They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but what about its title? A great title will get your manuscript noticed not just by the literary agents in which you first submit it, but by the subsequent editors, book distributors, reviewers and finally, your desired readers.
It's the first thing everyone sees and it can make or break your chances of getting noticed.
It's your first impression so make it count.
Make your book stand out.
Grab the reader's attention and make them desperate to find out just what your book is all about.
As a literary agent, the title is the first thing I notice.
A great title will make me read on, every time.
Quirky or profound, I'm a sucker for a good title.
Some titles are entertainment in themselves.
They tell me the author is creative or profound.
Because a good title, after all, takes time and talent to develop.
'The Wedding' or 'Too Wild to Wed?' Which book would you rather read? Here's some more titles of bestselling books to get your creative juices flowing, fiction and non-fiction.
These works of literary genius, the titles I mean, are enough to make me want to check them out.
Another Bullshit Night in Suck City - Nick Flynn I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream - Harlan Ellison When You Are Engulfed in Flames - David Sedaris The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A.
Heinlein What's the secret to these great titles? They elicit an emotional response from the prospective reader, positive and negative.
They give the reader something they can relate to.
How many times have you had a bullshit night out on the town? Or felt like you wanted to just scream? What other ways can you get your title to stand out? String together words or ideas in an unorthodox way.
Learn from some of the pros.
Walk Two Moons - Sharon Creech Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess The Winner Stands Alone - Paulo Coelho Spunky titles, for less serious subject matters, will automatically draw attention too.
And remember, sarcasm sells.
The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse - Robert Rankin Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K.
Dick Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea - Chelsea Handler Women Are from Venus Men Are from Hell - Amanda Newman So how can you create a title all the world will remember? Take some time to search Amazon or Goodreads for titles.
Write down words or titles that grab you.
Combine them with different nouns, verbs, adjectives, colors or numbers and then recombine them over and over until something grabs you.
Brainstorm with others; friends, family, writer's group.
Tell them some of the key points of your story and see what they come up with to describe it.
Then combine their suggestions with different nouns, verb adjective...
you get the picture.
Check out newspaper and TV show titles.
They may spark some ideas.
Browse your library or bookstore.
Take a notepad.
Capture titles or words that move you.
Read through your manuscript.
Is there a passage or a scene that describes it all perfectly? Use your thesaurus to come up with more clever synonyms.
Most importantly, take the time to get it just right.