16 Approaches to Titling Your Book
U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser said that titles “…represent the hand you extend in friendship toward your reader.” He was talking about titles of poems, but his words apply to titling your book as well.
Yes, people buy books because they’re interested in the concept, but just as important is their assessment of the cover. Titling your book is a huge marketing decision.
A title tells people what to think about your book before they ever open it. Your reader will get an idea of what genre your book belongs to or whether it’s serious or playful. They might get a sense of whether the book is literary or more commercial. Right away, the title will give them a vibe about your book and it will be a vibe that interests them or doesn’t.
If you’ve had the same working title since you started drafting, you need to put some thought into whether it’s the best title before you send it out for possible publication. And although book titles do not generally fall under copyright protection, it’s best to have a unique title so as not to confuse readers.
Ask yourself if there’s a certain tone, mood, or impression you want to capture. Once you have some guiding ideas, then start experimenting with possible content and structures for titling your book. Here are a bunch of approaches to get you started:
1: Rhyme and Alliteration
Billy Bathgate by E.L. Doctorow
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Ill Will by Dan Chaon
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
2: The Object Title
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
The Pelican Brief by John Grisham
3: The Vivid Image
Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Perfume River by Robert Olen Butler
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
The Bride Wore Black by Cornell Woolrich
4: One-Word Titles
Inland by Téa Obreht
Silence by Shusaku Endo
Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks
Lit by Mary Karr
Snap by Belinda Bauer
5: Long Titles
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton by Jane Smiley
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
6: Who the Novel’s About
The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Dalva by Jim Harrison
The Great Santini by Pat Conroy
7: Who the Novel’s About, Expanded
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré
The Brief Wondrous Live of Oscar Wao by Juno Díaz
My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
8: What the Novel’s About
An English Murder by Cyril Hare
Leaving the Land by Douglas Unger
A Death in the Family James Agee
What’s Done in Darkness Laura McHugh
Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea
9: Use a Time Period
July, July by Tim O’Brien
After Dark by Haruki Murakami
Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin
Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
The Paris Hours by Alex George
10: Go With Setting
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta
The Dutch House by Anne Patchett
The Round House by Louis Erdrich
11: Emotion in Titles
Fury by Salman Rushdie
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Euphoria by Lily King
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone
12: Give Us a Theme
The Flicker of Old Dreams by Susan Henderson
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Kindred by Octavia Butler
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
13: The Trendy Title
I’m thinking of those titles that follow a specific pattern, something like—The X (number) A of B, or The A (person) of B (place).
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
14: The Artsy Title
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer
You Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers
Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
15: Familial Relationships
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
16: Borrowed Lines
The Final Solution by Michael Chabon
Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
One Two, Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie
A Time to Kill by John Grisham
Titling your book carries the burden of coming up with something unique, specific, memorable, and shareable. If people can’t remember the title of your book or if they confuse it with another book, you’re in trouble.
Even if you think you’ve settled on a title, I’d advise you to come up with some alternates, experimenting with style and content, so that you can make sure you’re titling your book with the best possible option.
Originally published at Scribbler. Reposted with permission.
Titles are so overwhelming for me, but having different categories to try out is so helpful!
Yes, titles are tough! It can be a good idea to experiment with different approaches before settling on a winner. Cheers, Marsea!