We all know that a book’s title is important. Titles carry a lot of weight and can make or break your book sales. But choosing a book title can often turn into a rabbithole of research and overthinking, or worse, it can be done on a whim and you end up sticking with a working title that’s not working for your book.
So, let’s talk about book titles and how you can choose one that’s the best for your book.
What is in Name? If it’s Your Book, There’s A Lot
Choosing a book title that works for your book comes down to a few factors, and even if you already have a book title in mind, it’s worth considering them before you make a final decision. A book’s title has a pretty huge impact on sales, with some sources stating that a strong, appealing title can triple sales. A strong title will increase your book’s discoverability and help solidify your author brand as well.
Below, we’ll cover some of the things to consider when choosing a title for your book.
Remember, a book’s title is its first hook. Also, it’s smart to keep in mind that authors often have different ideas about book titles than readers and marketers. The title needs to do a lot of heavy lifting. Just like your book cover, it needs to convey genre, tone and theme, and more importantly, it needs to drive sales.
When Choosing a Book Title, Consider Theme, Mood and Tone
There are many tropes and naming conventions for choosing book titles, but a lot of authors find inspiration in the book’s themes, mood or tones. Readers also gravitate towards titles that evoke these aspects because they’re looking for something that makes them feel a certain way. Theme, mood and tone also elicit emotions and the right word or words can define those emotions.
Think of Jennette McCurdy’s, I’m Glad My Mom Died. It tells us this book is probably a brutally honest and darkly humorous depiction of tragedy. It says a lot more than a title like, A Former Child Actor Speaks.
What about Tim O’Brian’s classic, The Things They Carried? Much more emotional, personal and evocative than, say, The Vietnam Experience.
Book Titles Need to Fit the Genre
Genre will often shape the naming conventions used in book titles. Think certain words, title length, and tropes. For example, Fantasy books often use the, The ___of ___ (noun and noun) formula. For instance, The Lord of the Rings, The Winds of Winter. Historical fiction titles recently went through a trend of The [Job/Role]’s [Relative/Role]. Everyone was someone’s wife or daughter.
Whatever you think of these trends, they do signal genre to readers. The thing is, when you jump on a trend train, the trend may be tired by the time you actually publish your book, so keep that in mind.
TItles Can Convey Plot or Setting
If setting is a main focus, theme or plot point in your book, you may want to consider this when choosing a book title. You don’t necessarily need to name a specific place, but certain words and phrases can evoke a region or time period. Think words like: Pines, Hills, Valley. They instantly bring you to a place.
An example of conveying place and people (and more) is Where the Crawdads Sing. This title not only speaks of place by adding “Where” to the title, but when we think of crawdads, we think rural, marshy, hidden. We think of the American South. It conjures themes of secret places, away from people, of hearing things you can only hear if you’re there: the crawdads singing.
Book Titles Should Be Easy to Read, Pronounce, and Spell
This one is important. Maybe above many others on this list. Because of how readers search for books online, and how word of mouth is passed, choosing a book title that is easy to read, pronounce, and spell makes it easier for people to remember and talk about. It also makes it easier to search online. Obscure words or terms and foreign spellings may seem interesting to an author, but they’re not a great boost for book sales. Yes, this even matters if your book is a unique fantasy set in a foreign world.
Familiar But Unique Titles Send A Clear Message
Another naming convention to consider when choosing a book title is to use familiar terms in a unique way. You may have noticed that many words appear often in book titles. Think “America/an”, “Light”, “Shadow”, “River”. All the Light We Cannot See. Where All Light Tends to Go. American Pastoral. American Dirt. A River Runs Through It, The River is Waiting. YA novels in particular use the word, “Shadow” often. Or, recall the aforementioned, “Daughter” and “Wife” trend used in popular fiction.
Words are powerful signals and some instantly point to genre, tone or themes. It’s worth doing some research to find these patterns and to see how they are used and in which genres. It may inspire you. Think of the unique spin you could put on these often used words.
Choosing a Book Title Based on Keywords is a Smart Move for Non-Fiction
Most of the above advice about choosing a book title relates to fiction books, although nonfiction titles definitely follow trends and tropes. But in nonfiction, you have a special opportunity to integrate keywords into your title. Nonfiction titles are more direct. They can be creative, but they also need to tell the reader exactly what they’re getting out of the book. You don’t need to use metaphors in the title, in other words.
So, think about how your nonfiction book title will contain words that readers may search. Are you answering questions? Solving problems? Go ahead and tell the reader that with your title.
In nonfiction, subtitles are extremely common. This gives you the opportunity to add more keywords and information. Take advantage of that! Just make sure to do your keyword research beforehand and find solid comparable titles to help you along.
Do a Fun Little Exercise Before Making a Final Decision
Maybe you already have a title in mind, or maybe the above list helped you come up with something good, but doing a simple exercise before you make your final decisions when choosing a book title can be a big help.
If you start with whatever you have and expand on that, whether your ideas are good or bad, it can help get those creative juices flowing. In fact, even writing down your bad ideas can help realize what works and what doesn’t. Reading these titles aloud will really make a big difference in how you perceive them too. Then think of your book description or your pitch. Does this title sum that up well? Does it evoke your themes and tone? Is the genre clear?
So, go ahead. Write a list of 10-15 title options. They can be variations of the same words or phrases. Just write. Try using some of those formula trends just for fun. Then, read them aloud. All while considering your book description or pitch.
Can you narrow it down to two or three from here? Now, you can take the time to think them over, or reach out and get the opinions of others before choosing a book title.
- Write down 10-15 title options (these can be variations of the same words and phrases)
- Try some formula trends for fun
- Read them aloud
- Do they fit the book description and genre?
- Choose the best three
- Ask for outside opinions
Get Some Outside Opinions on Your TItle
After your brainstorming exercise (which hopefully helped with choosing your book title), you may find it useful to seek out some trusted opinions. If you have friends, family or colleagues that regularly read your work, ask them what they think of the title. Of course, it will help if they know the book, or they at least have a solid book description.
If you’re using beta readers, ask them to weigh in on the title. Ask specific questions about the title too, to get the most out of their feedback.
- What does this title say to you?
- Would you pick this up?
- Does it seem to fit the book well?
- Do you have any suggestions?
Choosing a book title doesn’t have to be agonizing. Yes, your title is important, and it’s your first sales hook. But remember, you also have time to come up with the title while you’re still writing your book. And if you review this list and try the little exercise we outlined, you won’t waste time or be paralyzed by uncertainty. Keep in mind, you may have different ideas about your title than readers. And you want a title that is appealing to them.
What are your thoughts on this? Would you like to share your process? Let us know in the comments.
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