A title can make or break a book. You can have a fantastic book, but with a lackluster title, it may never sell (or grab the attention of agents/publishers if you’re looking to publish traditionally).
Really, any book can sell copies if it’s got the right title—take Everything Men Know About Women by Dr. Alan Francis as an example. Its pages are entirely blank, but it’s sold over one million copies!
So how do you choose a title that sparks interest?
#1: Use a Title & Subtitle Combo
Pack in as much information as possible by using a title and subtitle combo. Typically, the title is the attention-grabber, and the subtitle is used to explain the book’s goals.
For example: The 90-Second Fitness Solution: The Most Time-Efficient Workout Ever for a Healthier, Stronger, Younger You by Pete Cerqua with Alisa Bowman
#2: State a Clear Topic and Audience
Aim for clarity over poetry. While whimsical titles can work well for fiction and memoirs, titles for business, how-to, and self-help books should very clearly state the topic and clarify who the book is for.
For example: The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-to-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss
- This book is clearly aimed toward people who currently have traditional 9-to-5 jobs, and it is designed to help them work less while making more money.
I’ve worked with several authors whose original titles/subtitles for very industry-specific books did not state the industry. Without flipping to the back cover or reading the blurb on Amazon, readers would assume the topic applied to any career or business-type. Using a hypothetical example, imagine a reader’s disappointment to buy a book on productivity hacks, only to learn that it is specifically geared toward freelance writers and that most of its tips and examples are not relevant to their needs.
Here is a great example of a title that clarifies a specific industry, from one of my clients:
#3: Make a Promise to Readers
Your title should promise a specific benefit to the reader.
For example: Guerrilla Marketing for Free: Dozens of No-Cost Tactics to Promote Your Business and Energize Your Profits by Jay Conrad Levinson
- This title is a thousand times better than something like Free Marketing Tactics or Guerilla Marketing for Businesses.
Just be careful not to overpromise (think Get-Rich-Quick-types of titles).
#4: Include Searchable Keywords
Make sure your title includes keywords that are easily searchable on Google, Amazon, and anywhere else readers may look for your book online.
Look how many keywords are packed into these titles:
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
#5: Grab Readers’ Attention
Choose a title that will grab a reader’s attention in bookstores or get them to stop scrolling through the Kindle store. Here are a few strategies you can use to create an attention-grabbing title:
- Use active, dynamic words, like maximize, transform, become, elevate, and optimize.
- The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential by John C. Maxwell.
- Use numbers to spark interest and give readers something measurable to accomplish.
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
- Invent a new, interesting term and then explain it.
- The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
- Tongue Fu! Get Along Better With Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere by Sam Horn
#6: Test With Your Target Audience
Come up with three or four variations of your title and test them with your target audience. You can even present them with your titles along with a list of competitor titles, and ask which ones are most compelling and why. Use this feedback to land on a final title.
I hope these tips help you come up with a clear, engaging title for your nonfiction book. After you’ve gone through these steps, feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected], and I’d be happy to take a look at your title and share my thoughts.
Owner of Aha! Editorial
Let’s talk about your writing project: https://calendly.com/ashlyn-ahaeditorial
