Are you unsure of how you should be titling your book?
A book’s title is extremely crucial when it comes to the success of a book. The wrong book title can severely hamper your book sales and marketing strategies.
Writing a book takes a lot of time and creativity. To give it the best shot at success, make sure you give it the best possible title that creates intrigue as well as informs customers of what it is about.
Aspects of a Book Title
So before we dwell more into how to title a book, let’s understand the different aspects of a book title first. There are 4 important aspects you should keep in mind while creating a book title:
1. Intrigue
Probably the most important factor of a book title is the intrigue it creates. Creating an intriguing book title makes a shopper stop in their track and do a double-take back to the book.
Not only does it make them look at the book again, but if it’s intriguing enough they might even buy it just to know why it was titled the way it was.
2. SEO friendliness
Another aspect to keep in mind that is important regardless of the genre is the SEO friendliness of your title. By that, I mean ensuring your book will come upon a search result.
How to do that?
Make sure to include keywords in your book title that are searched often. You can use Publisher Rocket, a website that helps you find the keywords you need to use to end up in an Amazon search result.
3. Keep the genre in mind
Usually, authors try to get extremely creative with their titles and take it too far.
Sometimes in order to create an intriguing and creative title, authors alienate their genre. While you come up with a catchy title, make sure to write one that fits your book’s genre. It will only confuse consumers when you title your book as if it’s a sci-fi novel, when it’s actually a romance novel.
4. Informative
Make sure to make your title informative for potential readers.
When it comes to non-fiction, it is given that the title HAS to be informative on what the book is about. And if not the title, the subtitle most definitely should hint at what the book is about.
When it comes to non-fiction, however, you can get a bit creative but still, make sure to inform your readers of what they are reading.
Take The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger for example. Just with the 4 simple words, you know what the book is about. You know it is about fashion and a difficult person to be around.
Creating a title based on these aspects will help increase your book sales and help you create a more fascinating marketing campaign. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that different genres require different things. A non-fiction book that is more instructional in nature will probably have a straight-forward title, however, if it is a fiction, well then the sky is the limit.
The Steps to Choose the Right Title
1. Rough Ideas
A good way to begin is by jotting down ideas as they come but where do you start?
The following points will help you begin the process of creating the ultimate book title:
Common Phrases:
Try to come up with common phrases that are often used that relate to your book. These can end up being what attracts readers to your books or it can be a great stepping stone to your ultimate title.
An example of a common phrase used as a book title: Fault in Our Stars
Your Book:
Use your book!
Use anything and everything you can from your book. Character names, places, events, situations, etc. etc. The options are endless…
Your Genre:
Although making sure your title goes along with your book is an important aspect of creating a book title, it can also help in creating your title.
You can try using genre-specific keywords in your title or even use a genre-specific title generator website as well.
Create Hooks:
A hook is something intriguing or bizarre added to your title. It can be a twisted take on a common phrase or it could even attempt to give away the plot! This creates an interest in readers to discover why the author would do something like that with their book.
But remember: you have to be clever when it comes to creating hooks. You cannot create a title with a fantastic hook but not have it correlate with your book at all. That will only end up disappointing your reader.
2. Title Generators
There are many title generators available to authors today. There are many different title generating websites, some of which are even genre-specific.
If you want to use a title generator website, make sure to check out Jony Studios blog, Best Non-Fiction Book Title Generators.
3. Add Trigger Words
Increase your book’s mood factor by including trigger words. Trigger words can be shocking, horrific or hilarious, whatever you wish it to be.
Using trigger words will again stop the reader in their tracks while browsing through books. It will create intrigue in the reader and make them pick up your book to read more about it.
4. Proof-read
Proof-reading titles don’t mean spell checks and grammar checks. When it comes to proof-reading titles, you need to ensure:
The title is not being used on an already popular book or is not copyrighted by someone else
International reception of certain words is different. If your book is being released on an international platform, either have different titles for the different countries or make sure to create a title that will be perceived the same everywhere.
Make sure it looks good on the book’s cover. If your title is too long or too short, it will look awkward on your cover. Other things to look into are images, illustrations, etc. and ensuring they are in relation to your book as well as the title.
5. Test It
You should also test your book title before finalizing on a title. This will help ensure your title is the best possible one for your book and that it will be perceived in a way that will be huge on your book sales.
There are a few different ways to do that:
You can either create a Facebook page/group for readers interested in your book’s genre and create a poll with different titles. Or you can find a Facebook group of people interested in your book’s genre and ask them what they prefer through a post or a poll.
You can also get a professional survey done for your book title. You can either get your publisher to help with this survey or you could use PickFu, a website that uploads your book title options and anonymously has people vote on one they like the most.
Conclusion
A book title can make or break your sales for the year. Choosing a book title is crucial as the title is what entices a reader to pick the book up.
Titles should also be chosen according to your book’s genre and intent. If your book is a self-help book or an instructional book, the title needs to be straightforward and easy to understand. However, when it comes to fiction, it is best to create intrigue through your title and get creative with it.
Another aspect to keep in mind is Amazon’s rules and requirements when it comes to a book’s title if you intend to sell it on Amazon. Some of them are:
The title should match the cover of your book
Should not reference other books, trademarks or authors
Should not contain any advertisements
Should not have any claims of discounts, ranks, reduced prices or bestseller
You can learn more about the rules here.
Did you find this helpful? Which title did you end up using?
- By Neha Agarwala
If you need help turning your book into an audiobook, we offer audiobook production services that will help you reach a wider audience and increase your book sales.
Learn more here and listen to some of our audiobook samples.
