Recently a client and I went back and forth several times until we settled on a title for her fiction book.
Our goal was to choose the best book title that connected the plot and storyline to the reader. We felt it important to make a strong connection.
Authors are often tempted to choose an esoteric or uber creative title, but better than a “woo woo” title is a plain and simple one. Choosing a line from the book is often a good choice.
Nonfiction titles can be easier, but not always. Ask yourself what the “take away’ is for your reader and create a title that is most likely to connect with that.
It has been said a reader takes two seconds to choose whether to buy a book or not.
[bctt tweet=”It takes a reader two seconds to choose whether to buy a book or not. #title #writer” via=”no”]
Avatar, Twilight, The Help, Jesus Calling, Eat, Pray, Love, and Situation Maid are all examples of one to three word titles that worked well.
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. The Time Travelers Wife, The Memory Keepers Daughter. Great titles that solidly connect to the subject of the book and hint to the reader what the book is about.
The cover photo helps out as well as the back of the book blurb, but the title is the most memorable.
And always remember, read it out loud. Does it sound good?
The Map Across Time and The Unraveling of Wentwater, fairytales by C. S. Lakin, are two well named in her Gates of Heaven series.
We All Married Idiots – 3 Things You Will Never Change About Your Marriage & 10 Things You Can by Elaine Miller certainly catches the eye and hearts of those passing by.
Remember the childhood autographs that went something like this:
He Fell Off the Cliff by Eileen Dover
Rusty Bed Springs by I.P. Freeley
Help With Math by Cal Q’later
Enjoy this page: Books That Were Never Written from the Boy Scouts Trail blog. I like this one best, I think: ‘Sitting on the Beach’ by Sandy Cheeks
