Blogger: Mary Keeley
Location: Books & Such Midwest Office, Illinois
A killer title for your book can make the difference between an editor taking a serious look at your proposal or not at all. It’s the all-important first impression. If your title can capture agent and editor attention, the perception is that the first pages of your manuscript might deliver on the title’s promise. Here are a few suggestions to help you zero in on a great title.
- Promise Something (for nonfiction projects)
- One Month to Live: 30 Days to a No-Regrets Life
- One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are
- Intriguing One or Two Words
- Moneyball (about how the Oakland Athletics built a successful team with one of the smallest payrolls in baseball). Michael Lewis brilliantly combined the subject of the book (the Oakland Athletics) with the specific topic (building a lucrative team from minimal resources) using a familiar game idea for the title.
- Blink (how instincts work in your mind) – Malcolm Gladwell found a perfect word that describes how instantaneously our gut-level hunches come to mind and the importance of paying attention to them.
- A Potent Phrase or Place
- The Devil in the White City (how an architect and a serial killer were linked by the World’s Fair of 1893). A powerful descriptor of the psychopath in contrast to Chicago, the city filled with new hope, employment, and preparations for the World’s Fair.
- Adapt a Familiar Phrase or Scripture
- In the Still of the Night (about the strange death of Ronda Reynolds and her mother’s tireless search for the truth). True-crime author Ann Rule paints the picture of what really happened on the night Ronda Reynolds supposedly committed suicide.
- Wild Goose Chase: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God. Mark Batterson used a familiar phrase, “wild goose chase” that also has another meaning. Wild Goose is his name for the Holy Spirit, and the name hints at mystery…and adventure. Perfect.
- Incongruous Words or Phrases
- Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God. Francis Chan contrasted the “crazy” thought that the God of the universe loves us with a relentless love in a powerful, two-word title.
- In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. How we think we’ve been in the wrong places at the wrong times might actually have been the right places at the right times according to God’s positioning. Mark Batterson thought of a great word picture to describe this contrast.
- A Key Phrase from within the Story
- Pearl in the Sand (the fictional story of Rahab). The phrase doesn’t appear until the last part of the story. But in so doing, the reader not only finally understands where the title came from but also gains deeper meaning into the imagery of finding a beautiful pearl in commonplace sandy surroundings.
In what ways do these tips and examples prompt ideas for your WIP? What additional tips can you offer that have been successful for you in coming up with killer titles? Or tell us what titles you’ve seen that you consider stellar.
Thank you for validating my relenteless pursuit for the perfect title! I’ve heard writers blow off the title search because, “it’ll just get changed.” I knew it was important!
I like to tap my poetry writing brain for titles. I think of concrete images and words related to the MS and just throw them on a piece of paper to see what sticks. Book one started as “The Lotus Leaf Effect” (too esoteric) and is now “The Memory of Drowning.” Book two started as “A Hunger So Deep” (vague) and is now “Miracle in a Dry Season.” Yes, they may get changed, but they give me sturdy handles for pitching!
Mary, When I submitted my debut novel, the publisher quickly told me that the working title didn’t reflect the medical aspect of the book. They gave it the title, Code Blue, about which I was sort of lukewarm.
After that, I worked hard to come up with titles that indicated the content but also were catchy. Titles may not survive the editing process, but if the author chooses a good one, it’s more likely to stick. Thanks for some excellent advice.
I must confess that I have a difficult time with the importance of titles. I figure the pub house has the last word, so why bother?
That said, I don’t ignore titles. The title of my recently completed novel is a phrase from the book, near the end of the book. Hopefully the effect will be similar to what you describe as in Pearl in the Sand. For my non-fiction WIP, I think I’ve come up with a catchy title: The Candy Store Generation.
Hi David, just read over this and wanted to make sure you knew there’s a popular book called “Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?” So it’s along the same lines, though not exactly the same. I think it’s non-fiction too. I just know I don’t like using titles that remind people of another book!
It’s true that publishers often change the title. But if you don’t start with a title that hooks the editor or agent to open your proposal and start reading, you have lost your chance.
Thanks for sharing your titling experiences, Sarah, Richard, and David. Very helpful. Some authors have a title in mind when they start a book, and this helps them stick to the core theme as in your example, Sarah. And some authors don’t have any idea what the title will be until they are nearly finished with the manuscript. The process is personal.
I recently “pre-pitched” some book concepts to an agent, giving my working titles and a couple sentence description of each.
The one that made her eyes light up was one with a two word title, in the category of “incongruous words or phrases.”
Not only did that re-prioritize what I would work on next, but it also re-enforced the critical importance of having a great title.
Great example, Peter! I’m glad incongruous words worked for you.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and a practical process for choosing a book title. Definitely difficult for some of us!
Is the process different for fiction? When I first saw the tittle, “The Help” on a list (no jacket cover or tag line) I had no idea what it was about.
I love this post! Titles are so important, both to readers, and authors.
Readers are told “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But as a reader, there are two things I ‘judge’ before choosing whether or not to read its dust jacket description. The cover and title.
As a writer, I usually create a title, character names/descriptions and a one sentence summary (even though I often tweak them all later.)
I like titles that grab my attention and make me want to explore their meaning. A great example of an intriguing title is the classic (and my favorite book ever!) To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee obviously put thought in that title. It is the central idea throughout the book, as well as a unique and curious title. 🙂
Sorry, I’m starting to ramble. That happens when I’ve had a second cup of coffee in the morning. LOL
Thank you for the thought-provoking post!