There are several reasons to rename a book such as adding a subtitle to be friendlier to search engines. Another important reason is to get a new copyright date because many book critics will not review an old book and reviewers often define an “old” book as one with a copyright of more than a year old.

Margaret Mitchell first gave the title “Pansy,”  the original name for Scarlett O’Hara, to her epic novel. That title was dropped as soon as MacMillan convinced Mitchell to rename her main character. She then considered the titles of “Tote the Weary Load” and “Tomorrow is Another Day,” the latter being taken from the last line in her novel. When MacMillan objected to these two titles, Mitchell reconsidered and suggested “Gone With The Wind.”

Sometimes just a minor tweak in the title will pay off big, such as “Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone” being renamed “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” “Philosopher’s Stone” was the first novel in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling when it was first published in  London in 1997. The next year it was republished in America with the “Sorcerer’s Stone” change made in the title and it reached the New York Time’s best-selling fiction list in August 1999.

Other examples of books that were re-titled include:

• “The Last Man in Europe” to “1984”
• “The Dead Un-Dead” to “Dracula”
• “Catch 18” and “Catch 11” to “Catch 22”
• “Atticus” to “To Kill a Mockingbird”
• “First Impressions” to “Pride and Prejudice”
• “Fiesta” to “The Sun Also Rises”
• “Strike” to “Atlas Shrugged”
• “Mistress Mary” to “The Secret Garden”

I think you get the point. Tanya Hall of Greenleaf Book Group  (www.greenleafbookgroup.com) tells of the renaming of a book that made a big difference for Greenleaf: “Gregg Crawford approached us seeking distribution services for his book, ‘Execute or Be Executed’, originally published in 2006,” says Tanya. “We saw potential in the book but it definitely needed to be repackaged and re-titled to stand out in the crowded business genre. Gregg agreed to our suggestions, and the end result was ‘The Last Link: Closing the Gap That is Sabotaging Your Business’ which was published in March, 2007 by Greenleaf Book Group Press and became our first New York Times bestseller.”

Many of the authors with whom I work do not subtitle their book which is a big mistake. A subtitle allows for a book title to contain more searchable terms which, in this day of search engine optimization, is a major consideration. Remember that people use Google, Bing and Yahoo! to search for information they need immediately – help that fills their needs, wants and desires. You want to be their Answer.

Authors should always  be open to suggestions made by editors and publishers. You may love your title but the publishing company that makes millions of dollars each year selling books knows a lot more about titles that sell than you do.

So be ready to rename your book if that new title will attract more readers and sell more books. If in doubt, ask Margaret Mitchell, or J.K. Rowling, or Ernest Hemingway, or George Orwell or ….. Want to rename your book? Bounce an idea off me at: scottlorenz@westwindcos.com.

Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC Nightly News, The New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Family Circle, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few. Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at www.book-marketing-expert.com or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist.

A book’s main title is designed to make an impact, catch attention, and pique interest. The subtitle does the rest of the work. It explains, or should explain, in a very specific way exactly what a book is about. In book publicity, the subtitle is crucial for this very reason. If a producer or editor receives a book with no subtitle or an inferior one, he or she is not going to take the time to look at the book. It’s that simple. Time is precious to media. Many outlets receive hundreds of books a week in the mail. A title has to hit them hard, fast, and clearly.

“In press releases, nonfiction books with bad subtitles often hamper book marketing efforts,” says Dan Smith, CEO of Smith Publicity. “Just as when media receive a book in the mail, when reviewing a press release, a producer or editor will give up on it if the essential information is not given within the first 10 to 15 seconds.”

If not augmented by precise subtitles, even some of the best main titles would lack effectiveness. Consider the super bestseller Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. The main title is terrific; it’s clever, hip, and unusual. But would you know intuitively what the book was about if it didn’t have the subtitle of A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything? Before the book exploded in popularity, an editor seeing the title in a press release or receiving the book might not have taken the time to read this wonderful book. The main title, combined with the subtitle, says it all. The clever cover art of a sliced apple revealing an orange inside certainly helps, but it plays directly off the subtitle.

What would The Tipping Point mean to you, if that’s all you read or heard? A publicist would have to make up for the lack of a subtitle by taking crucial time and space in a press release to describe it. But, add in the subtitle to Malcolm Gladwell’s gem, How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, and you have a powerful, balanced title. Gladwell’s title still allows for some mystery as to the book’s exact content, but it certainly provokes interest.

Another example: What would the title Built to Sell convey to you or a reporter or producer? Building what? Selling what? Add in the subtitle for this book by John Warrilow and you get everything you need to know: Turn Your Business into One You Can Sell.

When creating a subtitle for your nonfiction book, consider these points, each of which will help in a book marketing and publicity campaign:

* Above all else, make sure your book has a subtitle!

* Be creative, but don’t go overboard. Save most of the creativity for the main title

* Provide specific information in the subtitle, explaining in a few words exactly what your book is about

* Keep it short. Create your subtitle as if you were writing a press release headline for the book.

* Keep Search Engine Optimization in mind. Try to use appropriate keywords and phrases that will help your book organically come up in searches.

“The bottom line is that when it comes to book publicity and getting people to take interest in a book, make it as easy as possible,” adds Smith. “Don’t assume the reader will know what your book is about from the main title. Your publicist will be thankful.”

Dan Smith is CEO and founder of Smith Publicity, one of the premier book publicity and book marketing firms in the industry. Smith Publicity has implemented over 900 book promotion campaigns and secured placements with virtually every major media outlet. The firm has serviced authors from over 25 countries and has offices in New Jersey, New York, Los Angeles, and London. Website: www.smithpublicity.com

No matter how good a book is, if the title does not appeal to readers, they are never going to read your book. Picking a good book title is crucial and should never be done without a great deal of thought and testing. Here are a few tips for creating a book title that will capture reader’s interest, clearly convey the book’s subject matter, and be memorable.

Short and To The Point

If you’ve ever been in academia, you know that academics love convoluted titles, and a subtitle is a requirement. The problem is that no one can remember those long titles later. You want your title to be short and to the point so it immediately conveys your book’s subject. Titles should be no more than five words, and one or two is preferable. Remember, the longer the title, the more likely readers will forget it or substitute wrong words into it.

The Victorians loved short titles that summed up the content in a couple of words. Think of how many classics were named for their main characters: David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Jane Eyre, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Dracula…the list goes on and on. Often a place name was also used: Mansfield Park, Wuthering Heights. In these cases, you knew the book was about someone named David Copperfield or a place named Wuthering Heights. Simple and to the point. That’s not to say you can’t have fun with the title, but it needs to be clear from the start. I’ll show you how to have some fun below with subtitles. (Note, for novels, subtitles are not recommended, but they can sell a reader on your book’s benefits for a nonfiction book.)

Alliteration and Rhythm
You want your title to roll off the reader’s tongue, so it is not only easy to say but a pleasure to repeat. Some of the best titles have alliteration in them, a repeating sound that gives the title emphasis and flow. Repetition of a word also works well to give the title a rhythmic sound. Here are a few effective titles that use alliteration:

He Knew He Was Right (repetition and alliteration)
The Way We Live Now (alliteration)
A Tale of Two Cities (alliteration)

For that last one, note that if it were titled “A Tale of Three Cities” it would not be as effective a title because the hard “T” sound is lost. However, “A Tale of Six Cities” sounds just about as good with the duplicate “S” sound, though it would have been one huge book to write.

Be Careful With Prepositions
Just in case you don’t know, prepositions are words like: of, in, at, on, between, and with. My seventh grade teacher told us they were anything that would describe a squirrel’s relation to a woodpile. A squirrel can be on a woodpile, in a woodpile, etc.

“A Tale of Two Cities” has a preposition in it. So does “The House of Seven Gables.” But we’ll view those as exceptions. Certainly, “The Cabin of Uncle Tom” doesn’t work as well as “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” So use possession whenever you can instead of a preposition. However, “The Children of Henry VIII” works better than “Henry VIII’s Children” but “King Henry’s Children” would be effective—although readers will then ask “Which King Henry?” No hard rules exist with prepositions in titles, so just be conscious of using them only when most effective.

“The House at World’s End” has a preposition but is not a title easy to twist around. “Gone With the Wind” is another that works since “with” is a preposition. For the most part “of” is the preposition to avoid but think long and hard before you settle on any preposition in your title.

Avoid Words with Double Meanings or Pronunciations
For example, “Ugly Lives” could be misconstrued as being about a monster named Ugly who is still alive, while you might mean the book is a portrayal of people whose lives are ugly.

A word like “lead” can be misconstrued as a noun or verb, and a word like “read” can be misread depending on its context. Ask yourself if your title has any words that could be misread before you settle on them.

Be Original
If your title is “Estate Planning,” chances are seven other people have already used that title, and if people go online to find your book, they may end up buying another author’s book rather than yours. Be sure to do an online search for your title to see whether anything comes up. If you find other books with your title, pick a different title.

Reserve Your Title’s Domain Name
When making sure your title is original, also check to see whether your book title is being used for a website. Probably www.estateplanning.com is already taken. Furthermore, if someone has a website with your book title’s name, then what is your website going to be? You can use your own name for the website, but that won’t work if you have a fairly common name like Kevin Smith or Michael Johnson since those websites are already taken too. You want to pick a title without a website already taken so you can purchase that domain name. And if you settle on a title and the domain name isn’t yet taken, buy it today. Don’t wait or you may lose it. Your book title is what people are going to use as a search term and you want that title to lead them directly to your website so you can sell them your book.

Subtitles
If you feel your title needs more explanation, a subtitle is a good idea, provided it’s not there just for show. But don’t let that stop you from having fun.

For example, Dickens’ novel “Martin Chuzzlewit” actually has a long, humorous title we would probably qualify as a subtitle today: “The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit: His Relatives, Friends, and Enemies, comprising All His Wills and His Ways, with an Historical Record of What He Did, and What He Didn’t: Showing, Moreover Who Inherited the Family Plate, Who Came In for the Silver Spoons, and Who for the Wooden Ladles. The Whole Forming a Complete Key to the House of Chuzzlewit.”

Beyond humor, a subtitle can reinforce a catchy but vague title. For non-fiction books, a subtitle can provide a lot of clarity as shown below.

Use “–ing” and “How to” Appropriately
Anytime you write a non-fiction self-help book, it’s best to avoid “How to” in the title. Save that for the subtitle.

A title “How to Overcome Adversity” sounds less interesting than “Overcoming Adversity: How to Surmount Life’s Obstacles with Ease.” Similarly, that nasty preposition “of” can often be resolved with an “-ing” word. “The Discovery of the Loch Ness Monster” will be more effective as “Discovering the Loch Ness Monster.”

Whatever you are showing people how to do, use the “–ing” form of the verb and then move the “How to” to the subtitle. Retaining the “How to” will make it clear to readers you are going to help them, which tells the reader the benefit of the book. It’s always good to let readers know with a non-fiction book how they will benefit. But don’t limit yourself to “How to.” Phrases like “Your Guide to” or “Your Solution to” are also effective.

Show the Benefit with a Non-Fiction Title
Besides “How to” in a Subtitle, using “You” or “Your” is also effective. For example:

“The Million Dollar Mom: How You Can Be a Parent and Still Have It All”
“For What It’s Worth: Your Guide to Evaluating Stocks and Bonds”

Both examples address the potential reader, letting her know this book is for her, and it clarifies not only what the book is about, but also that the book offers a benefit to the reader. It will make the reader’s life better somehow.

Ask for Opinions
Never be afraid to ask people for their opinions. It can save you a lot of grief down the road. Other people are your potential readers, and they do not know much about the book you are writing so they can only judge your book by its title and will make you aware of your potential audience’s reactions to that title. Come up with multiple titles, and then ask people which one they like best. In the process, the people you ask for help might even come up with better titles for you. Brainstorming your title can be extremely productive.

Whatever you do, don’t forget to give your title a great deal of thought. Make it clear and memorable and your book will be too.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

Choices, a Teen Woman’s Journal for Self-awareness and Personal Planning was a hot seller and spawned a publishing company as a subsidiary for the Girls Club of Santa Barbara. The company thrived but soon found that Choices could not be used in schools unless there was a version for the boys. So the authors, Mindy Bingham, Sandy Stryker and Judy Edmonson, wrote a matching masculine edition.

Working titles ranged from Choices II, to Choices Too, and even Son of Choices. What sounded ridiculous or humorous in the beginning became familiar and sounded fairly good.

Finally the three female authors settled on Changes but found that men did not like the proposed title. After discussions with a number of men (including Mindy’s father), they agreed to change the title to Challenges, a Teen Man’s Journal for Self-awareness and Personal Planning. The female authors discovered that while many women want a change, most men do not like change. Men prefer challenges.

The title must be easy to remember and easy to say. It has to grab the attention of the potential buyer and it must project an image the buyer can relate to. Authors and publishers often argue over titles. Authors may be closer to the subject matter and publishers may be closer to the buyers.

Authors, as a rule, are poor judges of titles and often go for the cute or clever rather than the practical.
–Nat Bodian, The Joy of Publishing

So far Choices has sold over one million copies and Challenges over a half million. They are used side-by-side in many schools. A “working title” is for the manuscript, not necessarily for the book.

Dan Poynter, the Voice of Self-Publishing, has written more than 100 books since 1969 including Writing Nonfiction and The Self-Publishing Manual. Dan is a past vice-president of the Publishers Marketing Association. For more help on book publishing and promoting, see http://ParaPub.com.

Keywords: Your title should be fairly self-explanatory, and should contain keywords that inform your potential readers. While it’s good to be witty, beware of too-obscure allusions. You and some of your target readers may understand the reference, but when shoppers are browsing for books, they may not know what your book is actually about if the allusion is too obscure. I.e. calling your book “Holding Half the Sky” in reference to a Chinese proverb about women may be effective, but it can also be misleading, because some could think it is about astrology or aviation rather than women. A keyword search for “women” would not bring this book up either.

Subject: Your title should essentially reveal your subject. This strategy differs for nonfiction and fiction, because fiction writers have the opportunity to be a bit more vague and more creative with their titles. Nonfiction has little leeway with this point, however. Subjects should more or less be stated outright in the title of a nonfiction work – there is no need for mystery, because the readers are looking to be informed quickly, not to have to search for the information. In other words, keep your titles interesting but straightforward.

If you want to go for a catchy and intriguing title, but one that doesn’t necessarily lay the subject bare for the reader, you can always add explanation by using a subtitle. E.g. “Quirky Quarters: The History of American Coins” or “Dear Rosemary: The Story of Love Letters Never Sent.” Your reader shouldn’t have to hunt for what your book is about, because frankly, they don’t want to take the time to do so.

Clear and concise: Keep your title short and sweet – but not too short, because you don’t want to risk not supplying enough details. If you think your one word title suffices, ask a friend what they would think upon hearing that title. Chances are, their connotations of that word are not the same as yours. You know your books and stories better than anyone else, so it can be difficult to step back and view a title as an outsider. E.g. “Shadow” can be taken many ways, whereas a reader has a good idea what “Shadow the Loyal Pup” will be about.

At the same time, your title shouldn’t be overly long and explanatory. Avoid wordy titles with too many articles or helping verbs that don’t add to the overall idea. Your title should probably not be a sentence, because it needs to be easy to digest, and still leave something to the imagination. E.g. “Emily and her Family Move to Kansas” is less effective than “Emily’s Big Move.”

Hook: This word is thrown around a lot – so much so that its metaphoric connotations are almost gone and it’s become part of the definition of attracting readers. But the term “to hook” is still applicable and still appropriate – your title must (metaphorically) reach through the computer screen (or off of the store shelf) and grab the reader’s attention, latching on to them and pulling them in. The customer must be “hooked” when they read your title – unable to look at any other book until they find out what yours is about! Before you run to the nearest bait and tackle store, see how you can use words to hook your reader.

The whole act of hooking involves creating curiosity in your reader. You want to provoke thought, and you want to stand out from the rest. That means you need interesting, carefully chosen, unexpected vocabulary. Let’s face it: titles are short, and sometimes we can only say what we want in a lot of words. The length of titles forces the author to come up with a very specific combination of words: You only have a few words to work with, so they’d better be perfect ones.

You also need an active title. A title that is one word, a character’s name, for example, generates interest because the reader wants to know what is significant about that character. But adding a verb to your title makes your book seem dynamic and gives the reader a better idea what your book is about, what your characters are doing, and what you are depicting. A book called “Sheila” makes readers wonder who Sheila is and why you’re writing about her, but doesn’t give them any clues. Instead, a book called “Sheila Runs” or even “Run, Sheila” allows readers to wonder about her significance while also giving them more information so that they can ask further questions – Where/why is Sheila running? What is she running to/from? Will she ever stop? etc. The more questions they ask, the more opportunities you have to hook them into your book.

Reader: Have your ideal reader in mind. Know your reader, explore what they know and don’t know about the subject you are writing about – if you are informing them, how much do they already know? What questions do they have about the subject? If you’re writing fiction, ask yourself what they know about the setting of your book – is it set in a generic or specific place? Is it historical or futuristic, and what assumptions would your reader make for either? Is your book part of a series, and would you expect your readers to know your characters already? These questions are all important, and they are helpful in trying to step out of your own mind, which is all-too familiar with your book, and into the reader’s. Once you get in touch with your ideal reader’s mindset and reasons for reading, you can come up with titles that reach out to them.

A word of caution: you don’t want to alienate any potential readers, and using a title that is too specific to your ideal reader may backfire. So use a title that will attract both your ideal reader and the more general audience that contains him. Ex. “Cracking the Code” may be a better choice than “The Cryptographer’s Dilemma – To Encrypt or to Decrypt?” Using exact, technical language will only draw in a narrow scope of readers, so make your titles exciting and relevant to both your target and a wider audience by using more generic language.

Having trouble thinking of a title? Think of how you would summarize your book to someone who hadn’t read it yet, and limit yourself to only a few sentences. From those sentences, try to pick out the main point, and experiment with synonyms until you find a catchy title. Another tip: use a repeated or meaningful phrase from within your book, or pick a poignant phrase from the climax of your book.

Note: Some publishing contracts allow the editor or publisher to have more of a say in your title than you do. On one hand, they can do the hard titling work for you…but on the other, if you’ve come up with a title you’re attached to, discuss it with your publisher before signing any contracts that allow your title to be changed.

bookhitch.com is a search engine for books connecting publishers, authors and readers while providing industry news and updates.

A key strategy in any marketing program is to know your competition and successful authors will research competitors before investing time in writing, editing, re-writing, and publishing. How many others have written on the same topic? How have those topics sold? What similar books have done the best? And what made these books successful?

This may sound like a daunting task but it is now as easy as sipping iced tea on a hot, humid day, thanks to a new website called TitleZ – www.titlez.com.  TitleZ allows users to instantly retrieve historic and current Amazon rankings on competitors’ books and create reports with 7-, 30-,90- day and lifetime averages. More importantly, you can use this tool to research your next book or create a marketing plan using the information furnished.

By visiting TitleZ you can compile a list of related books, comparing and contrasting sales figures and rankings. You will want to hurry and check it out now while it’s free in its beta testing stage. After the beta testing period expires the service will be available by paying a monthly subscription fee.

As a book marketing specialist, I have found TitleZ to be very useful in offering book marketing advice to my clients. Authors will find this tool helpful in coming up with book publicity and book publishing strategies.

Visit www.titlez.com to learn how a specific book or a group of books has performed over time relative to other books on the market. All you have to do is enter a book title, a subject, author or publisher and TitleZ within seconds comes up with a comprehensive list of books from Amazon.com plus historical sales ranking data. This information allows authors to see how topics and specific books perform over time and to appreciate what’s hot and what’s not.

Among the advantages TitleZ cites when using its tool are:

• Identify trends with book-buying consumers beyond the top ten lists to see within a given topic which books are gaining in interest and which are declining.
• Quickly and easily uncover best-selling and up-and-coming authors on a specific topic.
• Review renderings of book covers, along with sales ranking data, to see what design features are working in the current marketplace.
• By examining prices of competitors’ books you can make a better informed decision on what to charge for your book.
• Find out how effective promotional appearances, tours, book signings, and marketing activities are in driving sales.

If you aren’t totally convinced yet that TitleZ is worth a cup of coffee’s time to try out, than just visit the site, point and click two or three times, enter just one subject, and examine the data returned. You’ll then become convinced. For more information about book marketing visit: http://www.book-marketing-expert.com
About Scott Lorenz

Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with individuals and entrepreneurs to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz has handled public relations and marketing for numerous authors, doctors, lawyers, inventors and entrepreneurs. As a book marketing expert Lorenz is called upon by top execs and bestselling authors to promote their books. Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at www.westwindcos.com/book or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090.

Authors and first time publishers often make the mistake of misnaming their book. Then they may be disappointed when the sales are not what they expected. We suggest to our authors to err on the side of simplicity and friendliness to their readers. Some of our past authors and their titles are unequivocal in their clarity: Hospital Stay Handbook, by Jari Holland Buck, The Little Book on Relationships by John English. If you want to know more about hospital stays you know Jari’s book will inform you, and that John’s book will tell you more about relationships. Some of the titles we have worked on are intriguing, and draw attention: Hormone Deception, by Dr. Lindsay Berkson, or Quality of Life, by Janet Lembke. As a reader you still know that Dr. Berkson will be telling you about hormones, and Janet will be discussing the quality of life.

One of our current authors is Dr. Caron Goode, and her spring release is Raising Intuitive Children. Before you pick up the book you know there will be practical insights that provide parents with meaningful tools for raising children with intuitive intelligence. The added values you receive in this book are; in addition to being a national expert on parenting Dr. Goode is also intuitive, and understands the enormous social and cultural significance of parenting the whole child. Dr. Goode is the founder of www.academyforcoachingparents.com You can learn more about Dr. Goode at www.raisingintuitivechildren.com

Mari Selby, Director of Selby ink. We are passionate about promoting authors and their books. Selby ink does both traditional as well as online publicity and promotion. We specialize in books that make a difference in people’s lives. www.selbyink.com

Got a Non-Fiction Book? Tell Your Reader What’s In It for Them!

NOTE: the following suggestions apply to non-fiction works.

Book titles and corporate slogans. The two have a lot in common (something I realized from all my years as a copywriter). Let’s look at some famous slogans:

GE. We bring good things to life.
Delta. We’re ready when you are.
Avis. We try harder.
Burger King. Have it your way.
Virginia is for lovers.

What’s true about all of them? They’re promises. They tell you what you can count on. Same with a brand. Think Dove soap. Tiffany’s. Volvo. IBM. Any doubt as to the promise in those brands? Keep this in mind as you create your book title. If you’re writing non-fiction, your title and subtitle are as crucially important as a great-looking cover.

Promise, Then Elaborate
When I created the title for my first book, I kept in mind the idea of the “promise,” and came up with The Well-Fed Writer (a detailed how-to guide to “commercial” writing, where the income potential money was FAR greater than typical “freelance writing”).

I then used the subtitle to reinforce, clarify, elaborate on the promise of the title. I went with: Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Freelance Writer in Six Months or Less – an additional promise in its own right. Don’t make readers wonder what your book is about; have them “get it” right away from the title and subtitle. A good rule of thumb on titles vs. subtitles? If the title you come up with sounds more explanatory than catchy (and is more than 4-5 words, max), it’s probably a better subtitle.

It all comes down to benefits. Good title/subtitle combos tell readers what’s in it for them, why they should bother picking up the book in the first place.

A Case Study
A few years back, I was hired to mentor a new self-publishing author, an ad industry veteran who’d written book on creativity. While he wanted to tap my expertise on a variety of nuts and bolts issues, in his mind, his cover artwork (and photography) was paid for and nailed down, along with, of course, his title, too:

The Field Guide to Creativity:
One Path And 101 Pointers For Discovering Fresh Ideas

I told him his title needed work. He wasn’t happy. But, after all, here was a book – a really good, interesting, valuable and yes, creative book – purporting to help people be more creative, and its title simply wasn’t. Well, he took my advice, revisited the idea, he and I and a bunch of his friends (via email) brainstormed a bunch of jazzier titles, and here’s what he ended up with:

ZING! Five Steps & 101 Tips for Creativity on Command

Not a promise in a strict sense, but in way, the feeling it evoked was.

Speaking of Creativity…
I had a client recently, a long-time elementary school art teacher, who’d created a wonderful “idea book” for young people designed to spur their unique creative expression through a host of fun, unusual artistic techniques, complete with necessary supply lists. Early on, she’d named this seven-year labor of love:

The Color Book: A Book of Ideas to Inspire Young Artists

Her rationale: color and choice of color were fundamental to a child’s artistic development (and the book was so colorful). I questioned it. My thinking? For starters, her title made sense to her, given what she knew about the concept – none of which was self-evident to a buyer.

Just as importantly, it was potentially confusing; it could mean a lot of things (i.e. color swatches, history of color, etc.). Finally, it didn’t explain what the book was and didn’t begin to really do justice to the book’s mission. I suggested something I felt was more descriptive of that mission:

Art Sparks! A Creative Adventure to Inspire Young Artists

Again, a promise. And while she liked it, she initially resisted it, more out of attachment and inertia. But, she quickly realized that she needed to think of her buyer, and came to love it as she saw that it truly captured her heartfelt mission for the book. Now, someone can look at the title and know instantly what the book is about and the benefits they’ll get from reading it.

Know what the #1 best-selling trade paperback of 2002 was, according to Publishers Weekly? A cookbook! And one that sold 1.8 million copies. Title: The Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: Feasting With Your Slow Cooker. (Authors: Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good). Now is that a promise or what?

(Adapted from The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living, by Peter Bowerman.www.wellfedsp.com).
Can’t land a publisher? Why not do it yourself, and make a living from it? Check out the free report at www.wellfedsp.com, the home of the award-winning 2007 release The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living. Author Peter Bowerman is known for the award-winning (and self-published) Well-Fed Writer titles, which have provided him with a full-time living for over five years. (www.wellfedwriter.com).

One of the most important skills to develop as a marketer of your book is the skill of creating attention-grabbing titles. When you master this skill you may use it in every aspect of your writing to attract more readers, more sales, improve your cash flow and increase your profits.

You will need title writing skill for your book titles, chapter titles, sub-heading. Even the bullet points of your list will have pulling power if they are developed correctly. Don’t forget your website. Your website will need passionate headings to capture the attention of your web visitors.

In fact, all marketing material from your 5 page sales letter, tri-fold brochure or email campaign to the 2 line classified ad needs the attention grabbing power of a great headline.

Titles set the stage for your potential audience. They either work to grab your potential reader by the collar and pull them in for the read or they don’t. Top titles create excitement, anticipation and enthusiasm for more. You want your titles to express the heart and passion of your message. Here are 7 top title templates to help create your grab-you-by-the-collar titles:

1. Command your book readers through your book title.
“Get Clients Now!”
Most will say they don’t like being told what to do. But our human psyche seems to respond in spite of what we like. The command has an immediate effect. Why? It connects with the “Yes, I want that” spot within us all. Also, commands reassure us that helpful advice will follow to help us get what we want from the advice. It tells the readers it ‘s possible to achieve the benefit the author is claiming.

2. Include a How to in your book title.
“How to Make Your Article Marketing Go the Extra Mile”
People love magic pills, miracle solutions or just plain EASY. They love to learn with simple steps, easy ways and most of all fast. Combine it with a powerful benefit and you will reel your reader in every time. You decide. Does the title above, “How to Make Your Article Marketing Go the Extra Mile” or “16 Ways to Format Your Articles to Go Further” create a pull of interest?

3. Write a book title using a provocative statement.
“7 Book Writing Mistakes that Stamp Loser On Your Self Published Book & How to Avoid Them”
Are you saying I could be making mistakes that stamp loser on my self published book? You would want to know especially, if you’ve been working hard to self publish in excellence. Provocative statements pull at our attention like an electric shock. They make us curious. They sometimes make us mad. They make us feel a lot of different things but most of all they make us read.

4. Ask a question in your book title.
“Are You Getting Enough Sex In Your Marriage?
Most times people unconsciously answer the question you pose in their minds. The key is to provide the answers in your copy including statistics. For example, “Are You Afraid to Go Online ?” Like it or not, many are still cautious about going online and especially buying on the web. A Boston Consulting Group Consumer Survey found that 70% of respondents worry about making purchases online.”

5. Make a big promise in your book title.
“Write a Book and Grow Rich”
People will turn away from hype and never come back. But if you have a big gun promise, don’t be afraid to pull it out and use it. Consider carefully and use sparingly; then make your big promise and deliver. People will remember your promises and come back for more or purchase. Don’t forget to include the specific delivery or ‘how to’ in the content inside your big promise titled book.

6. Perplex your readers with a confusing book title.
“Who Moved My Cheese?”
Develop curiosity into your title. A seemingly opposite simile works like a charm. Use this one cautiously. Even so, sometimes the title that doesn’t make a lot of sense will pull your audience in for the read. Make sure the sub title does the explaining. Would the title above arouse your curiosity? The confusing title can capture the attention of your audience just to see what it ‘s about.

7. Offer your top benefit in the book ‘s title.
“Think and Grow Rich”
A winning non-fiction title immediately communicates the benefit readers will gain after reading your book. Benefit-oriented books often use the problem-solution approach. Master (A) this skill or technique and get (B) this benefit. Readers buy non-fiction books for a “benefit” for something that will help them, grow them, profit more, less expense, less trouble, gain more time, less stress, better relationships, better health, less drama, less trauma, more energy and vitality and less fatigue.

Develop the above valuable skill and you add magnetic pulling power and punch to all your marketing documents including your front book cover and chapter titles that will get your message read. Book titles set the stage for your potential audience. They either grab your potential reader by the collar or they don’t. Write a book title that gets your reader ‘s attention and make them want to read your important message. Title well and prosper!

Earma Brown is a 13 year author and book writing coach. Get a free book publishing report when you sign-up for iScribe newsletter on book writing, publishing and marketing. Send any email to selfpublish@selfpublishinghouse.net or visit her at How to self publish a Book for more publishing resources and tips.

But how much time do we devote to titles? It appears to be very little.

I recently did an unofficial survey of both published and unpublished writers, and here’s what I found:

Most believed:

• The title was unimportant
• If the editor didn’t like it, she would change it
• Makes no difference to the book
• People would buy the book no matter the title
• It was something to think about later-if the book sold.

They couldn’t be any further from the truth if they tried.

Titles are extremely important to your story. So important, they will often mean the difference between selling or not.

It’s okay to have a weak or unrelated ‘working title’ ­ but that’s as far as it should go. The minute you have an appropriate catchy title, change it. Not only on your ms, but also in your mind.

When I wrote “Saving Emma,” it had a horrid working title. “Undercover Love” was never a favourite of mine, but it would do until I could find something better. As I wrote the second last chapter, part of the dialogue talked about the main protagonist ‘saving Emma’ from certain death. In that unforgettable moment, the title jumped off the pages and into my brain.

Not only did my whole outlook on this book change, but it also changed in the minds of editors and publishers.

As “Undercover Love” I’d submitted the book to several publishers and had nothing but rejections. And not even personal rejections; I got form letter ‘dear writer’ rejections.

When the title changed, the responses also changed. I began to get bites and requests. Despite the fact that the story itself was unaltered, editors became interested.

All this because of a title change?

Well, yes. Titles are extremely important.

To get an idea of how much difference a title really can make, take a look at these examples of title changes:

• Tomorrow is Another Day ­ – Gone with the Wind
• John Thomas & Lady Jane – ­ Lady Chatterly’s Lover
• Something that Happened – ­ Of Mice and Men
• Blossom and the Flower  – Peyton Place

Sometimes it’s just a matter of tweaking your title slightly. For instance, one of my works-in-progress was called “Into the Arms of a Stranger.” I hated the title, despised it in fact, until I shortened it. “Arms of a Stranger” is a much better title, and has more appeal than the longer version.

Following are just a handful of titles I’ve started with, and then changed for the better:

• Poison Ivy -  The Rubber Ducky Killer
• The Flight – ­ The First Flight
• The Gym – ­ Mystery at Joe’s Gym
• First Person Point of View – ­ Me, Myself & I: Writing First Person POV
• Finding Ideas – ­ Today I Witnessed a Story

The title of your story, book, or article, should portray something of the content, as well as standing out from the crowd.

Just as a great looking cover will sell your book, so will an outstanding title.

Copyright Cheryl Wright. All rights reserved. Cheryl Wright is an award-winning Australian author and freelance journalist. In addition to an array of other projects, she is the owner of the Writer2Writer.com website and the Writer to Writer monthly ezine for writers. Her publications include novels, non-fiction books, short stories, and articles. Her upcoming release is”The Write Resources” from Central Avenue Press. Visit Cheryl’s website http://www.cheryl-wright.com/