Monday, August 12, 2019

Book Titles - Where Do They Come From?


How do we come up with a good title for our books/stories/articles? What makes it compeling? What does it say that draws potential readers? Titles should be short, simple, and easy to remember. If they aren't, our audience will move on. More than that - they won't remember the title correctly to share it with their friends! You want to include keywords that connect to the story, and that indicate the books genre. (Anything that smacks of mystery has my attention immediately!) Also, the title is going to be on the cover (duh!), so the two need to be compatible. 

After you have come up with what you consider to be a winning (not just acceptible!) title, Google it. That winning title may already be out there! Take the high road - redo your title if it is already being used. Ummmm ... you might also want to check your punctuation! You don't want to have a major faux pas on the cover of your incredible new book! 

Make a list of possible titles. Take into consideration what your book is about, who the major character is (and how they are portrayed), the environment of your story, and what words represent your story in the strongest manner.

Once you have your list of possible titles, ask other people what they think. Ask your peers, ask your friends, ask potential readers. You may find that what is very appealing to you may not have the same affect on others. And you do want your book to sell!

You also have to make the decision on whether you want to use sub-titles. This is something that I have to pay attention to, because I have two series in mind to write (one of which is a WIP), and it is recommended that you use sub-titles in a series. 

Happy hunting!

(c) August 2019 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.  

1 comment:

  1. I understand the struggle. Naming a new divination deck or individual images in a new Oracle can be quite challenging. Thank you for all the help over the years. You are a blessing.

    ReplyDelete

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