How to come up with a book title

Question: I know that the publisher usually comes up with the title or can change it if they want. But you need to come up with a title for your book before you send it in. No? I can't come up with a title for my book. I can think of cool things but then think that has nothing to do with the book it makes no sense. Some books have perfect titles like The Hunger Games and the main thing in the story is the hunger games, The Percy Jackson series it's about Percy Jackson and then the other title the lightning thief or something is what has to do with the book and the same with Harry Potter, or I am number four that one is about number four. Those are all perfect titles for those books and I look at mine and try to find something in it that could be used for a good title but I can't come up with anything. Is there anything that can help me figure out a good title for my book?

Answer: There are a few approaches you could take to finding a working title of your book. All of them involve targeting your ideal reader giving him/her a hint that the story will be the kind they would enjoy.

1) Look at other books in your genre. See if there are common elements that either hit emotional buttons or give some suggestion as to what the book is about. You want the agent/editor to see your title and think "That sounds like a YOUR GENRE book."

For instance, humour books tend to have humourous titles. Many paranormal romance books have words like "dark," "night," or "moon" in the title. Others are more direct, with words like "ghost," "werewolf," or "vampire." Romances frequently use words like "forbidden," "temptation," "seduction," "embrace" or "love." Space opera books often have words like "planet," "star," "alien," or "space" in the title. Mysteries often have "murder" or "death" in the title. Westerns... well, I'm sure you can figure this one out.

Of course, not all books rely on such cliches. If they did, they would lose any kind of distinctiveness.

2) As you pointed out, some titles are drawn from the central premise of the story. Some are drawn from a place, person, event, or thing in the story that is particularly memorable, or the thing that makes the book unique or distinctive.

3) Some titles are phrases taken from the book itself that capture the atmosphere of the story. For instance, if you have a quirky main character, a quirky phrase she uses would give the reader a sense of what to expect (and attract readers who like quirky heroines). On the other hand, a sentimental story could have a sentimental title.

Perhaps the best title will be a combination of two or three of these approaches. But it's not easy to find such a title, and a working title that accomplishes one of them may be just fine.

Titles

by Marissa
(Ohio)

Question: I have the idea for my book but I can't think of a title but I was wondering do I need to come up with a title or does someone else do that or do I come up with a title and if the publisher wants they can change it?

Answer: Generally, the last word on titles goes to the marketing department of the publisher. The reason is that titles are an important marketing tool. The publisher wants a title that will ideally attract the readers most likely to enjoy the book.

Books in a series should have similar titles because, if the first book sells well, similar titles let the fans know the other books offer them more of the same. For example, all Kelly Armstrong's paranormal books have one-word titles. Sue Grafton's murder mysteries follow a set formula: A is for Alabi, B is for Burglar, etc.

For similar reasons, lots of paranormal books have the word "dark" in the title (if not "wolf" or "vampire"). Romances often have words like "love," "forbidden," and "temptation." When the space program was new and exciting, it was very common for science fiction books to have words like "star," "spaceship," or "alien" in the title - but not so much any more.

Of course, there are no absolute rules and plenty of titles don't follow such formulae.

It doesn't hurt if you have a title you think makes the book sound appealing to its ideal reader, because that title will appear in your query letter, so it is a tool for you to use to get the interest of agents or publishers.

However, while you are working on a book, all you need is a working title - something that distinguishes it from all the other stories you may have written. You have plenty of time to change it if you get a better idea.

Titling a Novel

Question: Thanks to your website, I've figured out a LOT about my plot and my characters that I wouldn't have otherwise. I have a plot solid enough that I can write to the plan and have wiggle room for inspired moments. It seems all ready to finally come from my head onto paper - except one problem. I have absolutely NO idea what to title it. Any suggestions for titling a novel? Thanks!

Answer: Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you're finding this site helpful.

Choosing the right title for a book is a bit of an arcane art. Fortunately, you don't have to worry about it for some time. A working title, even a bad one, will do for now. Expect the title may change several times before your book is published.

(As a matter of interest, film companies always identify screenplays by "loglines" - brief synopses of the story - rather than titles because the titles change so often before a film is released.)

Once you've finished a first draft, you may find that a particular phrase you've written will make a better working title than what you started with. Or you can base the new title on a key image, core idea, main character, etc.

A title that invokes curiosity or has appeal for your target audience is often good, because it will attract people to pick up the book. Think about how titles like The Dork Diaries, The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo, To Romance a Charming Rogue, or Starship Trooper instantly communicate who the book is for and what the genre is.

But even when you start submitting your book to publishers, you should still think of the title as a working title, subject to change.

If you eventually sell the manuscript to a publisher, you may find that the marketing department has the final say on what the title will be. They will want a title based on what they feel will sell best.

As you may imagine, that's a long way down the road. So for now, just concentrate on writing the draft.

I don't know what title to give my story

by Katie
(Kent)

Question: I have found a plot for a story I like but i can't seem to think of a fitting title to call it. any ideas on how to come up with a great story title?

Answer: Finding the right title is a difficult yet crucial task, which is why most publishers insist that their marketing department has the final say on it.

For this reason, all the writer needs to produce is a working title, which takes some of the pressure off. Of course, it helps if your working title appeals to agents/publishers when you are marketing your work.

The ideal title will...

1. Target the audience; that is, catch the eye of those who love your particular genre. For this reason, the titles of many paranormal romance novels contain words like "dark," "wicked," or "seduction." The title of a children's novel is more likely to contain words like "adventure," "friends," or "school."

2. Suggest what is unique about your plot. This can contradict the above point. That's why this job is tricky.

3. Capture the voice, mood, or style of the book. Sometimes a key phrase from the book works well as the title - one that gives a little taste of your style and an indication of the book's theme.

4. If you're writing a series, you may want to have a word or phrase that will be included in the title of all the books in the series, such as "Clockwork" or "Harry Potter and the..."

5. Create a little mystery to awaken the reader's curiosity about the story, so they'll want to open the book.

It's all about making a promise to the reader that the book will fulfill. The worst thing would be to have a title that promises something different than what the book delivers, because then your reader will be disappointed. In other words, the picture on the box should match the contents.

Can I submit with a working title?

by Ann Cassowary
(Adelaide, Australia)

Question Pretty much what it sounds like... I'm in the middle of drafting a submission to an agent and realised that I'm not sure if the title I've chosen is the best for the work.

I've spent a long time trying to choose a good title, and even though my current one resounds with the subject matter and overall themes, it might contain vocabulary too complex for the target age group (I'm writing for children).

Do you think it's okay to put "working title" in brackets or something, and acknowledge that I'd like to find a more age-appropriate title? Or does this just come off as unprofessional?

Thanks in advance.

Answer: Any title you submit is essentially a working title, since the publisher's marketing department usually has the last word on titles and will very often come up with a new title for your book on its own.

That said, you can often do a better job since (one hopes) you know your book better. You may know your ideal reader better too. So you should try to come up with a good title on your own to use in a submission.

Think of the title as a marketing tool, much like the query letter. A good title should show the agent or editor that you understand how to appeal to your ideal reader and give them some hint of what kind of a read they are in for, perhaps by capturing the tone of the book, or a major theme.

For instance, you might think about how bestselling titles like, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Harriet the Spy or Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets hint at what's in store for their readers.

A polysyllabic word in a title is not necessarily a problem for middle-grade readers if it stimulates their imagination or sense of humour. But one is probably enough.

If you're in doubt, you might take your top two or three candidates and ask some children which one sounds like a book they would want to read.

Advice on How To Come Up With A Title

by Todd Rogers
(Sacramento, CA, USA)

Question: Regardless of length or type of work (article, report, how-to book, vignette, novel, epic series, etc), are there different considerations for giving your work a proper title?

Since Titles of books are the first thing that people see when they come upon your work in a bookstore, online in a gallery or publishing place like Amazon or iBooks, is there a titling convention to adhere to that makes it easier to give a story or work that spark of individuality, it's brand?

Answer: The good news, if you're a writer, is that most often your publisher's marketing department will have the final say on the title - if they don't actually write it themselves - because, as you say, it is an important marketing tool. All you need is a working title. You can try to make it good, but don't get attached to it.

The bottom line is that you want a title that will grab the attention of the reader who likes books like yours. Every genre is different, and often you can identify a genre just from the title (which is a good thing).

With non-fiction, it's common to have a short title that summarizes the core idea and is easy to remember, followed by a subtitle that actually explains what the book is about or the biggest benefit the reader will get from the book, or the most amazing thing the reader will learn. It helps to mention the topic in the subtitle or title so people searching amazon.com for that subject can find it. Books that teach the reader how to do something usually have titles that start with "How to." Histories often have the word "history" in a title or subtitle.

Fiction titles can also have searchable features, though it is less common. For instance, some murder mysteries have the word "mystery" or "murder" in the title (or subtitle). Books set in an exotic location may name the location in the title.

However, with so many titles in print, tricks like this can become counterproductive, because too many titles show up when you search for a key word. So searchability is more of a bonus than a rule in fiction.

Instead, the challenge is to try to find a phrase that summarizes the theme, atmosphere, or some other distinctive feature of the story. If you're writing a humourous book, for example, a funny title is important. Similarly, it's no surprize how many gothic romances have words like "dark" or "wicked" in the title. Sometimes a memorable phrase from the book works well as a title.

If you want to create a good title, you might start by making a list of titles of other successful books in your genre.

Then go through your book and make a list of the distinctive features, the key ideas, themes, unique phrases, settings, topics, atmosphere, characters, etc.

See if you can pair the structure of titles from the first list with ideas from the second list.

You may want to do this process several times over a period of weeks before creating a short list. Ideas may come to you between sessions.

Then try reading titles to some people and asking if they can guess what genre the book is in. Or you could find some people who like your genre and ask them if any of your titles sound like something they would pick up in a store.

Titles

by Marissa

Question: How do you come up with a title? Can a title be long or are they usually short? How do you know if a title works for that book? Most trilogies or series they have a name which is usually part of the title or the firs title for the first book and that name usually works with the rest of the books. How do you do that? How do you create a title? I can come up with an entire story but can never come up with a good title that works for that book and goes with the rest of the series. I like the calm before the storm as a title for a few of my books but I also just don't think it sounds right. For one of my books I came up with for the first one "the rising tide", the second one "the darkest hour", and the third one "the new age". Do those all go together? Do they sound like good titles for a dystopian trilogy? This is the only series that I've written that I really like the titles for. Every one of my other ideas I can't come up with a good title that works. What can I do to come up with titles?

Answer: One question at a time...

How do you come up with a title?

It can be an agonizing process, because a title has to do a lot in just a few words.

Usually, publishers have the final say regarding titles. They will insist on a title they feel will help with sales. As a writer, you just need a working title (hopefully one that will sound good in a cover letter).

You want a title that will 1) catch your reader's attention and 2) convey something of the essence of the book. Of these two, the first is more important.

Titles can come from...

* A major character's name.
* The setting.
* A major theme.
* The plot.
* A significant and unique phrase that appears in the book.

Titles often (but not necessarily) give clues regarding the book's genre, to attract the attention of people who like that genre. For instance, you can often guess from a title whether a book is a Western, romance, science fiction, paranormal, or mystery because of certain key words. Take a look at some random titles and you'll see what I mean.

Again, this is done to draw the attention of readers who are most likely to buy the book.

You should probably brainstorm a lengthy list of titles before choosing one.

How do you know if a title works for that book?

You can't know for certain. But you can show people who resemble your typical readers a list of possible titles and ask them which one they would likely pick up off a shelf. If they all point to the same title, that's a good sign.

Can a title be long or are they usually short?

A title has to fit on the cover and spine of a book in large enough print to be easily read by bookstore patrons, which is why titles are usually short. The longest title I've ever seen was for a play. This may be because posters have more room than book covers, but even then it was a case of getting attention by breaking the rules--something that only works once because it is exceptional.

(The play is called, "The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade," by Peter Weiss.)

Most trilogies or series have a name which is usually part of the title or the first title for the first book and that name usually works with the rest of the books. How do you do that?

If you plan on writing a series from the outset, you can pick a title system that will let readers know that all the books belong together, because if they like one you want to help them find the others. There are lots of ways of doing this.

* You can incorporate the main character's name, as in the Harry Potter or Percy Jackson books.

* You can do the same with settings, as in the Vampire Academy books.

* You can have one title for the entire series and a separate title for each book and put both on the cover. For example, the Bartimaeus series.

* If the first book is popular, it's title may become the series title. For example, the "Game of Thrones" series. Although that isn't the actual series title, it now appears on every book in the series because it's the name of the popular TV series which everyone knows.

* You can make the titles follow a similar pattern. For instance, Sue Grafton's murder mysteries follow an alphabet pattern (A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, etc.) In Kelly Armstrong's The Darkest Powers series, the series title doesn't appear on the cover, but each book has a two-word title consisting of "The" followed by a gerund.

Sometimes writers will write a first book with no thought of making it a series, but if it sells well the publisher will ask for sequels. In that case, the publisher and author may work together to come up with titles that let readers know the subsequent books are sequels. For instance, giving them a subtitle like "Book 2 of the X Saga."

For one of my books I came up with for the first one "the rising tide", the second one "the darkest hour", and the third one "the new age". Do those all go together? Do they sound like good titles for a dystopian trilogy?

Your titles follow a similar construction, and I assume they fit with the theme your books, so that's a good start. Some thoughts...

"The New Age" might confuse readers, since New Age is a subgenre of inspirational books. ("The New Dawn" might work better as a follow up to "The Darkest Hour.")

One drawback: the titles are somewhat cliched phrases. You might try to make them more unique--titles that could only fit your books and no others. For example, a title like The Hunger Games can only apply to that book because hunger games are a unique feature of that story world.

You might also consider finding an overall title for the series.

Best of luck.

Selecting A Winning Title

by Todd Rogers
(Sacramento, CA, USA)

Question: Just like this question is titled, "Selecting A Winning Title", I realize before really asking my question that some titles are just a matter of creating the premise for a subject and then just asking the question.

But blog writing not being quite equal to novel writing, it begs the question:

How does one appropriately title the book that does justice to the story within?

In November 1986, when I was but a teenager of 17, I started writing my epic sci-fi story. I called it "My Father's Invention".

The invention was a multi-functional suit made out of a form of newly discovered pseudo-matter consisting of primarily of photonic energy called "Sucleonic Energy".

This work is copyrighted, by the way, 1986-2013 mainly because I wrote a goodly portion of the story in episodic format and then let it simmer for 26 years without touching it."

But I digress.

It occurred to me that "My Father's Invention" might just be a working title until a more suitable permanent title could be selected because let's face it..the title doesn't really tell you anything about the story's premise nor is it really awe-inspiring, nor particularly memorable.

For a book designed to be published and read by people all over the world, title, I realize, must be a winner otherwise my dream of writing the next big epic adventure on par with Harry Potter, Star Wars or Star Trek will have been for naught.

Is there agreement here?

Please help!

Answer: A working title is all you really need until you get a publishing contract. After that, the publisher's marketing department will have the final word on the title, if they don't simply write it themselves (though with your input and approval, one hopes).

That said, you are correct that a good title will select the audience (that is, it will attract readers who enjoy the genre it is in. For example, "Harry Potter" by itself would have been a poor title. It's the second part, "...and the Philosopher's Stone" ("Sorcerer's Stone" in the U.S.), that tells the reader it is a fantasy story. The word "Star," on the other hand, instantly selects readers interested in science fiction.

Of course, you also don't want a title that sounds cliched either. For that reason, a unique phrase from the book often works as a title.

It's a tricky balance, and finding the right title will take time and a lot of brainstorming..

Use of other authors titles

by james shimwitwa
(Zambia)

Question: Is it in order to make use of a phrase in one's story that form the title of another book? For example: A writer in African wrote a popular book entitled "the beautfiful ones are not yet born". Apparently this has become a common african adage.would it be correct to use this adage as in examples below:
**My heart got excited when I looked at the girl Seated on one of the four seats around the table.
Before 6th Dec, 2008 I accepted the aphorism that the beautiful ones are not yet born. But on this day, looking at this girl with a superb and intriguing figure, I realised that the precept was wrong. This girl who instantly took my breath away, was hundred per cent beautiful. I had never before met a pretty girl as this one. She was Mwenya’s friend. I greeted her rather shyly
“Hi, Tandy, glad to meet you”

Or as this:


**"Is that Mwanza’s wife” I asked deliberately.
“No, I don’t think so. Mwanza is a womaniser he plays games with the beautiful ones in town. That must be one of his girlfriends.” He laughed,
“He changes them like clothes. But he won’t finish them, perhaps he doesn’t know that the beautiful ones are not yet born” he laughed again. “He has everything women want, good looks and money”

Answer: Interesting question!

Keep in mind that I am not a copyright lawyer, so the following is just my understanding from what I've heard and read elsewhere.

An author cannot copyright a title, which is why you will see different books with the same title (generally published years apart and in different genres to avoid confusion).

You are also allowed to quote a small percentage of another author's work, if you give credit. The phrase you mention is probably a very tiny percentage of the book.

If the phrase you have in mind has become part of popular culture, and the original book was published a long time ago, those are also points in your favour.

Most importantly: I doubt the author could argue that your use of the phrase could lower sales of his book. If anything, you are reinforcing his book's place in the culture.

On the other side of the issue: it is usually better if you invent your own phrases simply to make your book more original. After all, wouldn't it be nice if people started quoting your words?

If you sell this manuscript to a publisher, you may want to ask your editor (who should have legal expertise at his/her disposal). But I doubt it will be a problem.

books with the same name

Question: If you come up with the name for a book but it's the same name as another book. Is that ok? Or is that not allowed?

Answer: Titles cannot be copyrighted, so there is no rule against giving your book the same title as another.

However, the danger is that you might create confusion in the marketplace, especially if both books are in the same genre or will be published around the same time. For instance, if you were releasing a serious literary novel in 2013, a title like "Shades of Grey" might attract readers looking for a different kind of read. Consequently, they may be disappointed in your book and discourage their friends from buying it. Meanwhile, your ideal readers, the literary fiction crowd, who might love your book if they read it, might be turned off by the title.

Occasionally, you will see books given titles similar to the title of a currently popular book in an attempt to ride on the coattails of the other book's popularity. Sometimes this may be legitimate, as in the case of a parody. However, sometimes it looks like a blatant attempt to make money by deliberately confusing the readers. No doubt it works. However, smart readers will recognize the strategy. It's also tantamount to admitting that your book cannot stand on its own legs.

In the end, it is usually the publisher's marketing department that has the final say on a book's title, and potential sales are a key factor. They will generally want a title that will appeal to your ideal audience, that will make it stand out, and that will be in line with the promise of the book.

Naming a sequel

by Marissa

Question: If you wrote a book and it got published and there's a sequel to it do you have to come up with a title? If you can't think of anything can you just leave it blank and your publisher come up with one? Or do you still have to come up with some sort of title and the publisher can change it if they want?

Also is it better to wait until the end of your book to name it that way something might come to you after finishing it? Or does it not matter whether you come up with it before writing the book, during, or after?

Answer: As a writer, I would think you would at least want some influence over the title of your sequel. That said, your publisher's marketing department will have the last word. They will probably want a title that lets readers know that the sequel is a sequel, so that fans of the first book will want to buy it.

Between the two of you, you may decide that "First Book's Title: Part Two" will work just fine for the sequel. Or, with a little forethought, you may come up with an overarching title for the series, with each book having its own title (more or less a subtitle).

For example, in Philip Pullman's series His Dark Materials, each book has its own title while the series title lets the reader know they are part of a series.

Of course, sometimes it happens that the first book's title becomes the de facto series title. For example, in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, only the first book is called A Game of Thrones. But with the success of the TV adaptation, every book now has A Game of Thrones emblazoned on the cover, rather than the original series title.

Again, this is all about marketing. Fans of the TV series know the title A Game of Thrones and would not recognize the original series title.

At any rate, I would think you would want to come up with a working title for your sequel, even if just to keep the books distinct in your own mind while you are working on them. Naturally, titles can change during the writing process. For instance if you find you have written a phrase that seems like a much better title than what you started with, you can use it.

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