7 Tips for Coming up With a Great Book Title

If you want your book to attract a potential reader’s attention, it is important that you cover all the bases. One particularly important aspect of writing a great book is the book title. Remember that the book title is one of the first things that your potential readers will see of your book.

So it is important that you take the time to come up with a great book title. Before you start the title writing process, it is important that you have a set strategy.

Here are 7 Tips on how to create book titles:

1. Write Down Your Choices

Once you start writing your book titles, it is important that you write down your choices. Remember that a lot depends on your choice of book title, so you should not use the first one you think of.

Instead, it is a good idea to make a long list of book titles. Then you should slowly whittle it down. Let’s say you made around a hundred potential book titles.

Of these hundred book titles, you should choose the top 80, then the top 50, then on to the top ten until there are only ten or so left. This method of systematic elimination will help you choose the best book title possible.

2. Do a Quick Google Check on the Title

After you do whittle down your book titles to ten or so, it is important that you do a quick Google check on them. Remember that there are a multitude of book titles out there.

So there might be a chance that your chosen book title might already be taken. So take the time to do a quick search online.

By doing so, you could find out if there are similar titles. This will not only save you money in the long run, it will also help you avoid having to compete with an already established book.

3. It Must Be Short and Sweet

When it comes to writing a great book title, it is always a good idea to avoid making it overly long. Remember that there is only a small window of opportunity wherein your book title will hold a potential reader’s attention.

If the title is too long, it might annoy the potential reader and he or she will just forget about the book instead. So make it a priority to make the title as short and sweet as possible.

Here are some examples of great books that have short but effective titles.

Little Women
Pride and Prejudice
Moby Dick
Sense and Sensibility
The Three Musketeers
East of Eden
Anna Karenina
Grapes of Wrath

4. It Must Be Easy to Pronounce and Remember

Aside from making your book title short, it should also be easy to pronounce and remember. This is a common pet peeve for some potential readers.

An overly complicated title does not really say “read me” to most readers. If your book title is overly complicated, it will also be difficult for readers to remember your book.

This does not mean that you over-simplify your book title, it just means that you make it easy for your readers to read.

5. Use striking word choices

When you choose your words for your title, you should choose striking phrases. If you use weak and obscure words, then potential readers will most likely just overlook your book altogether.

Of course, you should not choose a word just because it could catch a reader’s attention. The words should also coincide with the topics addressed in the book.

6. Don’t Hesitate to Ask Other People for Help

When it comes to making a book title, you don’t have to go at it alone. It is also a good idea to reach out to other people for help.

Remember that you are going to sell your book to other people, and every person has different tastes when it comes to book titles.

Although it is impossible for you to choose a title that every potential reader will like, having other people check your book titles will at least help you gauge whether your book title is good or not.

You could ask family and friends to take a look at your book title. Although if it’s possible, you should have people who are not really related or friends with you to help out.

They won’t hold back on criticism and will help you to improve your book title. Some great places to have your book title reviewed are online book clubs.

You could also post your potential book titles and have your Facebook friends vote which ones that they like the most.

7. It Should Coincide With Your Chosen Genre

Aside from choosing your words carefully, it is also important that you match your book title according to your chosen genre. For example, you are writing a science fiction novel.

So your word choices should really sound like a science fiction novel. Use words that could easily be recognized as a science fiction reference.

Here are some great examples of book titles that sound like their genre.

Science Fiction

The Martian
Dune
Ender’s Game
A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
I, Robot
Slaughterhouse Five
2001: A Space Odyssey
Starship Troopers
I am Legend

High Fantasy

The Silmarillion
Dragonflight
The Mists of Avalon
The Once and Future King
Stardust
The Last Unicorn
Wicked
The Crystal Cave
Anathem

Historical Fiction

Outlander
War and Peace
Hamlet
Waverly
Memoirs of a Geisha
Cold Mountain
A Gentleman in Moscow
Ivanhoe
The Winter King
The Evening and the Morning

Romance

The Accidental Bride
Bridgerton
Always look twice
Secrets of a scandalous bride
Dogs and Goddessess
For Better, For Worse
Jane Eyre
The Hating Game
Rainshadow Road
Evening Stars
Call me irresistible
Hot Flash

If you want your book to stand out on the bookshelves and online stores, it is important that you come up with a great book title. With these tips, you’ll be able to create a truly noteworthy book title.

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