So, you wrote the book and now you need a title β¦
This is something Iβve struggled with since day one of writing, but over the last 9 books Iβve published, Iβve managed to come up with a few foolproof solutions that relieve the stress of picking the golden name.
This is going to be different for every author, but I can only tell you what my processes are. Also, I can only hope it helps you in the same way itβs helped me.
1. Choosing a title by using a summary
Iβve always knocked around titles in my head while writing, and sometimes, the title has revealed itself as I wrote certain sentences in my book, but unfortunately, that doesnβt always happen.
The first thing I do is write a short summary of the book. I donβt write a blurb, but just a simple 4-5 sentence summary. I write the main theme of my book (ex. Second chances, forbidden love, etc.) The conflict between my characters, and how it ends.
Example summary:
A second chance romance that is sure to break your heart. He left me on our wedding day, only to show up five years later, asking me for another chance but without an explanation of where he went. Hesitant at first, I let him in again, and piece by piece, he mended my broken heart, telling me the stories of what happened after he left and where he had gone. With my walls coming down, he won me over again, and from there there wasnβt a doubt in my mind that we werenβt meant to be together.
Boom! We have a summary.
Now, letβs look more into it and see if we can come up with some title options.
First three titles that pop into my head after re-reading the summary I wrote above are:
- Coming Home
- One More Chance
- Chances at Love
See what I did there? I used keywords from my summary to make some awesome titles for my new book. You can do this a million times over and make a huge list of titles just from a simple summary.
Itβs really thateasy.
For me, Iβve always overanalyzed the title process and put so much pressure on myself to pick the perfect one. Iβm sure Iβm not alone in this.
I mean your title is everything, right?
2. Find an awesome quote youβve already written and create a title from it.
As an author, thereβs always going to be that one sentence you type throughout your manuscript that speaks to you. Once you find that sentence or quote, use it.
Thereβre so many times as I write that I find βthat sentenceββthe one set of words that end up perfectly combined and sum up everything Iβve been working toward portraying in my story.
This can always work another way. Ok, so letβs say from the moment you put your fingers on the keyboard, you knew the title of the story. Hell, you wrote the story around the damn title. So, now, youβve gotten to the end of the book and you still havenβt found a way your title fits the story.
I can help you fix this.
This recently happened to me when writing a six book series, and I was cursing under my breath that I forgot to add that catchy title I love so much into the word count.
So, what did I do?
I wrote a quote.
For me, the quote was βAll I wanted was one taste.β
I began re-reading the book until I found the perfect place to use that line I had written, and again, problem solved.
3. Go with a one word title.
If your still stuck with the title of your new book, thereβs other ways to go about it. You will find the perfect word for your book!
If you are still stuck, try going for a simple but strong title using one word.
Some of the best books Iβve read have a single word as the title. I can honestly say that by the end of reading said book, I understand the meaning behind that one word. You can still make a statement without saying much.
Another plus Iβve learned from designing book covers for authors, single word titles always look #amazeballs on book covers!
Examples of epic one-word title books:
- Carnage by Lesley Jones
- Vicious by LJ Shen
- Inhibitions by K.A. Berg
- Owned by M. Never
- Moto by M. Never
- More title inspiration and ramblings.
If none of the above worked for you, I apologize for making you read all of my ramblings, but letβs try it again. The following methods have been a huge success for me to get my mind flowing.
- Make a playlist as you write and re-listen to that playlist for inspiration. Music can play a huge part of our creative processes if you let it, so give it a try.
- Have a friend read your book and see what they think. The best ideas can from brainstorming with someone who can be brutallyhonest with you.
- Use on of the main characters name. This is a a common but effective way to tell your readers what your story is about. When the reader opens the book and sees the characterβs name, theyβll get it.
For more ramblings, there are a few other things Iβve learned over my career that also play into a title. So, letβs talk about being original and the titles you see plastered all over your favorite e-book retailers. I would suggest avoiding them. No one is saying you canβt have a title thatβs been used before, but I always had a thing with naming my book the same as several other authors.
However, there were times in my career that the title was non-negotiable, and I had to run with it. In some cases, though, the title is the title, whether itβs used one time or seventy times.
If it feels like itβs the only title in the world that can sum up your book, then use it.
This post was proofread by Grammarly