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How to Write Good Book Titles - Insights and Examples 1
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How to Write Good Book Titles - Insights and Examples
How to Write Good Book Titles - Insights and Examples
Writing a great title for your book helps ensure it will stick in the minds of prospective readers. A good book title, like an effective and appealing book jacket, should be considered a marketing tool for the book.
(*If you're looking for how to write the title of a book — as in how to properly format a book title for a paper — and have arrived here, know that unless otherwise instructed as to formatting style, a book title generally should be underlined or italicized, as they are below.
If you're being published by a traditional publishing house, there are many people—from editors to sales representatives to marketing managers to publicists to even book buyers at the major booksellers—who will weigh in on the consumer appeal and effectiveness of your book's title. If you are self-publishing your book, the decision of the book title is purely up to you, so it's important to understand what your book title needs to achieve.
In addition to reflecting the content you've written, your book's title (like any marketing effort!) should create an emotional response in your potential readers. Also, while book titles generally cannot be copyrighted, you want the title of your book to be unique.
The best book title generator for your manuscript or proposal is you, and I suggest you read this article for some strategic insights. However, if you are impatient, learn how to write a book title now.
For a non-fiction book title, writing a good title means a crafting a concrete promise, a clear benefit statement as to what the reader can expect to learn about. Some good, straightforward examples include:
Non-fiction books also get subtitles. Read more about how to write a subtitle.
Writing A Good Book Title for A Novel Or Narrative Non-fiction
Writing a successful, catchy book title for fiction or narrative non-fiction (such as memoir) also involves reflecting the book's promise. But instead of promising that your reader will learn about the life of John Adams or look 20 years younger, you're crafting the promise of a good read.
A good novel or memoir title should reflect the contents of the book in a way that creates an emotional reaction and curiosity or both. Whether you intrigue, enchant, puzzle or outrage, your book's title should make the prospective book buyer think, "I want to know more." Here are some examples:
The Da Vinci Code - "Code? Wasn't he, like, a painter?"
Worth Dying For - "What could that be?"
My Blood Approves - "Vampires? Yes!"
The Other Boleyn Girl - "I know about Anne, but who's the other one?"
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - "Really? We'll see what I think!"
The famous, like the rich, are different. Celebrities have a platform--their name recognition; so they can title their books pretty much any way they want to, as long as their name and picture are prominent on the book.
My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler
My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke
Then Again by Diane Keaton
Bossypants by Tina Fey
The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini by Benvenuto Cellini*
*Yes, even in the Renaissance, there were famous people with platforms. This guy Ben is still in print today.
How to Write Good Book Titles - Insights and Examples
How to Write Good Book Titles - Insights and Examples
Writing a great title for your book helps ensure it will stick in the minds of prospective readers. A good book title, like an effective and appealing book jacket, should be considered a marketing tool for the book.
(*If you're looking for how to write the title of a book — as in how to properly format a book title for a paper — and have arrived here, know that unless otherwise instructed as to formatting style, a book title generally should be underlined or italicized, as they are below.
If you're being published by a traditional publishing house, there are many people—from editors to sales representatives to marketing managers to publicists to even book buyers at the major booksellers—who will weigh in on the consumer appeal and effectiveness of your book's title. If you are self-publishing your book, the decision of the book title is purely up to you, so it's important to understand what your book title needs to achieve.
In addition to reflecting the content you've written, your book's title (like any marketing effort!) should create an emotional response in your potential readers. Also, while book titles generally cannot be copyrighted, you want the title of your book to be unique.
The best book title generator for your manuscript or proposal is you, and I suggest you read this article for some strategic insights. However, if you are impatient, learn how to write a book title now.
For a non-fiction book title, writing a good title means a crafting a concrete promise, a clear benefit statement as to what the reader can expect to learn about. Some good, straightforward examples include:
Non-fiction books also get subtitles. Read more about how to write a subtitle.
Writing A Good Book Title for A Novel Or Narrative Non-fiction
Writing a successful, catchy book title for fiction or narrative non-fiction (such as memoir) also involves reflecting the book's promise. But instead of promising that your reader will learn about the life of John Adams or look 20 years younger, you're crafting the promise of a good read.
A good novel or memoir title should reflect the contents of the book in a way that creates an emotional reaction and curiosity or both. Whether you intrigue, enchant, puzzle or outrage, your book's title should make the prospective book buyer think, "I want to know more." Here are some examples:
The Da Vinci Code - "Code? Wasn't he, like, a painter?"
Worth Dying For - "What could that be?"
My Blood Approves - "Vampires? Yes!"
The Other Boleyn Girl - "I know about Anne, but who's the other one?"
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - "Really? We'll see what I think!"
The famous, like the rich, are different. Celebrities have a platform--their name recognition; so they can title their books pretty much any way they want to, as long as their name and picture are prominent on the book.
My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler
My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke
Then Again by Diane Keaton
Bossypants by Tina Fey
The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini by Benvenuto Cellini*
*Yes, even in the Renaissance, there were famous people with platforms. This guy Ben is still in print today.
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