The saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” is a great concept, however not always the best advice for authors. With that mindset, writers will come to believe that the cover doesn’t matter, BUT IT DOES!
The cover of a book is the first thing your readers see. And, like it or not, it will determine whether or not people will want to read it.
Titles make such a huge difference in your audience. If you saw these two books sitting on a shelf with the same exact plot, which would you chose: The Kidnapping or A Bunch of Kids Go and Play Hide and Seek But One of Them Gets Kidnapped In the Process?
Now, the curious part of you may want to chose the longer title, but most casual audiences will prefer the first option. So, how does one come to find the perfect title for their book?
In all my years of reading, writing, and titling eight different books, here are a few ways to discover the perfect title for your story.
1.Write the Book First
When I first began writing, I always tried to come up with the title of my book first. It just seemed easier that way, so that I had something to call it. Most of the time, this is a bad move.
Not only will you stress yourself out and probably not come up with anything good, your story isn’t even on paper yet. So many things could change by the time you’re finished and having a set title could affect the way you originally wanted it to be written.
Instead, just come up with a “working title” that doesn’t even have to do with the story. Or, better yet, just Book One. You can always go back and change it later, and this way you don’t have to worry about it and instead can just write.
2. Know Your Genre
This may seem like a no-brainer, but you wouldn’t believe how many people don’t think of it. Your title should fit within the type of book you’ve written.
For example, a mystery probably shouldn’t be called Getting Hitched, and a romance shouldn’t be called The Secrets of Ms. Hardington.
Here are some made-up examples of genre titles to give you some ideas:
Romance: Oliver and Millie, The Captain’s Wife, Discovering Joy, Love in Greece, etc.
Mystery: The Missing Key, Lost in the Secret Passage, Who Did It?, Mary Jane is Dead, etc.
Fantasy: The Heroes of the Isles, Vyodia (or the name of your land), Fairies and Other Magical Things, Dancing with the Queen, etc.
Historical Fiction: The Singer of Aushwitz, War and Green Tea, I Fell in Love with the Roman Emperor, The Great Depression, etc.
You get the point, right? If you need inspiration, simply look at other titles of the same genre as your book.
3. Tell, Not Show
Looks backwards, right? Good. Because your book title is one of the few times to use that advice.
Titles should be straightforward and to the point. Nobody likes the cover full of a superfluous title and letters than blur together because there are so many of them.
Your story’s about a teenage boy who’s trying to avenge his murdered parents but in the process he discovers he enjoys revenge a little too much? The Revengers Game.
A book about a young adult in Ancient Greece who falls in love with Ares despite her friends’ and family’s disapproval? Love and War.
A family goes missing in the middle of 1920s New York and only one person realized they disappeared, so he gives himself the responsibility to get them back? Where are the Jeffersons?
You notice how with every one of those titles, they give you an idea of what the story is going to be about? They don’t completely give it away, but you at least relatively know what is going to go down between the pages.
4. Basic is okay
Sometimes, the best titles are the simple ones. Don’t waste time by trying to find all these beautiful words that nobody knows how to pronounce or attempting to come up with the most clever thing you possibly can.
Take a moment to think about your five favorite books. Chances are, most of the titles are pretty straightforward and basic- all they do is give a name to the basic plot of the story.
Not convinced yet? Try your favorite movies.
Your job with the title is to convey to your audience what the book is about. Not to leave them breathless with the beauty of your words- do that with the book itself.
5. Have fun with it!
The title should not be the most stressful part of writing a book.
One of my favorite things to do when trying to come up with a title is to write out a list of possible ideas, then ask the people around me- readers and non-readers, which one they like best.
Most of the time, I simply go for the one with the most votes.
Remember that the one you like might not always be the one that everybody else does. If you really want to sell your book, you need to take that into account. It won’t sell if shoppers looks past it on the shelves.
Now, go have fun! Being an author is the best job/hobby around- don’t get too worked up over the simple things and I promise it will work out fine.
-Caylie < 3
Tea and Typewriters 