Are you hoping to attract Oprah’s attention with your pending book? Can you just envision yourself sitting on the sofa alongside the Talk Show Queen discussing your wonderful book?
Well, don’t make important decisions about your book with Oprah in mind. Your first and continuing concern should be your audience—your readers.
So you know that Oprah likes how-to books. This is no reason to, in fact, it’s a lousy reason to change your title. Create a title that will appeal to your audience. It is your promo material that will either captivate or turn off Oprah and other media hosts. Choose a title for your target audience and then rely on your promo techniques to sell your book to this audience and various others who might be interested.
For example, let’s say that your book features a weight-lose program that encourages adding foods instead of deleting them. Your target audience comprises women from all walks of life who are fed up with their diet plans. So you choose this title: “Add Food and Lose Weight; A Healthy Guide to a Slimmer Body.”
(Author’s note, if this seems far fetched to you, just think about it for a moment. This is actually how I eat. I add fruits and vegetables. In fact, I strive to eat 8 – 10 servings per day. Every day, I treat myself to my favorite squash, Ranier cherries, fresh peaches, cooked carrots, big salads, etc. which keeps me from eating a calorie-laden sandwich or taking two helpings of lasagna.)
Now, when you want to get a gig on a local radio show or even a stint with the likes of Oprah, you have the power to promote your book using any focus and highlighting any features you want. You can present your book as a guide to nutritious eating, you can focus on the recipes, you might point up the how-to aspect or this new concept in dieting. Your focus for one show might be fitness. For another show, you may simply offer to list some of the foods one could add to their meals to actually encourage weight loss. Promote the book from a personal standpoint—this is how I eat and I wear a size 10.
Oh yes, and what about the psychological aspect? There’s nothing in the title to indicate any psychological implications involved with this weight loss plan, but you can certainly play this concept up in your promo material for a program director. And don’t forget the personal approach. One angle might be sharing anecdotes reflecting weight loss using this concept.
Your nonfiction book can be many things to many people, but you’re going to have to choose a title that communicates its purpose succinctly to your target audience. You want these people to recognize your message—the message they need or want. And you do this through the title and subtitle. In order to attract other readers and the interest of newspaper reporters, radio/TV show hosts, etc., you must develop some incredible promo material.
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