How much thought do you put into your nonfiction book and article titles? Is choosing a title something you enjoy or is it a real drag? Do you feel confident about the titles you come up with or do you hate most of them? Maybe you don’t even select your own titles—you turn that task over to someone who’s actually good at it.
I’m not an expert when it comes to choosing titles. But sometimes I actually enjoy the process and other times not so much. There are times when the perfect title comes to me immediately. There have been occasions when the title occurred to me before I even outlined the article or book. Have you had that happen—you write a book, story or article around a title? And how many times do you end up changing that title once the piece is written? Sigh!
I’m not an expert on titles. Some of mine are good and others, not so much. But I do know some of the basics of choosing a good title.
For nonfiction:
• When contemplating a title for a nonfiction book or article, think about the audience you want to attract. If your book is for people who want to quit stuttering, use a title such as, “Stutter No More.”
• Spell out the subject of the book in the title and, perhaps, the slant you are taking so the reader knows that this book has the information he or she wants. Going with the stuttering theme, how about this: “The 10-Day Stop Stuttering Plan,” or “Stop Stuttering in 10 Days, Guaranteed.”
• Use a subtitle when the brief title doesn’t quite sum up the scope of the book or article. Here’s an example, “Self-Publishing: Is it for You?” or “Stuck: How to Crush Writer’s Block.”
• Use your title to respond to the questions your audience may have on the subject. In fact, you might even ask an appropriate question in the title. For example, maybe you are addressing issues of dog behavior. An intriguing, inviting title might be, “Does Your Dog Need an Attitude Adjustment?”
• Describe the book in the title. “The Big Book of Easy Family Meals,” is a fairly succinct title, don’t you think? How about, “Go Fishing. Catch Fish! The How-to Book For Neophyte Anglers,” is a title that does not leave any doubt about its content. Well, there actually is one question left unanswered. What type of fishing are we talking about, fly fishing, lake, stream, ocean? If it is one type of fishing, the photo on the cover could respond to that question. If the book covers all fishing styles, show a collage of fishermen on a boat in the ocean, on a pier, standing in the surf, fishing in a river and so forth.
How many words should go in a title? According to one source, The longest book title belongs to Nigel Tomm, whose book title consists of 3,999 characters (with spaces) or 670 words. I’m not going to repeat it here. You can see it at WikiAnswers, if you want. It’s pretty bizarre. Several authors have used one-word titles. I suggest a title that fits nicely on your cover so that it is large enough to be seen by book browsers and, perhaps, easy to remember. As authors, we rely heavily on word-of-mouth for book sales, so you want a title that is easy to read and memorable.
If you are having trouble coming up with a title for your book here are some ideas:
• Review the content/theme/purpose of your book and your audience. If it is a book designed to teach or inform the public about the work that homeland security does, for example, consider a title such as, “What You Didn’t Know About Homeland Security.” Or make it more provocative, if you like: “Homeland Security: Are They Helping or Hindering?”
• Go through your book and highlight some of the interesting or particularly succinct phrases. Perhaps something will jump out at you.
• Brainstorm with friends, family, colleagues about a title.
• Study titles for books similar to yours.
How did you come up with your book title? Do you have a particularly good title you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you.
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