉

The story I’m currently working on is one about a young Japanese-Greek girl living in Ancient Greece, and the hardships that arise from her differences. When I came up with it, I wanted her to be much more active than the women in Greek Mythology–which I’m a big fan of, because myths are fun–generally are and really have an impact on the world around her. Sure, Atlanta (or “Atalanta,” if you want to get technical) was a huntress-turned-Argonaut, and Ariadne helped Theseus through the Labyrinth–but their triumphs were overshadowed by the men in the stories. Heroines always played second-rate, bit parts in the myths, with a few exceptions.

Clearly, ancient men wouldn’t want to hear stories of “dainty” women who kicked butt; they wanted to hear stories about handsome, burly men ripping apart monsters and getting all the girls. They certainly wouldn’t want to hear stories about a quarter-Japanese girl saving Greece (or the entire world).

So I came up with a title that highlighted this: “The Heroine’s Lost Tales.” I think it suits my protagonist well. :3

The last thing I titled was a nonfiction novel I’m writing depicting my struggle and recovery from my eating disorder. I know there are a lot of books out there about eating disorders now but everyone’s story is different because everyone’s struggle is different. I titled it The Battle Within.

The world is very outer oriented, the inner can be frightening for people, but I like it. Maybe it needs a sub-title?

This is just a working title. The book isn’t completely written yet and I only have a couple of chapters written.

The bit about fiction titles being best if you don’t understand them until the middle or end makes me want to rename my novel in progress. Right now the working title is Mystical Warriors, but it’s a title that is connected immediately to the plot. I’ll have to play with titles to find something perfect…

Fiction:To Kill a Mockingbird > Boo Bristles Fiction: Let the Great World Spin > Dangling on the Edge Non-Fiction: To Show and To Tell > Breaking Writing Rules Non-Fiction: Sex and the Seasoned Woman > 101 Ways to Spice Up the Geriatric Bedroom That was fun…my writing has been of a personal nature of late, and I am not stunned by my titles, last 2 were “Celebrating Small Victories” and “What I Want Versus What I Do.” Any suggestions, based on nothing but the titles. Portent suggested these: The Hunger Games Guide to Celebrating Small Victories, and 15 Freaky Reasons Why What I Want Versus What I Do Got Me Fired and Divorced [ my version of Portents suggestion] I will give more thought to titles from here on out. I often just slap something on.

My current most compelling back-burner writing project is a memoir of short stories regarding my spiritual seeking and finding. I titled it “The Call,” which in first story relates to a phone call letting my family know that my toddler sister had died and the experience I had praying after that call.

I am looking forward to doing the exercise about titles in the library, or maybe I will use Amazon, because I am home and I am lazy. There is a title…At Home and Lazy

i often buy a brand of wine based entirely on the label.

I just looked at Amazon’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize winners and of the 5, I would pick up and further investigate, “Blood in the Water” and “Evicted.” Of the Booker Man List I would choose “The Sellout,” “Hot Milk, and “His Bloody Project.”

Thank you. I always check to make sure that no one else has the same one before I make a decision.

Recently, I’ve made a short story. It’s called Immoral Metanoia. It’s about metanoia (duh) and I’m asking on whether I should change it or not. What do you think?

I am starting a blog for aspiring writers who have not got their short storder published.Titled it Unpublished Yet.

I never thought much about titles until recently, since joining the writers’ army. My memoirs in the making, which I simply called Our Story, has become “Rise and Shine!” Subtitle, “45 Years in the Land of the Rising Sun.” In the meantime, I am discovering that the hard part is trying to get published!

Title brings clarity, but I will still always be convinced that content is a priority. With articles and academic papers especially, the best advice is to use services like essaynara.com get assistance with writing and choosing the title.

I would like some of your opinions, please–what does the title “Over the Rainbow” instantly make you think of? Thanks!

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Home » Blog » How to Write a Book Title [In 8 Steps]

How to Write a Book Title [In 8 Steps]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

It is important for writers and authors to know how to write a book title. The book title is the first idea someone has about the contents of the book.

Giving your book a good quality and eye-catching title will go a long way in the book selling itself. Crafting the perfect title may be difficult, but it’s always worth it.

There are several steps to take to get it right:

• Consider the genre
• Reference the theme and plot
• Consider the time period
• Research to ensure originality
• Remain flexible as your story evolves
• Consider the characters
• Create several title options
• Get professional opinions and feedback

When learning how to write a novel , you want it to be unique and stand out from the rest. This starts with the title.

Importance of Knowing How to Write a Book Title

Everyone wants to invest their time into something worthwhile. You might think that the title of your book isn’t a big deal, but this is a mistake.

The title is one of the most crucial parts of your book. Think of it as bait. Fishermen use bait to catch more fish. Having a suitable title in place will be good bait for your target audiences. They will be enticed to look because of the interesting title.

Saves Money

Knowing how to write a book title will save you the money you would have paid someone to create it for you. Especially when self-publishing your book, costs can get high. Every little thing you do to keep them down will count.

Helps You Learn

Practice makes perfect, and this includes writing the title of a book. Once you have done it a few times, you will begin to learn what makes a title great. Eventually, you will have an easier time coming up with good ones.

Personalized

Making sure the title is catchy and effective doesn’t mean it has to be generic. You can create something personal and reflective of your own personality. It is your book after all!

Having the title and even the overall look of your book reflect who you are as a writer will help you connect with your audience. You can develop a style that your readers will come to know, expect, and love.

Benefits of Having an Impressive Book Title

Having good content within the book is essential but getting noticed is the first half of the battle. When you walk into a bookstore and there is a sea of books starting back at you, your eye will first go to the titles.

They are usually the most noticeable thing on the cover, and they give you a glimpse into the book itself.

There are several benefits that come with having a good title for your book:

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How to Write a Book Title With a Book Title Generator

If you are ever struggling with the book title, there are many book title generators out there that can help you. Some are simple, while others are quite detailed and complex. Don’t be afraid to utilize these powerful tools, they are there to help.

Even the more complex ones aren’t difficult to use. Some of them require some simple information input. This can be keywords, character names themes, and genre.

A book title generator will then take this information and come up with some titles for you. Some give only one, while others offer many. Others will offer titles based solely on the genre, or even nothing at all.

If you don’t like what they give you, generating more is easy.

While they are a simple concept, A book title generator is a useful tool in the arsenal of any writer. Whether they give you your perfect title or just spark some inspiration, they are helping you.

An example of one of the most popular generators is the Portents Content Idea Generator . This one is simple, fun, and effective.

A well-crafted book title will always be a significant weapon in the hands of an author . It is one of the most effective marketing tools they will use.

It will be a way of allowing your book to stand out and be remembered. Writing a good book title is part of knowing how to write a novel.

The steps for writing a book title:

1. How to Write a Book Title

1. by genre.

The genre will always be an important factor in determining the title of your book.

First of all, fiction and nonfiction titles will look exceedingly different. Nonfiction titles should be specific and to the point, while also being catchy and memorable. Nonfiction titles are usually on the long side, and that’s okay. Most of the time they also include a subtitle with additional information.

The title of a fictional novel should be short, catchy, and reflective of the story in some way. For romance, this might be something light-hearted and sweet. For fantasy, it will probably sound other-worldly and magical.

There aren’t any specific “rules.” In the end, your book’s title is up to you. But, it will be most successful if it makes sense within your chosen genre.

2. Reference the Book’s Theme and Plot

All good books have a central theme and a developed plot. You want your title to play into the these. You want the title to hint at what happens in the book. This gives readers an idea of what to expect.

Your reader shouldn’t be confused about the title after reading a few chapters.

3. Think About the Time Period

Every era had its slang words and popular phrases. If your book takes place at some point in history, do some research on the language that was used back then. Choose some interesting words and see if they will fit into the title.

It is not necessary to use a word or phrase from the time, but it can be a cool and unique addition if it does work. For a reader who knows anything about the time period you are writing in, it will give them additional insight and understanding.

4. Ensure Your Title is Original

This is one way to have a unique title – don’t replicate one that already exists. Even if it was unintentional, it can make you look lazy if readers think you just copied. Spend some time researching to make sure the book title is not already in use.  

It’s not unheard of for book titles to be duplicated. Sometimes, the same title makes sense for multiple books. If the two books with the same title are circulated in different parts of the world, this can be okay.

However, if you think or even hope there is any chance of your book being successful internationally, choose something original and unique.

5. Make it a Working Title  

It’s good to remain flexible with your title. Even once you have come up with something that you like, stay open to changing it.

You never know where the book will take you. In the end, you might find you think of something even better.

6. Consider the Characters

Some writers title the book after the name of the strongest character. If your story is highly character -driven and the main character is the biggest focus, consider using their name as the title.

While it won’t clue readers into the actual plot, it will tell them that this person is what the story is truly about.

It will drive home the importance of this character. If your book is titled after the character, readers will immediately recognize the character once they appear in the story.

This can be strategic when introducing the character. If their name is in the title, you won’t have to do or say anything specific to tell readers that they need to focus on this character.

7. Create Multiple Titles

Come up with a few different titles and rank them in the order you best see fit. Having a few options can help you determine the absolute best choice for your book. The order you placed them in might even change as you progress through the story.

This allows you to remain flexible as you write. You won’t ever feel restrained to the title you have chosen.

Once you have created your list, make sure to keep it in a safe place. This is one instance where good book writing software will come in handy.

Squibler is a fantastic option for anyone looking to write their book in the quickest and efficient way possible. It offers several organization methods, including the ability to take and save notes.

You could write down your titles on an easily misplaced paper list, or save a random, single document on your computer. Or, you can keep your list right inside of Squibler. You can even tag it for easy location later.

8. Get Opinions from Experts

You might have picked a title you think is solid, but it never hurts to hear from those who really know what they’re doing. They can give you opinions on the title you have chosen and offer some advice.

You can also give them a description of the story and ask them to come up with their own titles. You don’t necessarily have to use any of these, but they can help inspire you to create the best one possible.

Getting some guidance from those who have gone before you ‘is never a bad idea. Everything is still up to you in the end, but experience is always valuable.

Quick Tips on How to Write a Book Title

When thinking of how to write a book title, there a few things you can keep in mind to create the best one:

• Be mindful of the word count. Especially for fiction, you want to aim for a short title that is loaded with meaning. Longer ones do work sometimes, but you never want it to be excessive. It will become confusing and awkward with too many words.
• Give the title a double meaning. Enhancing the title without getting wordy is always something to strive for. Let your readers be intrigued by it. Write something that allows them to read different meanings into it. Use of vivid language, lively mood, and contrast can be beneficial here.
• Try to use both verbs and nouns. Make use of actionable verbs, and nouns to be more specific and creative. After choosing your title to try to eliminate the generic words and see how to be more precise. This will add more beauty and intrigue to the title.
• Avoid making your title sound old and boring. Your title should be vibrant. Avoid the use of redundant words. Even if a very simple word might work, try to find a brighter and more interesting alternative.
• Make your title easy to read. Go for a title that will be remembered. Two or three words that are clever and catchy will make a title that is easy and even fun to remember. The words should be easy to understand and pronounce, so people don’t get confused when trying to recall it.

Don’t Discount the Importance of Knowing How to Write a Book Title

There are very few situations where such a small handful of words are so important.   It is one of the most crucial steps when learning how to write a novel.

There are many considerations to take when figuring out how to write a book title, and all of them are important. Writing a good title is more difficult than many think.

Just because a title sounds cool and catchy, doesn’t mean it’s going to work for your book. It needs to be cool, catchy, as well as relevant and effective.

Use these tips in conjunction with our comprehensive list of book title generators , and you’ll have the perfect title in no time.

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