Tag: book title

Categories
Book Proposals

Brainstorm An Excellent “Working” Book Title

            “The publisher will never use my title.” Or “It doesn’t matter what I call my book because the publisher will change it.” Writers often make these statements but they are not true from my decades of publishing experience. Repeatedly, if the author has an excellent title, then these words will make it through the publishing process. The best publishing is a consensus building and team approach if you want the best title for your published book.  I’ve been in meetings inside publishing houses where a white board is filled with possible titles for a book. Representatives from marketing, editorial and sales are in this room for brainstorming the title of a book. The one person who is not in that room is the one who has the most information about the content of the book—the author. The only way this author is represented in the room is through their book proposal. Yes this business plan document is important and something every author needs to create for their book—even if they self-publish.

            Every author needs to put a lot of energy into finding the best “working” title for their book. If you do, then your proposed title could be the published title for your book.

Here are some basic guidelines:

  1. The main title should be three to five words long. It has to fit the spine of a book and most books are spine out. Select short, punchy and active words.
  2. Test the title with friends and relatives to get their feedback and reaction. You can even brainstorm titles with a group of friends. In your proposal have a main title but also include a section with other possible titles.
  3. Check the title on Amazon (the largest online book catalog). Do other books use the same words? You can’t copyright a title and often other books use the same words. Possibly the title was used years ago and that book is out of print. Or your research may restart your title search to the beginning.
  4. Create several possible subtitles for your book (particularly nonfiction). The subtitle highlights a benefit for the reader. For example, Book Proposals That Sell (title), 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success (reader benefit).

Pour the right effort into your title and you will be rewarded with your working title becoming the name of the printed book in the bookstores.

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. The revised and updated edition released in October. You can get a free book proposal checklist. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success.
Categories
Guest Posts

Suggestions for Choosing the Perfect Cover for Your Book

You spent a lot of time and work writing your book, but now comes the hard part. Picking a cover. People often do judge books by their covers, unfortunately, so you want to make sure you have the right one – a face, an object, a landscape, a representation of your work, the right font, and more. There’s so much to think about, so to help you out, here are some great suggestions.

1. Brainstorm ideas

Every major project needs to start with a brainstorm. Think about the first impression you want your book to make. It’s hard to sum up the concept of your book in just one page, but this is where you think about whether you want words only, images, headshots, or more. According to Nancy McKenney, a book blogger at Assignment Service and Ox Essays, “your choices are mostly between gripping – something visually interesting that will grab people – or explanatory, which will tell people what the book is about. If you can combine both, that’s perfect.”

2. The details

At this point, you need to think about the steps that will make it look like a book. What shape, size and font will you use? Where will the title, subtitle, and author’s name be on the cover? This is also the step where you think about the colors you want. This will involve a lot of back and forth with editors and publishers.

3. Refine the draft

If you’re doing a headshot, you’ll need a photographer and set up the look. You might end up going back on the details like colors if you see that the image or face you chose doesn’t work as well with the initial colors as you thought it would. If you’re taking a self-portrait for the cover of the book, think about the clothes you’re wearing because the best option is a solid, dark color. It makes it a lot easier to place the author’s name in legible color.

4. Social proof helps

Once you’ve come up with the mock-up, you want to get external feedback from people who haven’t been staring at the same cover for a while. Send it to some trusted people, friends and colleagues, and ask for honest, frank opinions. Ask if it’s a book they’d pick out, or if the content makes sense, and strange things you might not have though of.

5. Don’t be afraid to change it

Don’t be afraid to change the image based on the feedback you get. That’s the whole point of getting feedback. It’s also normal that people within the team will disagree and have their own favorites. At this point, you can do a data check and survey different options (it helps if the publisher is willing to back this option).

Janet Frasier, a writer at Academized and Boomessays, suggests that you “ask readers what kind of books they’re into and what kind of covers speak to them more, their demographics, and more. The results you get might surprise you, but they’ll definitely be very helpful, and a cover that looks great may not be the most appealing.”

6. Go with your gut

You also want to follow your instincts if you feel like something is wrong with the current cover or you’re not convinced with the most popular option. That’s why if it doesn’t resonate with you, you shouldn’t go with it. It’s important that the cover is important to you as well, even if your brain is telling you to go with it.

By following these tips, it should make it a bit easier for you to choose the perfect cover for your book.


Aimee Laurence, a tutor with UK Writing Services and StateOfWriting, gives advice to her readers about different writing, editing, and publishing tips. She is passionate about helping people self-publish their works. She also works as a freelance editor for the company NSW Writing Services.

Categories
Book Proposals

Hook the Editor with a “Gotta Have” Title

 The tension hung in the air so thick it felt like you could cut it with a knife. I was one of several editors waiting in the hall for my turn to enter the conference room. Each editor had limited time to present only a few books. The key leaders in the publishing house sat around the table each with a notebook jammed with paper on the book projects under consideration for the day.

I’ve walked into that room with jaded expressions and spoken my author’s title with enthusiasm. The atmosphere shifted and someone piped up, “Well, that’s all we need to hear to accept that one.”

Maybe it was my delivery or the timing but I believe the author included a “gotta have” title with their book proposal. Many new authors don’t pour much energy into their title. Sometimes they send their manuscript or proposal without a title. In the place of a title, these authors write, “working title.” I understand why some authors are reluctant to title their book. They know the publisher can change it during the publishing process.

Here’s what these authors do not understand: While publishers have control of your title, repeatedly I’ve found if you present a great book title, it will survive the editorial process. As the author, you have the greatest passion for your topic and know your subject more intimately than anyone in the publishing house.

I’ve attended title sessions where a whiteboard is filled with possible titles and the group is selecting the book title. In those meetings, one critical person isn’t present: the author. You don’t want your precious book manuscript to be in this precarious situation. It’s one of the reasons numerous authors have told me they hate their title. If you dislike your title, it does not help you sell books.

I strongly encourage every author to work hard at the book title on their proposal.

Your book title should be:

  1. Easy to remember and three to five words which fit on the book spine. You don’t want to go over five words because most books are spine out in a bookstore.
  2. Combined with a short yet memorable subtitle which stresses a key benefit (or benefits) for the readers.

After you have created your title, try out your title with your target reader and see if they resonate with it. Titles cannot be copyrighted. But as a writer, you can use these words to hook a literary agent or an editor. A good title takes thoughtful effort and work but is something every author should put into their proposal and submission.

W. Terry Whalin is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. Get his free Book Proposal Checklist at: http://terrylinks.com/bookcheck Terry is the author of Book Proposals That Sell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success  and he has written over 60 books and for more than 50 magazines. He has over 200,000 followers on twitter. http://twitter.com/terrywhalin

Categories
Heard It Through The Hartline

Choosing the Best Book Title

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