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Want A Killer Book Title?
A how-to on mastering the subtle art of literary commerce
Yes, naming your book is a BFD. Your title will be the most read part of your book. In fact, titles are so important to a work’s success, big publishing houses give authors little to no say in titling their own books. I get it. I’ve bought and not bought books based on titles alone. But what makes a good book title? How do you come up with one? And why bother thinking about the title if someone’s going to change it anyway? First you have to snare that publisher, and that means nailing an agent.
Agents are the curators of the publishing world, personal shoppers who know what their clients (editors at publishing houses) are looking for and how to find it. Getting to an agent starts with a letter.
Before you hit send, you want the best subject line possible, ideally this will be (or include) your title. Think clickbait, but you won’t fail to deliver.
The ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ of it all
Just like Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir does, your title should convey some kind of promise to the reader, suggesting what they’re in for if they make that purchase. It should also reflect the book’s tone. Most critically, it’s the information that needs to be remembered, preferably verbatim.
