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How To Write Book Titles The Proper Way: A Complete Guide For Writers

  • February 10, 2022

Book titles within essays or papers can be tricky. There are specific rules that are given for how to include a book title in a way that sets it apart from the content of your writing given by the Modern Language Association. However, as with many other things in life, there are exceptions to the rules. This article will guide you through the rules of the writing style guides so that you can include a book’s title in your paper or essay correctly.

How to write book titles:

Style guides and book titles.

When it comes to book titles within text, there are a few different style guides that have rules you can follow, depending on your writing type. The three types that you will encounter most often are; MLA style, Chicago manual of style, and APA. A writing instructor will usually tell you what style guide you are expected to use for a particular essay or paper.

MLA Style Guide

The MLA handbook states that you should always italicize book titles when styling book titles within your text. The exception to this rule are religious texts. You would not italicize the Holy Bible or the sacred books or titles of other religions. Note the following example.

Pam had stayed most of the summer indoors, re-reading her favorite book series. She was already up to  Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone , and she didn’t regret not being more active or going outside.

In the above example, the book title is italicized. Fiction titles and nonfiction titles alike must be in italics when within the text.

Series Titles in MLA

In the above example, a book from a series was used. But what if the text had not specified which book from the series Pam was reading? Would it still need to be in italics? The answer is: in this case, yes. In other cases, sometimes.

It’s really not as confusing as it seems. When you are talking about a book series but don’t want or need to include the complete series titles for the purposes of your work, you only have to put words in italics that also appear in the book titles. So, because  Harry Potter  is part of the title of all of the books in the series, you would italicize his name every time you mention the book.

However, if you were talking about Katniss Everdeen, you would not have to do this, as the book series she is featured in doesn’t use her name in the titles of  The Hunger Games  series. The same would be true of books like the Nancy Drew books.

Quotation Marks

There are instances in which titles should be placed inside of quotation marks within a paper or essay. This is done when you cite the titles of poems , a chapter title, short stories, articles, or blogs.

How To Write Book Titles

So, for example, if you were to write a paper that featured a poem from a book, you would put the book title in italics and the poems cited in quotation marks.

An example of an enduring love poem is “Annabel Lee” from  The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. 

Chapter Title

Another time that quotation marks should be used is when using the title of a chapter. If you are citing a specific chapter of a book, you would enclose the title of the chapter in quotation marks, and the title of the book should be in italics.

The desperation and sadness of a man on death row can be seen in the “Wild Wind Blowing” chapter of Norman Mailer’s  The Executioner’s Song. 

Short Stories

Short stories are another case. Much like the title of a chapter or poem, in which the title is placed in quotation marks, while the title of the book or collection it is found in is italics. The same can be said for sections, stories, or chapters cited within a literary journal.

Stepping away from his norm of horror and gore, Stephen King writes of trust, love, and regret in his story “The Last Rung on the Ladder,” which can be found in his short story collection  Night Shift. 

Punctuation Marks

If you are citing a story or title that includes question marks, you need to make sure to italicize the question mark when citing. Keep all punctuation, such as a question mark, comma, ellipses, colon, or exclamation mark, as it is in the original individual books.

If you want a funny and irreverent read, you’ve got to try  Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea.  Chelsea Handler has done a phenomenal job of being vulgar, relatable, and explaining life from her viewpoint in this hilarious and memorable book.

The Digital Age: Are Book Titles Underlined Anymore?

MLA style used to dictate that a book title should either be in italics or underlined. However, that is no longer the case. As computers started to take over as the major tool used in writing, it became unpopular to underline book titles. Therefore, this rule was dropped from the style guides.

However, it should be mentioned that when handwriting an essay or research paper, many instructors prefer that you underline book titles, as it’s relatively difficult to handwrite italics. If you are in a writing course or a class that is heavy on handwritten work, be sure to ask your instructor or teacher which method they prefer for citing a book title.

How To Write Book Titles

How to Come Up with Book Title Ideas

Now that quotation marks, italics, and style guides have been discussed, let’s move on to how you can come up with your own book title. If you’d like a title for your book that sounds interesting and will get a reader’s attention, you may find this article helpful.

Coming up with a good title for your book is a challenging yet essential marketing decision . The right title can make your target audience choose your new book off of the shelf instead of another writer’s work. Your book cover and your book title are quite possibly the most important marketing decisions you will make.

How to Choose a Good Book Title

Certain criteria should be met if you want to have a good book title , and there are specific steps involved in getting there. You may have assumed up until now that titles of books were just spur of the moment decisions made by authors or publishers, but a lot of work goes into writing good titles.

Grab the Reader’s Attention

As a general rule, you want your reader to remember your title and to sound interesting, even without the reader having seen the cover. There are several ways to do this. You can be a little dark with your title, be controversial, provoke the reader, or even be funny.

There are many examples of such works that use memorable and attention-seeking titles. The following are some different titles that are effective and would most likely provoke a reader to grab them from a shelf for closer inspection.

  • Burn After Writing (Sharon Jones)
  • Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
  • Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (Mindy Kaling)
  • Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea (Chelsea Handler)
  • The Devil Wears Prada (Lauren Weisberger)
  • Chicken Soup for the Soul (various authors)
  • God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian (Kurt Vonnegut)

Shorter Titles

If your full title for your book is long, you may end up boring a reader or creating a situation where a reader tries to remember the title of your book, but it’s too long and ends up getting it confused with another book. Although you should always do your best to make sure that there aren’t books by other authors that share a title or have a title similar to your book (more on that in a minute), you don’t want a person to get confused and get the wrong book instead.

Research Your Title Ideas

It’s a good idea to take the titles you have considered for your book and make a list. Then, do your homework. You can use tools like Google Adwords to test out your title to see if there are others like it, or you can simply use any search engine and plug your title ideas into the search bar and see what similar or exact titles of the same words pop up.

Readers are generally busy people. They don’t have the time or the energy to ensure that writers get a title right. They’ll look for the book they are interested in, and if it proves to be too difficult, or if there are other books written that have the same title, they’ll move on to something else.

A writer really has to make sure that they have a title that isn’t going to be ignored, is interesting, isn’t too long, and isn’t too similar to other works.

The same goes for titles of short works within a larger body of work. Short works, like poems or stories, need to have unique titles as well when included in a larger body of work, such as a collection. If stories are similar in nature, be sure to title them differently so that readers will be able to tell them apart, as well.

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Blog • Perfecting your Craft , Book Marketing

Posted on Jun 27, 2018

How to Title a Book: What Do Good Book Titles Have In Common?

So you’ve (finally) finished your book, only to find one last question standing between you and the bestsellers list: how to title your book. Maybe you don’t like the working title you’ve been using these past few months. Perhaps you’ve come up with a title you love — but everyone else says that it might hurt your market potential.

So what makes for a truly good book title? Luckily, there’s a short, simple, 4-point checklist that will help you choose a book title that’s guaranteed to catch a reader’s roving eye. Only joking! Although that would be nice, wouldn’t it? While there’s no sure-fire method for formulating the perfect title, this post will give you ideas for devising a title that enhances your book and gives it the best chance of success.

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We recommend downloading this actual free book title checklist to follow along while you read this post. Otherwise, let's get started!

FREE RESOURCE

FREE RESOURCE

Book Title Checklist

Create a title that stands out — and sells.

Why do book titles matter?

book cover design ideas - one idea

Without a book title, your book can't exist. Having a title in place before you start writing can help inform or reinforce your themes and motifs  as you plan your novel. To learn more about the planning process, go here for a  complete guide and a free book outline template. Secondly, if you don’t already think of the title of your book as a marketing decision, start now. Your book title might be the single most important marketing choice you make. The title plays a key part in creating a first impression — possibly even more so than your book cover design . Think about the last time you browsed Amazon or looked at a bestsellers list. Chances are that what caught your eye was the:

  • The book cover design, and

Now, a good title won’t magically make a book sell, but a bad one will hinder sales at best and, at worst, alienate its core readership. With that in mind, let’s start making some good decisions!

What do good titles for books have in common?

Like we said earlier, there are no hard-and-fast rules for crafting the perfect title. There are, however, some patterns and similarities between good titles that may help you choose your own.

They intrigue and entice the reader

how to title a book

Think along the lines of: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?  by Philip K. Dick.

They match the book to its genre

how to title a book

Think along the lines of: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie .

They are (normally) of a sensible length

The aim is for your readers to have some idea what’s going on, without revealing too much or having a paragraph on the front cover. Long titles can work — just think of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer — so long as people can recall just enough of it to find it on Amazon (or by asking a bookseller in a store).

how to title a book

Think along the lines of: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.

They help readers discover the book

how to title a book

Think along the lines of: Beekeeping for Dummies or Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker.

Things to watch out for

Whilst there aren't things you  need  to do, and so there aren't things you need to  not do when choosing a book title, there are certain things that are best given a wide berth.

Overly complex language

Even books about a specialist subject can have a simple, accessible title, like Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Remember that a title is there to intrigue and entice — not repel and frighten off readers by making them think that your book is going to read like a thesaurus.

One-word titles

If you title your non-fiction book “Bottles,” it’s going to be very difficult to rank as the first search result: you’d be competing against people selling hot water bottles, books on the ecological impact of plastic water bottles, and research on bluebottle flies. Avoid confusion by striking the balance between cryptic titles and ones that attempt to summarize the entire book on the front cover. (The exception is flash fiction , where the brevity of one-word titles matches the brevity of the story itself.)

Potential confusion

Don’t get caught out — be careful not to choose a title that might be offensive in certain regions, or that might have an unintended double meaning. Equally, if your book title relies on a reference that is extremely local, or perhaps a little niche, it might be an idea to reconsider and aim for something more universal.

How to title a book: a couple of methods

There really are no bad ideas when you’re coming up with potential titles — just ones that are better than others. Try to write down anything that comes to mind.

Start free writing

Write absolutely anything that comes into your head: words, phrases, names, places, adjectives — the works. You’ll be surprised how much workable content comes out from such a strange exercise.

Look for formulas or set phrases

Obviously, we’re not advocating plagiarism, but try playing around with formats like:

“The _____ of _______”
“______ and the _____”

These will work for certain genres, though they are by no means the only patterns you can play around with. Have you noticed how many blockbuster thrillers these days feature the word “woman” or “ girl” somewhere in the title?

Use characters as inspiration

If your central character has a quirky name or a title (like Doctor or Detective) you can definitely incorporate this into your book title. Just look at Jane Eyre , Percy Jackson , or Harry Potter , for instance —  working with one or more or your characters’ names is a surefire way to get some title ideas down. Equally, you can add a little detail, like Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure , to add a little color to a name and make it title-worthy.

Do the same for setting

Is your book set somewhere particularly interesting or significant? Even if your title isn’t just where the action takes place (like Middlemarch by George Eliot), it’s something to have in the back of your mind. You can include other details, like The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum or Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay, to give your readers a sense of action and character, as well as setting (which tend to be linked).

Is there a particular phrase or idea you can work with?

Think Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird here — this is a central symbol and significant piece of dialogue in the novel. It’s enigmatic (what does it even mean? Is it a warning? An instruction?) and makes us really sit up when these words appear in the text itself. Try and think of your inspiration for writing your book or sum up your central theme in a few words, and see if these inspire anything.

Find inspiration from other works

You might be surprised at how many books refer to other works in their titles ( The Fault in Our Stars by John Green comes from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar , and Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men takes its inspiration from a Robert Burns poem). Going this route allows authors to use an already beautiful and poetic turn of phrase that alludes to a theme in their own book. From Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls to Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials , so many books have used this technique that might also work for you.

To subtitle, or not to subtitle?

In non-fiction publishing, there’s a trend of evocative or abstract titles, followed by a subtitle that communicates the content (and is packed with delicious keywords that the Amazon search engine can’t resist). This is also another way to get around long titles — and to add a little panache to an otherwise dry subject matter. In the United States, it’s also quite common to have “A Novel” as a subtitle (if, you know, it’s a novel). In the United Kingdom, this practice is much rarer.

Start with a generated title!

If you’ve gone through all of the above and are still wringing out your brain trying to come up with the golden formula — fear not! There are other ways to get the cogs whirring and inspiration brewing, such as title generators .

What are the rules for choosing a book title?

There are no actual rules when it comes to naming your book. Editors and agents might have their own rules of thumb. But hey, it’s your book and you can call it what you want to. That being said, each retailer has its own particular rules and standards for titles — rules you’ll need to adhere to if you intend to publish there. Let’s take a look at Amazon’s guidelines. Not permitted in Amazon book titles:

  • Unauthorized reference to other titles or authors – so don’t think you can get away with titling your book “Stephen King’s Dreams.”
  • Unauthorized reference to a trademarked term.
  • Reference to sales rank (e.g., "bestselling") – even if it is a bestselling book.
  • Reference to advertisements or promotions (e.g., "free") –  a lot of people search for ‘Free books’, which is why Amazon doesn’t want you to call it that.
  • The title field should contain only the actual title of your book as it appears on your book cover.
  • Foul, vulgar, or obscene language – as Jeff Wheeland , author of  There's More to Life than a Shitty Cubicle found out, you can't advertise your book on Amazon if you swear in the title.

Whilst Amazon doesn’t always effectively police their own rules, if you want to build a reputation as an author, you’ll naturally want to avoid underhand practices.

Test your book title

Congrats! If you’ve got this far, it’s time to test your title. Thought you were done? Oh, no. Even if you are 110% certain that you’ve hit upon the next Harry Potter title-equivalent, a little market research won’t hurt and could be the crucial difference between an okay and a bestselling title.

Target Audience Facebook: How to title a book

Here are some ways you can check if your title floats in the real world and in the heads of your audience who, after all, are the most important people in this process . It’s vital to remember that book titles are ultimately for readers.

Start local

Begin with your family and friends, but remember that if you just poll inside your immediate circle for feedback, chances are it will be biased towards the positive and not totally objective. While this may be great for the ego, at this stage in the game you need some genuinely constructive criticism. Distinguish who your target audience is (they might not be your friends), and try to get some feedback from these people.

Facebook groups

Like many things, there is a Facebook group for this exact purpose. Just searching for ‘book title review’ or ‘test book title’ will yield some preliminary results. All it takes is to put up a post asking people to choose between two or three, and some real-life (probably literary-headed) people will give their honest opinions. If you're looking for a group to help you out, why not check out The Street Team , a book marketing group moderated by Reedsy?

SurveyMonkey

In a similar vein, gain the opinion of people slightly further out of your inner circle by making a survey on SurveyMonkey and share the link with as many people as you can. Obviously, this will start amongst friends and family, but if you encourage them to share it the ripple effect should kick in and you’ll be getting some valued feedback from all sorts of participants in no time. Nothing beats genuine, honest opinions, and it’s even better the wider you can cast your feedback — people are less likely to be clouded by personal bias if they don’t know you.

Not a fan of SurveyMonkey, or want to try different survey methods? Check out this list of useful SurveyMonkey alternatives .

Run an Adwords campaign

Depending on your technological capabilities (although it sounds more complex than it is in practice) you can A/B test your title, provided you have a final two, via an Adwords campaign . This way, success is measured by clicks, and you have in-depth analysis to work off. This will require a bit more work than the others, maybe involving creating ads that have people sign up to for a free sample or free chapter of your book. But, like most things that take more effort, the results will be worth it.

Unbiased surveys

We were recently introduced to Pickfu — a testing service that allows authors to ask strangers their opinion. Their tagline is ‘optimize without an audience,’ shouting loud and clear how they’re going to help you test your book title, even if you don’t have hundreds of willing participants that you know personally. Getting the opinions of strangers is just as (if not more) useful than polling those you know personally — they are sometimes going to be more like your target audience than those closest to you.

Now it’s your turn

Your book title is the foundation that your book will stand on once it’s published, and will be a key part of convincing readers (or publishers!) to take a chance on your book. Hopefully, all this will get the ball rolling on your book title, and we’d love to hear the results!  Once you've got a title you're happy with, double check you're capitalizing it properly by reading through title capitalization rules . You can't be too careful.

3 responses

Tom Chmielewski says:

27/06/2018 – 18:51

I use basically the same tactic that I used writing headlines for newspapers and magazines I've worked for. I search out a phrase that hits at some core idea in my novel. In my first novel, "Lunar Dust, Martian Sands," I took from a prayer at a Martian memorial service for a crew who died when their tug exploded, and partly quoted the prayer on the back cover. "We travel beyoond Earth on Moon dust, and build our homes from the sands of Mars." The Moon dust is the Heiium-3 found in the dust to fuel the fusion drives for the interplanatery tugs. The Martian sand is the raw materialls on the planet colonists use to build their homes and other structures. Martian Sands is also the name I'm using for the book series.

Esbe van Heerden says:

19/12/2018 – 05:13

These are amazing tips on book titling, wow! This blog in general is sooo helpful. Something I’ve seen work for nonfiction authors, in particular, is a really simple formula: 1. The defining main title 2. The informative subtitle 📚The Defining Main Title📚 Make sure your main title is short (around 5 words or less) so that it is easy to remember, and specific. It needs to be easy to say when you talk about your book, and something you wouldn’t be embarrassed saying over and over again at a formal event. It could be something to do with your brand (Start With Why—part of Simon Sinek's brand), a movement in your industry (Deep Work—a focus-based movement in the entrepreneurial industry) or something else related to your book's theme that's catchy. 📚The informative subtitle📚 Make sure the subtitle gives context—it can be longer, more SEO-friendly, and descriptive. This is especially important when your main title is catchy or based on a brand, because that means the main title isn’t necessarily a good indicator for a fresh reader as to what the book is about. So the subtitle needs to give a new reader this context. When brainstorming subtitle ideas, here are three quick tips:
 1. Don't be a stuck record player! Avoid writing a subtitle that informs the reader about something they can already glean from the main title—don’t repeat ideas from your main title.
 2. Become a keyword master. Amazon is the biggest search engine after Google and YouTube and your subtitle should include a few key keywords. In saying that, don’t overdo it—it still needs to make sense and sound genuine to potential readers.
 3. Be clear and concise. Don’t let people get bored before they even finish reading the title of your book! And once you’ve come up with a few potentials, always ask yourself: What does the title I’m considering sound like when I say it out loud to new acquaintances at a party? If you are embarrassed to say it or can’t remember it—you’re in trouble. If people get what your book will be about after hearing your title—you’re onto a winner.

ginger northcutt says:

20/02/2020 – 12:16

i have become a great fan of reedsy this year. just like this one on titling, all the articles, how-to breakdowns, the courses (& much more still to explore), they all have been super-informative & offered w/ clarity & then more resources are given. you will be seeing me hanging around reedsy's place more often, for sure!

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How to Write a Book Title Correctly: A Step-by-Step Guide + Examples

How to write a book title correctly

Few things should scare you more than a botched title. It’s true not only for books but also for any piece of writing you may produce—including blog posts and thought leadership articles. 

Let’s be honest: we all would like to think that people don’t judge a book by its cover, but that simply isn’t the case. People do judge a book by its cover, and they certainly judge a book by its title. Readers are unforgiving. You absolutely cannot afford a botched title.

In most cases, a botched title means your piece of writing won’t be read. And if your piece of writing happens to be a book, you’ve wasted a lot of time, effort, and probably money. In this post, we’ll break down how to write a book title correctly.

There are 7 steps to writing a book title correctly:

  • Understand the Structure of a Book Title
  • Be Able to State the Unity of Your Book
  • Define the Appropriate Tone and Style for the Title
  • Choose the Most Compelling Image Possible 
  • Select Strong, Visual Words That Invite Readers
  • Test Out Your Book Title With Your Target Market
  • Tweak Your Book Title and Make a Final Decision

Follow these steps in order and you are almost guaranteed never to regret your book title choice!

1. Understand the Structure of a Book Title

Nonfiction book titles follow a standard structure: a title, generally 5 words or less, and a subtitle, generally 3 to 7 words. These are simply a rule of thumb; book titles and subtitles can be longer or shorter.

  • Title : 5 words more or less 
  • Subtitle : 3 to 7 words

The title and subtitle vary in length because they serve different purposes. While the goal of the title is to grab the reader’s attention while indicating what the book is about, the subtitle’s role is to provide more information about what the book promises to offer. 

  • Title : hook 
  • Subtitle : explanation   

Book Title Structure Graphic

  • The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
  • Girl, Stop Apologizing
  • 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote for Chaos
  • The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great
  • Can’t Hurt Me
  • Girl, Wash Your Face
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
  • Kushner, Inc.
  • Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People
  • Dare to Lead
  • Never Split the Difference: Negotiation as if Your Life Depended on It
  • Mindfulness in Plain English
  • Leadership Wisdom From the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari 
  • Unfu*k Yourself
  • Becoming Supernatural
  • Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

2. Be Able to State the Unity of Your Book

To find a good title and subtitle, you must be able to state the unity of your book. This expression comes from Mortimer J. Adler’s book How to Read a Book . While Adler applies this idea to reading other people’s books, it is just as true for your own book.

To state the unity of your book is to state the book’s content in one sentence. In Trivium Writing’s Architecture of Writing methodology , we call this the thesis. Informed by your writing goal and purpose, the thesis is the main point to take away from the book.

One of the reasons people struggle to write their book titles correctly is that they don’t have their books in order. In other words, their book is disorganized and lacks a coherent message and structure. That’s why Trivium Writing offers book coaching services.  

3. Define the Appropriate Tone and Style for the Title

Each word and phrase conveys a different tone, so if you want to control your readers’ perception when they see your book, you must be deliberate. Before you spend time choosing the words for your book title, decide which tone you wish to convey.

Here are some tone examples :

  • Analytical 

Here are the three possible styles :

By being deliberate with your tone and style, you’ll be able to attract your audience. For example, you should use a negative tone to appeal to a discontent audience, while you should an optimistic tone to appeal to a hopeful one.

While some audiences prefer an informal style, others prefer a formal one. For example, take two books on the same topic. 

Tone and Style Graphic

The title of Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? by Michael Sandel, a Harvard professor, is informal in style as it contains a contraction and a direct question. The audience for the book is the general public interested in an introduction to justice. 

The Authority of the Court and the Perils of Politics by Stephen Breyer, a then-sitting U.S. supreme court justice, is written in the formal style as it contains the formal word “authority” and no informal element.

Notice the different tones of the two books. Sandel’s book inspires intrigue and curiosity, while Beye’s book inspires urgency and negativity. While the former is open-ended and interrogative, the latter is declarative and closed. Make sure you choose wisely.

4. Choose the Most Compelling Image Possible

You ideally want to create an image in your reader’s mind with your book title. Visual book titles are often the best and the most unforgettable. They also force you to conceptualize your message in a more compelling way.

If you are going to use a visual title, the image should align with your book’s content by being present in your book. In this sense, it may be best to find your book title before writing. If your book is already written, you may find an existing image in your book. 

So, how do you go about creating this image for your book title? Assuming you haven’t started writing your book already or that you’re going to make changes later, you should start by looking at the categories that divide the world.

Here are 8 categories:

  • Nature : trees, flowers, clouds, ocean, etc.
  • People : men, women, children, etc.
  • Animals : foxes, wolves, eagles, etc.
  • Abstractions : truth, perils, authority, etc.
  • Domains : architecture, psychology, art, science 
  • Roles : mother, father, king, queen 
  • Objects : couch, book, car
  • Shapes : circle, square, star

Each of these categories contains words with different tones and styles. But the categories in and of themselves have their own tone. Think of what that tone is when you choose a category or a word. You can feel that tone yourself and ask for feedback.

Graphic showing 8 domains to select a compelling image

For example, using an image of nature is more grounded than using an abstract concept such as truth or a domain. Meanwhile, using an objective will make your image heavier using a shape will make it simpler.

5. Select Strong, Visual Words That Invite Readers

Now that you have laid out the foundations for your title, it’s time to choose the actual words you will be using. In that regard, it is essential to remember the different words available to us, which are also known as parts of speech. 

  • Determiners : the, a, an, etc.
  • Nouns : tree, man, foxes, etc.
  • Adjectives : brilliant, beautiful, etc.
  • Verbs : sprint, run, build, etc.
  • Adverbs : quickly, violently, slowly, etc.
  • Prepositions : of, off, on, in, etc.
  • Conjunctions : for, and, but, or nor, yet, since
  • Interjections : oh, hey, etc.

While you have a number of parts of speech available to you, not all of them are created equal. In other words, some are more important than others, and while you may use many of them, you probably won’t use them all.

The most important parts of speech are nouns and verbs because they are the main content words—the types of words that create images. While nouns show a person, an object, or a concept, verbs show actions. Both can underlie your book title.

Strong, Visual Words Graphic

While choosing between nouns and verbs is partly a stylistic choice, that decision should be informed by the book’s content. Verbs are more active than nouns, so in many cases, they may imply that the book is more practical.

For example, Building a Business in 7 Easy Steps uses a verb and suggests a very practical book. Business Creation 101 , which uses a noun, does not sound as practical, though it may well be. Meanwhile, The Making of an Enduring Business , by using a different verb and an adjective, sounds more elegant than the first two titles. 

6. Test Out Your Book Title With Your Target Market

Once you have a tentative title for your book—and you can have many—you should test it out with your target market. Find people who fit your reader avatar and who are interested in providing you feedback on your early work. Ask them what they think.

As an aside, you should always have beta readers who can provide you with feedback throughout the book writing and publishing process. Make sure you ask them unbiased questions so they can give you valuable, accurate information.

Group of people discussing at an event

The best way to ask your target market about a book title is to present it to them and ask what they think. Don’t ask any specific questions yet; simply ask your readers what they think. This will help you collect unbiased information about how they feel.

Once you have their initial reaction, ask them which emotions the title evokes. While still general, this question is a bit more guided. Then you may move to more specific questions that give you precisely what you want, such as:

  • Does this title make you want to read the book?
  • Is this a title you would feel good reading in public?
  • Does the title tell you what you’ll get from the book?

7. Tweak Your Book Title and Make a Final Decision

Target market feedback is subjective, and every person will have different opinions. While you shouldn’t let it dictate everything, it’s essential to take this feedback seriously. As a rule of thumb, if more than three people raise a point, pay attention to it.

You shouldn’t necessarily change your title to please your target readers, but in many cases, your readers will lead you in the right direction. For example, if three or more readers indicated that the title is unclear, it’s safe to say your title needs some work.

Smiling man working on his computer

It is always good practice to have a few backup titles in case your original title doesn’t resonate with your audience. You can also make tweaks to your title; for example, you can change the emotion and the image in the title as well as the explanation in the subtitle.

After making tweaks to your title, run it by your target market once again to see what they think. You may want to repeat this process several times if you can’t find a title that works, is compelling, and resonates with your audience. Your book title matters after all.

If you still feel confused after reading this blog and don’t know where to start with your book title, consider our consulting services. For a small fee, we can help you brainstorm title ideas and help you select the best one for your audience and book.

Click below to book a call.

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Article by Leandre Larouche

Leandre Larouche is a writer, coach, and the founder of Trivium Writing.

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Table of Contents

Why Do Book Titles Matter?

The 5 attributes of a good book title.

  • Steps To Find The Perfect Book Title

Does Your Book Need A Subtitle?

More Ways to Read

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How To Come Up With The Perfect Book Title [Ultimate Guide]

write book titles

Don’t Have Time Right Now?

Shockingly, there’s little useful guidance out there about book titling. What advice exists is usually of little help:

  • Trite (“Go with your gut!”)
  • Superficial (“Browse bookstores for ideas!”)
  • Or worst of all, actively harmful (“Don’t spend too much time on it.”)

They’re all wrong.

Just like companies that spend millions on naming new products, and media companies that spend time testing different titles for blog posts , you should spend substantial time and energy finding a great title.

This is a very important decision, one you need to get right to ensure your book has the best possible chance of success.

In this comprehensive guide to picking the perfect book title, I will walk you through how to think about book titles, then tell you how to pick yours, and how to test it.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this Scribe Guide:

  • Attention Grabbing
  • Informative (Gives an Idea of What The Book is About)
  • Easy To Say
  • Not Embarrassing or Problematic For Someone To Say It

Specific Steps To Find The Perfect Book Title

Step 1: Get Clarity On Your Book Goals

Step 2: brainstorm several potential titles.

Step 3: Make Sure This Title Is Not Already Popular

Step 4: Pick Your Favorites & Test Them

Test #1: Imagine People Saying The Title

Test #2: See What People Click On

Your book title is the most important marketing decision you’ll make. Period.

The title is the first thing the potential reader sees or hears about your book—even before the cover in most cases—and getting it right is the single most important book marketing decision you’ll make. The title forms the basis of the reader’s judgment about your book.

Let’s be clear: A good title won’t make your book do well. But a bad title will almost certainly prevent it from doing well.

The iconic example of the importance of a book title is the title change that led to an obscure book becoming a #1 best seller.

In 1982 Naura Hayden released a book called “Astro-Logical Love.” It bombed.

astrological-love-book-cover

She then took the exact same book, changed a small amount of the content, and changed the original title to a different title, “How to Satisfy a Woman Every Time…and Have Her Beg for More!”

satisfy-book-cover

That book became a massive cultural phenomenon and #1 best seller. Same book, same content, just a different title (I would argue a perfect title).

The takeaway for you is simple and clear: Spend time figuring out the best possible title for your book, because it will largely determine what people think about your book, and thus, your book’s success.

A good title should have all of these attributes:

  • Attention-Grabbing
  • Memorable & Searchable
  • Informative
  • Easy & Not Embarrassing to Say

1. Attention-Grabbing

There are a million things pulling on people’s attention. The right title helps you stand out and make that important first impression. A boring title is a killer.

There are many ways to grab attention. You can be provocative, controversial, exciting, make a promise, etc. The point is your title should make people stop and pay attention to it.

Here is what #1 best-selling author Tim Ferriss says about titles:

“The 4-Hour Workweek also bothered some people and was ridiculed by others, which I took as a positive indicator. It’s not accidental that Jay Leno parodied the book on-air—the title lends itself to it, and that was by design. You can’t have strong positive responses without strong negative responses, and beware—above all—the lukewarm reception from all. ‘Oh, that’s nice. I think it’s pretty good,’ is a death sentence. “

2. Memorable & Searchable

It’s much easier to get a reaction out of someone and then be forgotten, than it is to get a reaction and also be memorable.

Remember, a book’s title is not only the first thing a reader hears about your book, it’s the one piece of information that a potential reader has that leads them back to the book itself.

If your book is recommended to them by a friend, and they can’t remember the title, then they can’t go find it in a bookstore or on Amazon. Best-selling author Scott Berkun says it well:

“Often [the title] is all a potential buyer ever gets to see, and if they can draw interest the book crosses its first of many hurdles in the improbable struggle of getting noticed. But titles only help so much. Most people hear about books the same way they hear about new bands. Or new people to meet. A friend or trusted source tells them it was good and it was called  <NAME HERE>. The title at that point serves as a moniker. It’s the thing you need to remember to get the thing you want to get and little more. “

This also means you want the book title to be easily searchable. In the world we live in, search is how people find things now. If your title does not lend itself to easy memorization and searchability on Google and Amazon, that is very bad.

3. Informative (Gives an Idea of What the Book is About)

This is the least crucial aspect for fiction titles, but very important for non-fiction. The title, including the subtitle , should give the reader some sort of idea of what the book is about.

People aren’t going to do your work for you; the easier you make it for them to understand the subject, the more likely you are to draw in the people who’d find your book interesting.

A good test is to ask yourself this: If you were to tell someone the title of your book at a party, would they have to ask what it’s about?

If so, that’s probably a bad title.

Don’t out-think yourself on your title. A title that is overly clever or unclear signals the book is for people who immediately understand the word or phrase—which makes people who don’t get it right away feel dumb (and less likely to buy the book).

By using a word or phrase that is either not immediately understandable by your desired audience or doesn’t convey the point of the book, you’re putting a huge obstacle in front of your success.

Though your title should be informative and easily understood, it doesn’t need to spell out the entire book. Take Malcolm Gladwell’s bestselling Outliers for example: this title does a great job of cuing the content of the book without describing it outright.

4. Easy & Not Embarrassing To Say

Having an easy to say title is a concept called cognitive fluency. It means people are more likely to remember and respond to words and phrases they can immediately understand and pronounce.

Without going too far into the psychological literature, the point is this: Don’t try to be sophisticated at the risk of being obscure.

It’s a basic fact of human psychology—people don’t like to feel socially awkward. If a book title is hard to pronounce, or more importantly, if it’s a phrase that sounds stupid when said out loud, it makes them far less likely to buy it, and chances are they won’t talk about it to other people.

One of the most important things to think about when picking your book title is word of mouth. Think about how people will feel about saying this book title out loud to their friends. Does it make them look smart or stupid?

The worst possible title is one that makes someone feel silly saying it out loud. For example, if the book title is something like “Why Racism Is Great,” no one is ever going to tell their friends about it, no matter how good the book is, because they have to then face the scrutiny of why they bought that book in the first place. Social context doesn’t just matter some; it matters a lot.

Take this list of bad book titles , and imagine saying any of them out loud to your friends in a serious way—you’d never do that.

Generally speaking, shorter titles are best. A short title is not only more memorable and easier to say for your target audience, it also gives space and flexibility for a better book cover. A one-word title is the best.

People get lured into crafting titles that are exacting and long-winded in an effort to make the title signal the book idea and audience. In the title, stick to the core idea. If you want to get wordy, then leave that to the subtitle.

If you can, aim to keep the main title around 5 words or less. The subtitle can offer context or tell a bit more about what the reader will learn. Cameron Herold’s book Meetings Suck has a pithy title, with a subtitle that helps the reader see why the need the book: Turning One of the Most Loathed Elements of Business into One of the Most Valuable.

Made to Stick

How To Come Up With A Book Title

Your goals for your book determine what type of title you pick.

If you want to build a brand out of your non-fiction book, your title options are quite different than if you want to publish a racy thriller.

Let’s examine all the functions your book title can serve, and the places for potential use, before we walk you through the precise process of thinking up title ideas:

How A Book Title Can Be Used

  • To sell the book to readers
  • Establish the author’s authority in a subject
  • Be a hook for the author to get media visibility
  • Branding for a company, author, conference, or course materials
  • Advertise/market the book
  • Used in speeches, slides, or other in-person activities
  • Used in reviews, blog posts, articles, etc.
  • Something the author has to say in all their press appearances
  • Become a defining part of an author’s future bio
  • Decorate the cover
  • Identify the Amazon/B&N listing
  • Start a line of books
  • Use on t-shirts, flyers, or other promotional material
  • Brand a main character or character’s name (Harry Potter)

The point of this whole list is simple: Know which of these objectives apply to your book, and make sure your title can serve those objectives.

For example, if your goal is to build a brand, make sure your book title is your brand. Dave Asprey’s first diet book is called The Bulletproof Diet , because that’s his brand: Bulletproof. The book is about selling everything around the book, not just the book itself.

If your goal is authority in your field, make sure the book title sounds authoritative to whom you are trying to speak. Whimsical doesn’t work in serious academic fields, whereas serious doesn’t work in comedic fields.

If your goal is to get media attention and raise your visibility, make sure the book title l appeals to media and makes them want to cover you.

Brainstorming for titles is not a specific thing you do for an hour, but rather a long term process. It may take you months and hundreds of book title ideas to finalize your title.

But you start by simply brainstorming titles. Literally start a file and write down every working title you can think of for your book.

I know that telling someone to brainstorm is like telling someone to “be creative.” There is no best way to brainstorm, but there are a lot of best practices.

This is a list of every possible way we know of to find a good book title, complete with examples of book titles (remember, these techniques are not just for your main title, they will be the basis for your subtitles as well). Most of these are for nonfiction titles, though some can be used for novel titles.

Also, don’t be afraid to put bad titles on your brainstorm list. Bad titles actually help you–because they will get you to a good title. Here are some best practices:

Use Clever or Noteworthy Phrases From The Book

This is very common in fiction, and can work well with novel titles. It also works well with non-fiction books where the concept of the book can be summed up quickly or with one phrase.

  • The Black Swan
  • Lecturing Birds On Flying
  • I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell

Use Both Short and Long Phrases

We usually start with a really long title and work our way down to much a short title. The goal is the main title be as short as possible—no more than 5 words—and have the subtitle offer the context and put in important keywords.

Use Relevant Keywords

For non-fiction especially, search matters. You want to make sure that when someone searches for the subject or topic of your book, it will come up on Google and Amazon. But it’s a balancing act, because you don’t want to sacrifice the authenticity of the work for what looks and feels like a search string query.

If you are unsure of this, go look on Amazon and see how often subtitles and titles use additional keywords to attract more search engine traffic.

  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons In Personal Change
  • Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
  • Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business Into A Sales Machine With The $100 Million Best Practices Of Salesforce.com

Make a Promise of a Benefit

Some of the best titles promise to help readers achieve a desired goal or get some wanted benefit. They specifically call out an end result that people want:

  • How To Win Friends and Influence People
  • Getting Things Done
  • Think And Grow Rich

Be Simple and Direct

Some of the very best titles are just basic statements about what the book is. There is nothing wrong with this, it can work well, especially for strictly instructional books.

  • Getting Past No
  • The Power Of Habit

Target an Audience

As we said, people use titles to judge if the book is for them. Part of helping people understand this can be targeting them in your title. You can target specific audiences by naming them or by describing their characteristics. This works especially well if you have a series of books, and then do versions targeted to specific niches.

  • What to Expect When You’re Expecting
  • Physics For Future Presidents

Offer a Specific Solution to a Problem

This is very popular in the self-help and diet spaces.

You tell the reader exactly what problem your book solves in the title. This is similar to the promise of a benefit, but not the exact same thing; a benefit is something additive, like being sexy. A solution to a problem takes away something negative, like losing weight.

  • Man’s Search for Meaning
  • 6 Ways to Lose Belly Fat Without Exercise!
  • Secrets of Closing The Sale

Use Numbers to Add Credibility

Specifics, like numbers, add credibility and urgency to your titles. The can provide structure for your information, or they can make hard things seem easier. Specificity enables people to engage the idea in a more concrete way, and gives bounded limits and certainty on time frames as well.

  • The 48 Laws of Power
  • The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
  • The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership

Pique The Reader’s Curiosity (But Withhold The Answer)

Using statements that seem to be impossible, unusual contrasts, or paradoxes can make readers curious about what is in the book. The idea is to make a claim or statement that seems a little far-fetched or fantastical, but promises delivery. This is very popular now with headline writing on sites like UpWorthy and ViralNova.

The iconic recent example of this with books is one we already mentioned, The 4-Hour Workweek. Everyone wants to know how to work 4 hours a week, except it seems impossible, so you pick up the book to see what that guy is talking about.

  • Networking Is Not Working
  • 10% Happier
  • Who Moved My Cheese?

Use Metaphors or Symbols Associated With The Themes in Your Book

Humans think in symbol and metaphor. Using these powerful devices can help you create a strong title that really resonates.

The iconic metaphor-based series is “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” The title signals the warm, nurturing feeling that our culture associates with chicken soup and connects it to something else–stories that nurture your soul.

  • The Untethered Soul

Use Alliteration

Alliteration is the use of the same letter at the beginning of all or most of the words in your title. This makes things easier for humans to remember.

  • The Mighty Miss Malone
  • A Storm Of Swords
  • The Pop-Up Paradigm

Alter a Popular Phrase

This is common in book titles and tends to work well—taking a famous phrase and altering it in a way that makes sense for you book. This works because it’s close to something people know, but not exactly the same thing.

  • The War of Art
  • Assholes Finish First

Slang can work really well, especially if it’s used in a way that is non-intuitive but also novel.

  • Ain’t Too Proud To Beg
  • No Mopes Allowed: A Small Town Police Chief Rants and Babbles about Hugs and High Fives, Meth Busts, Internet Celebrity, and Other Adventures

Try cliche formats (or reversing them)

There are a ton of book-naming tropes that can work well if used correctly:

  • The Art of [TOPIC]
  • The Myth of [TOPIC]
  • Confessions of [TOPIC]
  • How to [TOPIC]
  • The Joy of [TOPIC]
  • The End of [TOPIC]
  • The Art of Racing In The Rain
  • The Myth of Male Power
  • Confessions of An Economic Hitman
  • How to Train Your Dragon
  • The Joy of Sex
  • The End of Science

Done poorly, these kinds of titles can seem cliched and cloying instead of fresh. This technique is best used when it offers a twist—but isn’t so far out that it confuses the reader.

Consider Coining a Phrase or New Word

This is very helpful, especially if you want to create a brand or company or extended product line out of your book, or brand a character name. The problem with this is that it’s not an easy thing to do. Many authors try to create new words; few succeed, so try this sparingly. The most important element of this technique is that the word is easy to say and understand.

  • Essentialism

Use Amazon/Goodreads/Wikipedia For Inspiration

If you’re feeling stuck, you can always go look at how other books are named.

  • Wikipedia’s list of best selling books of all time
  • Goodreads list of best book titles
  • Amazon’s current best selling books

Use Copywriting Manuals For Ideas

If you are truly stuck and cannot think of anything, read some books about copywriting. They are not specifically about book titling, but copywriters have to understand the sell triggers, and they will give you tons and tons of examples. These are three of the best out there:

  • POP!: Create the Perfect Pitch, Title, and Tagline for Anything
  • The Ultimate Sales Letter: Attract New Customers. Boost your Sales.
  • Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich: Create Winning Ads, Web Pages, Sales Letters and More

Step 3: Check Copyright, Trademark, Keywords and Popularity

First off, let me very clear about this: you cannot copyright titles.

Technically, you can call your book “To Kill A Mockingbird” or “Lord Of The Rings” or even “The Holy Bible.”

That being said, copying a popular book makes it VERY hard for your book to stand out, and pretty much guarantees a lot of negative reviews from people who are not getting the book they expected.

That being said, you can trademark a title, if it is part of a larger brand. For example, the term “Bulletproof” is trademarked in the health and fitness space by Dave Asprey. You (probably) can’t title a book “The Bulletproof Diet” because it infringes on a trademark (not the copyright ).

If this is confusing, and you have a book title you think might be a trademark infringement, then talk to an IP attorney.

Also, make sure you check that the title and subtitle have the right keywords you want to address your market, and aligns with any domain and brand issues you have.

Step 4: Pick Your Favorites

At this point, you should have a long list of title ideas. Once that’s done, you can move on to the next step: picking your titles.

I cannot emphasize how important this next step is:

Everyone has opinions on book titles. Most of those opinions are stupid and wrong.

Even people who get PAID to come up with book titles (editors, publishers, etc.) are usually bad at it.

Here’s a great test as to whether or not you have a good book title: imagine one of your readers talking about your book at a party to other people.

If you can see them confidently saying the book title aloud, and the people listening nodding and immediately either understanding what the book is about based on that (and perhaps a sentence or two of explanation), or asking for a further explanation because it sounds interesting, then you’ve got a good title.

If you imagine any other reaction than this one, you need to re-think your title, and probably change it.

Remember, so much of book marketing boils down to word of mouth, and word of mouth is all about people signaling things to other people. You want your book title to inspire and motivate the right people to talk about it, because it lets them signal the right things to their friends.

Test #2: (optional) Test Actual Clicks

Here’s one of the keys to testing your titles: test both the main title and subtitle and test them in many different iterations. Usually what you’ll find is most things test about the same, while there will be one thing that clearly tests better as a title and another that clearly tests best as a subtitle.

This is a great piece about the step-by-step process of using Google Adwords to test a title.

If you have a large audience already, you can also use Survey Monkey .

For real customer feedback, I recommend using Pickfu .

I would also recommend Google Survey . This is real market testing of real people and can be done fairly cheaply.

How Not To Test Your Book Title

Most of the things authors do to test their titles are very, very bad.

For example, posting on social media is NOT TESTING YOUR TITLE. In fact, posting on social media is about the worst possible way to test a title.

Why is this?

Well, your social media friends are probably not your audience, and a tweet about the title won’t help you. And even worse, everyone on your social media has an agenda relative to the author that will often put you off-kilter.

Friends and family don’t work. Generally speaking, they want to make you happy. They don’t want to give you an objective answer. Or they want to make sure you look good, but they don’t know what will actually make you look good.

Furthermore, oftentimes colleagues will be critical—because they are jealous. It happens a lot, and they will give you bad advice , even if only unconscious.

And some authors will go to their marketing teams for title advice, which can often lead you way off-kilter. Do you know the saying that a camel is a horse designed by committee? When you start getting opinions from lots of different sources, you get the “camel effect” hardcore.

If you’re doing a non-fiction book, yes, probably so.

The way we like to frame it is that the title is the hook, and the subtitle is the explanation. The subtitle is the promise of the book.

Books need a subtitle if it’s necessary to contextualize the subject alluded to in the main title. Typically, the subtitle tells the reader some combination of what the book’s central premise is, who the book is for, and what promise the book delivers on or need it meets.

Some examples where subtitles help contextualize the title and deliver the promise of the implied title:

  • The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape The 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join The New Rich: See how the title hooks you by being interesting, and the subtitle explains the premise? Very well done.
  • Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead: It’s a bit long, but the same thing is going on here; the subtitle contextualizes and frames the title, which is clear, easy to understand, and say.
  • Kitchen Confidential: This originally had a subtitle, “Adventures In The Culinary Underbelly,” but it was later dropped. No subtitle was needed on this work of non-fiction, because the meaning is clear, especially when paired with a picture of a chef on the front (and because it became very famous, which helps).
  • The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11: This is an example of a book where the subtitle is very important. That title could mean many things, but the subtitle quickly signals what the book is about and who it’s for.

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How to Write a Book Title: Practical Tips for Authors

  • on Aug 07, 2023
  • in Writing Tips
  • Last update: August 7th, 2023

Even though we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, we surely can judge it by its title. That’s why you have to pour a lot of thought into the name of your book. Because if the title of your book isn’t well chosen, no one will look twice at your content no matter how profound it is!

That’s why in this article, we will cover everything you need to know about how to write a book title. There is so much to unpack and a lot to consider, so bookmark this article and come back to it whenever you need a refresher.

how to write a book title

Why Are Book Titles So Important?

As a reader, you may often skim the titles of the books at your local library without picking any of them. Other times, you may find the perfect read instantly. In both cases, the names of the books play a vital role in determining how likely you are to pick up a certain book. 

To paint a better picture, here are the reasons why you should give more thought to your book title: 

  • Books with great titles sell more. That’s because a great title hooks the readers, draws them in, and convinces them to flip through the pages. This first pull is so important that it’s made authors go to great lengths to rewrite the titles of their books , even after publishing! Your book title is the first impression your book makes, so it has to be impactful.
  • You will feel more confident about your book if it has a great title. It’s probably not a great feeling for authors when people look at them strangely when they mention the name of their books. 
  • Your title can make it easier to reach your target audience. For example, you can usually tell from the title alone whether a book is a sci-fi or a contemporary romance, or if the book promises a better diet or a crash course on college-level astrophysics.

What Makes a Good Book Title?

Before we get started, we wanted to answer one question: should you start thinking of a book title before you write? The answer is that usually, you don’t need to, but it can help you focus on the main themes of your book as the title usually describes them or refers to them in some way. Just keep in mind that the first title you come up with is usually not the final one.

With that out of the way, the first step in coming up with a good title for your book is to consider what truly makes it memorable. There are many things to consider, like originality and relevance. As you think about your book title, think about the following points:

1. Is your title relevant to your book?

The title must reflect what your book is about, or else it becomes misleading. As an example, let’s say you have a murder mystery where the protagonist is related to the victim and the story follows their grief-filled journey. In this case, it’s not wise to name your book “Killer’s Instinct” because that implies the story is about the antagonist.

A more relevant title can be “A Smear of Blood,” which implies a tragic event that led to blood being spilled but leaves enough mystery for the reader to get curious. The word “Smear,” which means marking something carelessly with a thick or greasy substance, works better than, say, “Drop” in implying a struggle or intentional harm to someone in the book.

As a quick cheat sheet of sorts, here is a list of questions you can ask yourself while choosing a title for your book:

  • What is the main idea of my book? What am I really writing about?
  • Who am I writing this book for? How old are they? What interests them, and what do they avoid doing?
  • Which character is the protagonist? Is the story focused on them or the plot events that happen to them?
  • Is there a major theme in my book? If so, what is it and what mood does it set for my book?
  • How is the conflict resolved in my book, if at all?
  • What do other authors’ titles in this genre look like? Is there a common way to write them?

2. Is your title unique?

You don’t want to name your book Pride and Prejudice or The Da Vinci Code , even if you cannot copyright book names and those titles are just perfect for your story. It works the same for non-fiction books, albeit to a slightly lesser degree because of the overlap that happens when you write about subjects like keto diets or DIY furniture.

3. Does your book title draw others’ attention?

Great titles grab readers’ attention for many reasons:

  • Strong wording: Phrases like “smear of blood” make readers feel suspenseful or nervous but curious to find out more.
  • Wordplay: Using puns and alliteration can grab the reader’s attention quite effectively, on the condition that it’s done with precision.
  • Literary sense of perspective: This title implies an opinion on the event that occurred. In our example, “smear of blood”, using “a” instead of “the” can imply that that smear could be one of many. As we discussed before, “smear” implies that something unusual happened, which is better than using words like “drop” or “pool” while giving just enough away for the reader to stop and wonder what happened.

4. Do the words you use come off as offensive?

There is a fine line between strong titles and outright offensive ones. While the balance is delicate, keeping updated with different cultures and beliefs is a good way of making sure that your book title does not offend your potential readers.

5. How long is your book title?

This point is more targeted at non-fiction books that can have very long titles at times. Try to keep in mind that the longer your title, the more likely readers will just skip your book and look at the next one. The average for fiction books is 2–3 words, while non-fiction books tend to have 5 words in their titles and 3–9 words in their subtitle (which is the phrase that follows the title to give more meaning or explanation/context).

books title in a library

How to Write a Showstopping Book Title

Coming up with the best title for your book depends on a lot of factors as we have seen. You may have noticed the distinction between fiction and non-fiction books, too. While there aren’t many differences between the two genres, book titles can look drastically different depending on which one it belongs to. So, let’s take a look at how to handle titles for each of them.

We’ll tackle fiction first because most authors tend to struggle more with fiction book titles than non-fiction ones. To make your brainstorming process easier, we will go over specific points:

  • Shorter vs. longer titles: Some authors prefer shorter, more punchy novel titles and go for one or two words maximum (filler words like “the” are included). Examples include Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. On the other hand, others like using longer titles for more creative freedom or to provide more context, especially with sequels in a franchise. What you choose will mostly depend on your personal preferences. Examples include A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin and Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score.
  • Using character names in your title: Sometimes you create a name for your character that’s so memorable you want to make it the star of the book cover. While it can be exciting to do so, make sure your book actually focuses on that character and their journey. If you name your book “Lana’s Key” and the book doesn’t mention Lana or her key beyond two or three chapters, your book is not really about Lana’s key and your readers will feel misled.
  • Adding powerful, meaningful words that induce emotions: This is a good way to make sure that the readers stop to look at your book and find out more. Using strong adjectives and verbs is usually advisable in your writing, and book titles are no different. For example, what’s the difference between “Pain” and “Agony”? One simply means the feeling of being physically or emotionally hurt, and the other implies a stronger, more gut-wrenching feeling of pain, which makes “agony” a much better fit.
  • Having layered or double meanings to your title: This is a classic trick used by many authors and loved by most readers. When your title has two or more meanings, often one concrete and the other abstract, it can intrigue your potential readers and help turn your book into a memory that stays in their minds for a long time afterward. A well-known example of this is Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier, which refers to the actual fossils the protagonist studies as well as the sexist, condescending male scientists she works with.
  • Sentences vs phrases: Once again, this argument depends on your own preferences. Titles like I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and Time of the Eagle by Sherryl Jordan both work well for their respective audiences. The only recommendation we have on this topic is to choose a grammatical structure that flows well with your book. Genres like adventure and fantasy can benefit from poetic or exciting phrases for their titles, while mystery, paranormal, and horror may do well with complete sentences.

Non-Fiction

Non-fiction books tend to have straightforward, informative titles with creative twists to capture readers’ attention. As a result, some authors add a subtitle to improve the clarity of the title of their books.

Many of the things that apply to fiction book titles also apply here, but there are other things to keep in mind, such as:

  • Presenting a solution to your readers’ problem: Most non-fiction books present a solution to a problem the readers have, whether it’s a cookbook aimed at beginners learning to cook or an anatomy textbook for med school students. Explaining the solution your book offers is a great way to hook the reader and draw them in. Examples include Astrophysics For People In A Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Write Better, Faster: How To Triple Your Writing Speed and Write More Every Day by Monica Leonelle.
  • Clarity: While your title can be creative and dramatic, it still has to be clear enough for your readers to understand what the book is about right away. Look for a combination of uniqueness, clarity, and intrigue that promises useful information and will convince readers to pick up your book. Many authors, however, tend to favor a longer and clearer subtitle over the strict word count of the title as it allows them to add more punch to the main title. Examples include The 4–Hour Workweek: Escape 9–5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss and Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Christopher Voss and Tahl Raz.
  • Making your book title marketable: One of the most important factors that you want to achieve with your book is higher sales, so ensuring that your book title appeals to your target audience is key. To market your book to certain readers, make sure to educate yourself on their average age, career choices, life habits, and the problems they’re most likely looking to solve. You can also make use of the keywords your target audience uses to search for books like yours.  Some great examples include Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat, which targets cooks who want to master their craft, and The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams, which targets health-conscious people who want to incorporate nature into their lifestyle.

picking book titles

Should You Use a Book Title Generator? (Book Title Generators Pros and Cons)

A book title generator is an online tool that generates random book titles based on your chosen genre and keyword. While they sound basic, these generators can be very helpful when brainstorming title ideas for your book, no matter its genre or the story you’re telling. However, some people may be skeptical about them, and they have good reason to be; book title generators are not meant to fix all of the problems that come with picking a great title.

Why Use Book Title Generators

When you’ve exhausted all your creativity writing your book, sometimes thinking of an attention-grabbing and creative title can be daunting. This is where book title generators come in, as using them:

  • Saves you time and energy: We all know how tiring an author’s creative process can be. By using a book title generator, you waste less time thinking and more time choosing alternatives or tweaking good results.
  • Gives you results you may not have considered: Depending on the generator you choose, you can find titles that you may not usually think of, especially if you’re writing in a genre you’re not used to.
  • Is free: None of the generators we have tried charge anything! On the contrary, they are an excellent way to help authors free of charge while also inviting them to explore the websites that host them.

Why Avoid Using Book Title Generators

Like any tool on the internet, book title generators come with trade-offs. Additionally, not all of them are created equal, and some will give you better results than others. Here are some points you may want to consider before using one:

  • Results can be repetitive: Book title generators use a database of keywords to give you a book title. These keywords can be different variations of the same thing, so the results you get can seem repetitive or unoriginal.
  • They can rely heavily on famous book titles: Another reason you might want to be careful with these generators is their reliance on words that are used often in famous book titles or straight-up variations of those titles. Therefore, you should look up any titles you are thinking of using, even if you made adjustments to them, to make sure that they are original enough.
  • Keywords can be limited and non-inclusive: Sadly, if you write about niche topics or talk about uncommon themes or cultures in your work, most book title generators will hinder your thought process rather than supplement it. The keywords used in these generators tend to be more well-known concepts or oriented around popular books.

A List of Great Book Title Generators

The good news about book title generators is that it’s easier than ever to find what you’re looking for, whether you’re writing a horror story or a guide to parenting. To save you precious time, we have compiled a list of the best generators for both fiction and non-fiction books below:

  • Reedsy’s Book Title Generator
  • Fantasy Name Generator’s Book Title Generator
  • Imagine Forest’s Book Title Generator
  • Sefchurchill Romance Novel Title Generator
  • Pulp Sci-Fi Title-O-Tron

Non-fiction:

  • Adazing Book Title Creator
  • Copywriting Course Book Title Generator
  • StoryToolz Half-Title Generator

books on a desk

Final Thoughts

Coming up with a title for your book doesn’t have to be difficult; the hard part is using a clear theme in your book that you can focus on in your title. So don’t worry if it’s hard to think of the perfect title right away. Once you have a great book with a gripping story, or unique insights on a common problem, you already have the main substance of your title. And while coming up with a title that is worthy of your book can be tough, it’s so rewarding by the end of it!

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write book titles

How to Write Book Titles

write book titles

You’ve managed to cobble together 100K words of sheer brilliance, but now you must tackle the hardest task. Writing the book title. How do you write book titles, anyway?

How do you distill all that unbridled greatness of your book into just a few words that convey the depth, emotion, setting, time, and character of your novel? While also being memorable and not being the same as any other book that already exists?

Ha ha ha. Super easy.

Don’t worry if you struggle with how to write book titles. You aren’t alone. Most people do. But today we’re going to look at some ideas and I’ll offer some tips that will hopefully make it a little easier.

write book titles

The importance of a book title

Obviously, your title is one of the first ways your book will be judged. I know you’ve heard the old saying, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover,’ but that is one of the most patently untrue statements to ever be uttered about books.

Books are judged by their cover and their title. I do it. You do it. We all do it. The publishing industry dedicates entire teams to studying book covers and titles based on the idea that we do, in fact, judge books by their covers. So this is important.

Would Pride and Prejudice be the classic we know it as today if it had been called by its original title, First Impressions ? Maybe. But probably not.

write book titles

What’s in a book title?

A book title has a lot of heavy lifting to do as it should convey, at least in part, the type of story it’s representing. The age group, the genre, the tone, and the theme can all be illustrated through a well thought-out title.

When you hear the title, The Devil Wears Prada , you can be pretty sure this isn’t a middle grade book with a feel good message. Just like the title Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day probably tells you this isn’t going to be a fast-paced political thriller. So how do you write a book title?

Below are a few strategies you can use to help you come up with that killer book title.

Use a character name

Your main character is already the star of the show, why not give them the front cover too? For this to work, it helps if your character has an unusual or stand out name. It might not work as well if your MC is named John Smith, but that also doesn’t mean it couldn’t work. The title could just be the name, or it could be combined with some other aspect of your story.

Some famous books that make use the protagonist’s name include:

  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
  • A Prayer for Owen Meany
  • Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
  • Anne of Green Gables
  • Tess of the D’Urbervilles

Use the name of your setting

Just like your characters, it could be the place that defines your novel and would make for a good title. It could be something more general like the name of a city or a country, or something more specific like the name of a café or a river that is prominent in your story. Maybe it takes place on a boat or in an airplane and you could use the names of those things.

Some famous books that make use of the setting in their title include:

  • The Bridges of Madison County
  • Love in the Time of Cholera
  • Wuthering Heights
  • Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland 
  • A Passage to India

Use a time setting

Your setting doesn’t have to be a physical place; it could also be a time, be it a specific year or time of day.

Examples of books that use this kind of title include:

  • One Thousand and One Nights
  • Midnight’s Children
  • A Time to Kill
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey

Use literally what it’s about

Sometimes we get a little caught up in the idea of a clever title when really, the best one is literally what your book is about.

What do I mean? Consider these examples where the title is exactly what the book is about:

  • The Hunger Games
  • The Old Man and the Sea
  • Frankenstein
  • Animal Farm

Use a quote or a line from a poem or song

Check out the parameters around this and what is considered public domain , but you can make use of existing works to name your books too.

These famous titles all borrow lines from old books, poems, and plays:

  • A Thousand Splendid Suns (from Saeb Tabrizi, a 17th-century Persian poet)
  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (from Sherlock Holmes)
  • East of Eden (from Genesis in the Old Testament)
  • A Brave New World (from Shakespeare’s The Tempest )
  • The Fault in our Stars (from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar )

how to write a book title

Tips for naming books

One word titles.

While one word titles are popular, in a world of SEO (search engine optimization)*, it might not be the best choice for your novel. If someone goes to search for your book with a single word, they’re going to have a hard time finding it amongst the millions of other results they’ll get when they do a search. So a title that is at least three or four words might be more beneficial for you in the long term.

Unique titles

Do a search to see if anyone else is using the same title as you are. As with above, if someone goes to search for your book, you want them to find your book and not someone else’s. It might be less of a concern if a book with the same title is in a different genre, but it also might be better to come up with something else.

Consider your genre

Take a look at the titles of the bestselling books in your genre. Can you find any similarities in the words, tone, or structure that they use? For example, in the fantasy genre, the following structure has been popular for a number of years:

The ______ of _________ and ___________

how to write a book title

How to brainstorm your title

Okay, so you’ve read all the tips above, and still nothing is coming to you. That’s okay. Sit down with a piece of paper or open one on your computer and answer these questions to help get your thoughts flowing:

  • Who is your main character?
  • What is their main obstacle or desire?
  • What are they seeking, be it a physical object or a state of being?
  • What is the lesson they learn? 
  • What is unique about your protagonist? 
  • What is your main setting? 
  • What is the time frame of your story? 
  • Are there any recurring themes?
  • Is there any recurring imagery like a specific color, object, or idea? 
  • What are your favorite lines or quotes? 
  • What are the defining moments or events in your book? 
  • What is the main theme or idea of your novel?
  • What happens in your story? 
  • What points of social commentary exist in your story?

Write a few words or sentences for each of the points above and then from that start brainstorming a list of titles. Write down anything that comes into your head, no matter how terrible it seems right now. Just let the ideas flow until you can’t think of anything else.

Now you can use that list to start refining. Does something jump out at you right away that might work? Or can you combine two titles to make up your ideal one?

Once you have a short list, poll some people to see what catches their intention. Ask them which title makes them want to learn more about the story. Ask them what genre they think the title represents.

Keep repeating the above process until something clicks. Don’t worry—you’ll get there!

Putting it all together

Coming up with a title is only half the battle, though. Okay, more like 1% of the battle. The real journey all us writers must take is, well, writing the dang book. And trust me, there are a lot more words in a book than a title.

Don’t worry, though, because Dabble’s got your back. Dabble is the best novel-writing software out there, designed to help writers just like you write your book. From a sleek, modern look that lets you focus on the writing to tools that will make your characters and plot better, Dabble makes writing your story easier.

Writing a book is hard enough! Don’t let the software you’re writing with make it any harder. Click here to try all of Dabble’s premium features for free for 14 days, no credit card required. Save that time typing in your credit card to type a few extra words in your book.

Nisha J Tuli is a YA and adult fantasy and romance author who specializes in glitter-strewn settings and angst-filled kissing scenes. Give her a feisty heroine, a windswept castle, and a dash of true love and she’ll be lost in the pages forever. When Nisha isn’t writing, it’s probably because one of her two kids needs something (but she loves them anyway). After they’re finally asleep, she can be found curled up with her Kobo or knitting sweaters and scarves, perfect for surviving a Canadian winter.

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Home » Blog » How to Write a Book Title [In 8 Steps]

How to Write a Book Title [In 8 Steps]

write book titles

TABLE OF CONTENTS

It is important for writers and authors to know how to write a book title. The book title is the first idea someone has about the contents of the book.

Giving your book a good quality and eye-catching title will go a long way in the book selling itself. Crafting the perfect title may be difficult, but it’s always worth it.

There are several steps to take to get it right:

  • Consider the genre
  • Reference the theme and plot
  • Consider the time period
  • Research to ensure originality
  • Remain flexible as your story evolves
  • Consider the characters
  • Create several title options
  • Get professional opinions and feedback

When learning how to write a novel , you want it to be unique and stand out from the rest. This starts with the title.

Importance of Knowing How to Write a Book Title

Everyone wants to invest their time into something worthwhile. You might think that the title of your book isn’t a big deal, but this is a mistake.

The title is one of the most crucial parts of your book. Think of it as bait. Fishermen use bait to catch more fish. Having a suitable title in place will be good bait for your target audiences. They will be enticed to look because of the interesting title.

Saves Money

Knowing how to write a book title will save you the money you would have paid someone to create it for you. Especially when self-publishing your book, costs can get high. Every little thing you do to keep them down will count.

Helps You Learn

Practice makes perfect, and this includes writing the title of a book. Once you have done it a few times, you will begin to learn what makes a title great. Eventually, you will have an easier time coming up with good ones.

Personalized

Making sure the title is catchy and effective doesn’t mean it has to be generic. You can create something personal and reflective of your own personality. It is your book after all!

Having the title and even the overall look of your book reflect who you are as a writer will help you connect with your audience. You can develop a style that your readers will come to know, expect, and love.

Benefits of Having an Impressive Book Title

Having good content within the book is essential but getting noticed is the first half of the battle. When you walk into a bookstore and there is a sea of books starting back at you, your eye will first go to the titles.

They are usually the most noticeable thing on the cover, and they give you a glimpse into the book itself.

There are several benefits that come with having a good title for your book:

[table id=23 /]

How to Write a Book Title With a Book Title Generator

If you are ever struggling with the book title, there are many book title generators out there that can help you. Some are simple, while others are quite detailed and complex. Don’t be afraid to utilize these powerful tools, they are there to help.

Even the more complex ones aren’t difficult to use. Some of them require some simple information input. This can be keywords, character names themes, and genre.

A book title generator will then take this information and come up with some titles for you. Some give only one, while others offer many. Others will offer titles based solely on the genre, or even nothing at all.

how to write a book title

If you don’t like what they give you, generating more is easy.

While they are a simple concept, A book title generator is a useful tool in the arsenal of any writer. Whether they give you your perfect title or just spark some inspiration, they are helping you.

An example of one of the most popular generators is the Portents Content Idea Generator . This one is simple, fun, and effective.

A well-crafted book title will always be a significant weapon in the hands of an author . It is one of the most effective marketing tools they will use.

It will be a way of allowing your book to stand out and be remembered. Writing a good book title is part of knowing how to write a novel.

The steps for writing a book title:

1. How to Write a Book Title

1. by genre.

The genre will always be an important factor in determining the title of your book.

First of all, fiction and nonfiction titles will look exceedingly different. Nonfiction titles should be specific and to the point, while also being catchy and memorable. Nonfiction titles are usually on the long side, and that’s okay. Most of the time they also include a subtitle with additional information.

The title of a fictional novel should be short, catchy, and reflective of the story in some way. For romance, this might be something light-hearted and sweet. For fantasy, it will probably sound other-worldly and magical.

There aren’t any specific “rules.” In the end, your book’s title is up to you. But, it will be most successful if it makes sense within your chosen genre.

2. Reference the Book’s Theme and Plot

All good books have a central theme and a developed plot. You want your title to play into the these. You want the title to hint at what happens in the book. This gives readers an idea of what to expect.

Your reader shouldn’t be confused about the title after reading a few chapters.

3. Think About the Time Period

Every era had its slang words and popular phrases. If your book takes place at some point in history, do some research on the language that was used back then. Choose some interesting words and see if they will fit into the title.

It is not necessary to use a word or phrase from the time, but it can be a cool and unique addition if it does work. For a reader who knows anything about the time period you are writing in, it will give them additional insight and understanding.

4. Ensure Your Title is Original

This is one way to have a unique title – don’t replicate one that already exists. Even if it was unintentional, it can make you look lazy if readers think you just copied. Spend some time researching to make sure the book title is not already in use.  

It’s not unheard of for book titles to be duplicated. Sometimes, the same title makes sense for multiple books. If the two books with the same title are circulated in different parts of the world, this can be okay.

However, if you think or even hope there is any chance of your book being successful internationally, choose something original and unique.

5. Make it a Working Title  

It’s good to remain flexible with your title. Even once you have come up with something that you like, stay open to changing it.

You never know where the book will take you. In the end, you might find you think of something even better.

6. Consider the Characters

Some writers title the book after the name of the strongest character. If your story is highly character -driven and the main character is the biggest focus, consider using their name as the title.

While it won’t clue readers into the actual plot, it will tell them that this person is what the story is truly about.

It will drive home the importance of this character. If your book is titled after the character, readers will immediately recognize the character once they appear in the story.

This can be strategic when introducing the character. If their name is in the title, you won’t have to do or say anything specific to tell readers that they need to focus on this character.

7. Create Multiple Titles

Come up with a few different titles and rank them in the order you best see fit. Having a few options can help you determine the absolute best choice for your book. The order you placed them in might even change as you progress through the story.

This allows you to remain flexible as you write. You won’t ever feel restrained to the title you have chosen.

Once you have created your list, make sure to keep it in a safe place. This is one instance where good book writing software will come in handy.

Squibler is a fantastic option for anyone looking to write their book in the quickest and efficient way possible. It offers several organization methods, including the ability to take and save notes.

how to write a book title

You could write down your titles on an easily misplaced paper list, or save a random, single document on your computer. Or, you can keep your list right inside of Squibler. You can even tag it for easy location later.

8. Get Opinions from Experts

You might have picked a title you think is solid, but it never hurts to hear from those who really know what they’re doing. They can give you opinions on the title you have chosen and offer some advice.

You can also give them a description of the story and ask them to come up with their own titles. You don’t necessarily have to use any of these, but they can help inspire you to create the best one possible.

Getting some guidance from those who have gone before you ‘is never a bad idea. Everything is still up to you in the end, but experience is always valuable.

Quick Tips on How to Write a Book Title

When thinking of how to write a book title, there a few things you can keep in mind to create the best one:

  • Be mindful of the word count. Especially for fiction, you want to aim for a short title that is loaded with meaning. Longer ones do work sometimes, but you never want it to be excessive. It will become confusing and awkward with too many words.
  • Give the title a double meaning. Enhancing the title without getting wordy is always something to strive for. Let your readers be intrigued by it. Write something that allows them to read different meanings into it. Use of vivid language, lively mood, and contrast can be beneficial here.
  • Try to use both verbs and nouns. Make use of actionable verbs, and nouns to be more specific and creative. After choosing your title to try to eliminate the generic words and see how to be more precise. This will add more beauty and intrigue to the title.
  • Avoid making your title sound old and boring. Your title should be vibrant. Avoid the use of redundant words. Even if a very simple word might work, try to find a brighter and more interesting alternative.
  • Make your title easy to read. Go for a title that will be remembered. Two or three words that are clever and catchy will make a title that is easy and even fun to remember. The words should be easy to understand and pronounce, so people don’t get confused when trying to recall it.

Don’t Discount the Importance of Knowing How to Write a Book Title

There are very few situations where such a small handful of words are so important.   It is one of the most crucial steps when learning how to write a novel.

There are many considerations to take when figuring out how to write a book title, and all of them are important. Writing a good title is more difficult than many think.

Just because a title sounds cool and catchy, doesn’t mean it’s going to work for your book. It needs to be cool, catchy, as well as relevant and effective.

Use these tips in conjunction with our comprehensive list of book title generators , and you’ll have the perfect title in no time.

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How to Write Book Titles in Your Essays

How to Write Book Titles in Your Essays

3-minute read

  • 26th May 2023

When writing an essay, you’re likely to mention other authors’ works, such as books, papers, and articles. Formatting the titles of these works usually involves using quotation marks or italics.

So how do you write a book title in an essay? Most style guides have a standard for this – be sure to check that first. If you’re unsure, though, check out our guide below.

Italics or Quotation Marks?

As a general rule, you should set titles of longer works in italics , and titles of shorter works go in quotation marks . Longer works include books, journals, TV shows, albums, plays, etc. Here’s an example of a book mention:

Shorter works include poems, articles, chapters of books, episodes of TV shows, songs, etc. If it’s a piece that’s part of a biggHow to Write Book Titles in Your Essayser work, the piece considered a short work:

Exceptions to the Rule

The rule for writing book titles in italics applies specifically to running text . If the book title is standing on its own, as in a heading, there’s no need to italicize it.

Additionally, if the book is part of a larger series and you’re mentioning both the title of the series and that of the individual book, you can consider the book a shorter work. You would set the title of the series in italics and place the book title in quotation marks:

Punctuation in Book Titles

Do you need to apply italics to the punctuation in a book title? The short answer is yes – but only if the punctuation is part of the title:

If the punctuation isn’t part of the title (i.e., the punctuation is part of the sentence containing the title), you shouldn’t include in the italics:

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Summary: Writing Book Titles in Essays

We hope you’ll now feel confident when you’re writing and formatting book titles in your essays. Generally, you should set the title in italics when it’s in running text. Remember, though, to check your style guide. While the standards we’ve covered are the most common, some style guides have different requirements.

And once you finish writing your paper, make sure you send it our way! We’ll make sure any titles are formatted correctly as well as checking your work for grammar, spelling, punctuation, referencing, and more. Submit a free sample to try our service today.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you write the title of a book in a sentence.

Set the title of the book in italics unless the book is part of a larger work (e.g., a book that’s part of a series):

When do you use quotation marks for titles?

Place titles of shorter works or pieces that are contained in a larger work in quotation marks:

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How To Write The Perfect Book Title [Examples Included]

  • February 20, 2024

Table of Contents:

The importance of a good book title, types of book titles, descriptive titles, metaphorical titles, question titles, provocative titles, location/ period titles, how to write the title:, make it descriptive, use metaphors, ask a question, be provocative, include location/time, keep it short, make it unique, get creative with the wording., incorporate distinctive details., conclusion:.

Crafting the perfect book title is a crucial aspect of the writing process, as it serves as the initial point of contact between your work and potential readers.

A compelling title can significantly impact the success of your book. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the essential attributes of a good title. We will also provide some practical examples to help you navigate this critical step in the publishing journey.

The title of your book is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as an author in your writing journey . A great title can help your book grab readers’ attention and convey the genre, tone, and themes. It can help your book stand out in a sea of competition and aid in discovery and marketing.

The title is often the first thing potential readers will see. You want it to catch their eye and draw them in. The title sets expectations about what the book will deliver. An effective, descriptive title helps attract your target audience by giving them a sense of the experience your book will provide.

Your title also needs to be unique and memorable. With hundreds of thousands of books published yearly, you want a title to help your book stand apart. The title can convey your book’s key concepts and themes, acting like a mini-summary to inform readers and entice them to learn more.

Finally, a strong title supports marketing and discovery efforts. It gives readers, reviewers, booksellers, librarians, and others something succinct and recognizable to refer to your book. The more memorable and identifiable your title is, the more it can help drive word-of-mouth and stick in mind as your book gains traction.

However, in case you are not so great at coming up with book titles, there are also some book title generators online that you can use to come up with unique names.

There are several main types of book titles authors can choose from:

A descriptive title simply describes what the book is about. It names the topic, subject, or central idea of the book.

For example:

The Official Guide to Starting Your Own Business

Mexican Cooking: Authentic Recipes from Around the Country

Introduction to Biology: The Study of Living Things

Descriptive titles tell readers what the book covers. They are straightforward and functional.

A metaphorical or symbolic title uses a metaphor, imagery, or symbolism related to the book’s theme.

  • To Kill a Mockingbird

Lord of the Flies

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Metaphorical titles intrigue readers and make them think. The metaphor or image connects to the book’s important theme, message, or character.

A question title phrases the book’s subject or premise as a question.

What Is the What

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret

  • Where the Crawdads Sing

Question titles hook readers’ interest and make them wonder about the answer. The question relates to the main idea or mystery at the heart of the book.

A provocative title is controversial, scandalous, or sensational to gain attention.

The Satanic Verses

Sex and the City

Provocative titles generate buzz and intrigue. However, they run the risk of seeming over-the-top if not done skillfully.

These titles situate the book in a specific location or historic period, which indicates the setting.

  • A Tale of Two Cities

The Paris Wife

Last Summer at Bluefish Cove

Location and period titles give readers a sense of when and where the story occurs. They add atmosphere and context.

Here are some tips that you need to keep in mind when you are writing a title for your book.

A title that summarizes the plot, subject matter, main character, or theme can give readers a clear idea of what to expect before opening the book. This is one of the most direct and effective approaches for a book title.

Summarizing the plot in the title provides readers with an overview of the story and identifies the main narrative elements like tone and perspective , and sequence of events.

For example, Gone with the Wind immediately tells us this is a story about loss and sweeping change.

Identifying the subject matter also quickly lets readers know the book’s topic.

Quantum Physics for Beginners signals the book’s main focus on simplifying complex physics concepts.

Calling out the main character is another descriptive approach for titles.

For instance, Ender’s Game highlights that this sci-fi novel will center around a character named Ender.

In all cases, a descriptive title gives readers an at-a-glance understanding of the core elements of the book. This helps them immediately grasp if it aligns with their interests or not.

Metaphors allow you to tap into imagery and symbolism with your title to evoke certain ideas or feelings in the reader. Using metaphorical language can help make your title more intriguing, memorable, and reflective of key themes in your book.

For example, Suzanne Collins’s popular Hunger Games trilogy uses the metaphor of “the Hunger Games” to symbolize the characters’ struggles. Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train uses a metaphor to create intrigue around the identity of the “girl.”

The expert writers at the Ghostwriting Founders suggest that when you use a metaphor, aim for it to connect to your book meaningfully.

The metaphors should align with major ideas, settings, characters, or plots. Try to pick fresh and imaginative metaphors, avoiding cliche examples like “rollercoaster ride” or “skeletons in the closet” unless you can put a unique spin on them.

One effective technique for creating an intriguing book title is to ask interesting questions. Such questions should hook the reader and imply some mystery or journey that will be explored in the book.

For example, titles like “Where The Crawdads Sing” or “What If?” instantly spark curiosity by posing an open-ended question for the reader. This invites them to open the book and find the answer along with the protagonist.

A question as a title also sets up the expectation that the book will explore or try to solve some problem or provide insight into a phenomenon. The promise of a search for knowledge draws readers in.

Some examples of great book titles that ask a thought-provoking question:

  • Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
  • What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
  • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

When using a question for your title, make sure it speaks to your book’s core premise or themes. Aim for specific yet open-ended questions to allow for nuanced exploration throughout the book.

Titles don’t have to simply describe the book. Sometimes, being provocative is the best way to grab attention. Using controversial language or making a bold claim will make readers wonder what’s inside the book.

A provocative title intrigues readers by challenging assumptions and promising to reveal inside information. The bolder the promise, the more curiosity it generates. Some examples:

  • The Real Truth About [topic]
  • Everything They Don’t Want You to Know About [topic]
  • [Industry] Secrets Revealed
  • The Hidden [topic] They Don’t Want You to Find Out About

The key is to make a bold promise that gets attention while still accurately representing the book.

Setting your book title in a specific location or period can help readers immediately envision when and where the story occurs. This gives helpful context about the setting before they even begin reading.

For example, titles like The Paris Wife Murder on the Orient Express all contain a location that sets the scene. Periods in titles like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (World War II era) and The Alienist (1896 New York) also convey important historical context.

Using a well-known location or period in a title allows readers to tap into their existing knowledge. This helps them make connections and inferences about the content before reading the book. It sets expectations about the setting and environment.

When it comes to book titles, shorter is usually better. Aim for 10 words or less. Shorter titles are easier to remember and stand out better.

Some examples of effective short book titles:

  • The Great Gatsby
  • Frankenstein
  • Pride and Prejudice
  • The Alchemist
  • Fahrenheit 451
  • The Outsiders

Longer titles can work, too, but they must be extremely memorable. Some famous long book titles include:

  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
  • The Fault in Our Stars
  • The Princess Bride
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

In general, though, shorter titles have more impact, so aim to summarize the essence of your book in just a few words.

When developing a book title, it’s important to make it unique and help it stand out. Some tips for creating a distinctive title include:

Avoid overused words and clichés. Phrases like “The Secret,” “You,” and “A Novel” are very common in book titles. Using clichéd language can make your book blend in rather than stand out.

Play with interesting noun-verb combinations, rhymes, alliteration, and other poetic devices. Unusual word choices pique readers’ interest.

Include specifics like numbers, dates, locations, colors, names, etc. Details make the title more original and concrete.

With thoughtful creativity and avoiding overdone book tropes , you can craft a book title that captures attention and perfectly encapsulates your work. Distinctive titling makes a powerful first impression on readers.

It’s also important to ensure your title fits genre norms and expectations. A title can intrigue readers, hint at key themes, and stand out if crafted effectively. Take the time to evaluate options and get feedback from your ideal audience. The right title can make all the difference in engaging potential readers and boosting the impact of your professional book writing efforts.

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Do You Italicize Book Titles? MLA, Chicago Manual, and APA Rules (Examples)

do you italicize book titles

Whether you are writing a book, a business blog, a research paper, or a magazine article, staying true (and consistent) to grammar and style is extremely important. It makes the entire article/ manuscript consistent and reading easy !

But with so many styles and style guides around, losing track is very common. This is especially true when you are writing titles – of books, stories, poems, chapters, and more – in your articles. Don’t you wonder whether you should underline the book titles, put them in italics, write them in quotation marks , or follow the traditional capital letter style? Well, we all do, and we often find ourselves hovering over different options, completely unsure of which one to choose .

So, should you italicize book titles or underline them?

The general rule says, always italicize book titles, if they are long and complete work. This keeps them distinct and makes them easily recognizable, especially when you are mentioning a book within your content. Italicizing also helps the reader to understand that this particular book is separate from the rest of the work they are reading. However, short titles – of poems, stories, articles, and chapters are often written in quotation marks.

For example:

Long title: Have you read In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust?

Short title: Grab your copy of “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy.

Now, this sometimes, can get very confusing and can put your writing all over the place. So when you are stuck between a right and a wrong, always follow the rule of thumb – How you write book titles in your work is a matter of choice (style). It is not governed by any grammarian law. There is no single source that governs how you must handle titled works and mostly depends on the style guide your publication is following – APA, Chicago, MLA, or any other.

So ask your editor his/ her preference and stick to it across your content. After all, consistency is the key to turning your writing into the most professional-looking copy .

In this article, we’ll help you learn the styling parameters that different style guides follow while writing book titles:

MLA rules for italicizing book titles

MLA stands for Modern Language Association – a United States-based society that styles manuals for students and scholars across the world. The MLA Handbook follows a particular style for documenting book titles, in the text as well as at the end of the article. As per the MLA style guide:

  • Titles that are independent and self-contained are italicized.
  • If the book title has a subtitle, the subtitle is italicized and separated by a colon (:).
  • Titles that are contained in larger works ( e.g. , short stories, chapters) are put in quotations.
  • However, when it comes to series titles, the MLA rules are a little confusing. In MLA, if a series title forms a part of the book title, then it is italicized. Otherwise, it is left in plain text. For example, the ‘Twilight Saga’ is a series title that you won’t italicize because it is not the tile of the book. But Harry Potter (a series title) you will italicize because it also forms a part of the title.  
  • Godfrey, Wyck., et al. The  Twilight Saga :  New Moon . Two-disc special ed. [Los Angeles, CA], Summit Entertainment, 2010.
  • Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 1998.

Chicago Manual of style rules

The Chicago Manual of Style is another widely accepted and used citation system. It is used across various disciplines like the humanities, sciences, social sciences, and more. It has its own style for citing books , titles, and full-length and freestanding works. If you want to follow the Chicago Manual of Style while formatting your book titles, here are some points to remember:

  • Always italicize and capitalize the titles of your full-length, freestanding works. These include books, magazines, journals, blogs, research papers, and more.
  • Online book citation also follows the same format.
  • Chapter titles are always written in quotations and are not italicized.

APA style guide rules

The American Psychological Association (APA) is one of the most common and widely used reference styles. It is mostly used as a citation style for books and manuals written in the field of social sciences, psychology, sociology, and more.  It has its own set of rules for in-text and reference list citations. But when it comes to italicizing the books’ titles, the rules are pretty similar.

  • Though in the APA, italicizing is kept to the bare minimum, long book titles, periodicals, webpages, reports, and standalone work are all italicized.
  • Chapter titles in the APA are neither italicized nor written within quotes; the book titles however are. Also, the name of the chapter’s author is written in the first position.

7th Edition rules

The seventh edition of the APA is the latest edition and its purpose is to help students, scholars, and researchers write and communicate more effectively. Some of the biggest changes brought by the APA in its seventh edition include:

  • The first letter (of the first word) of the title is capitalized.
  • If there is a colon (:) in the title, the first letter after the colon is also capitalized.
  • Proper names in titles are always capital
  • Titles of books, magazines, journals, and newspapers are always italicized.
  • Titles of articles or book chapters are not italicized.
  • The title of the webpage is always italicized.
  • The publisher’s location is no longer included in the reference.

When to Italicize Book Titles

As you could see , when it comes to writing book titles, a common rule applies across all styles ( barring a few exceptions ). So, if you are not following a particular citation style that asks you to do otherwise, this is a general rule that you can easily fall back on:

  • Always italicize the titles of self-contained, independent work: books, albums
  • Always italicize the titles of large books, like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
  • Always italicize magazine names, like The New Yorker
  • Always italicize newspapers, like The New York Times

Italicizing titles creates a visual hierarchy and helps a reference source stand out from the rest of the text.

When to Avoid Italicizing Book Titles?

While most book titles should be italicized, there are some exceptions to the rule:

  • Short titles or titles of smaller works are not italicized. These include titles of short stories, poems, and chapters.
  • The title of the series is not italicized. For example, while you would italicize Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , you would not highlight the Harry Potter Series.
  • Holy Books like The Bible and Quran, along with their sections, are not italicized.
  • Headlines and course titles are also not italicized.

Do You Underline Book Titles?

No, we do not underline book titles . Underlining is an old formatting style that was once extensively used to emphasize certain words, phrases, and titles. But today, due to the availability of extensive formatting options, underlining has lost its mark and is not used as a preferred formatting option.   

However, if you are writing with a medium that does not offer the option to italicize, you may underline the text to emphasize it.

Do You Quote Book Titles?

Books, magazines, newspapers, and series all comprise many smaller parts, like a short poem, a chapter, a short story, and an episode. When citing these small pieces of work, we prefer writing them in quotation marks.

The teacher read a story titled “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl.

I missed the last episode of “Shaun the Sheep”.

 Susan is reading “The Fellowship of the Ring” from the Lord of the Rings .

Do You Italicize Book Series Titles?

While italics are used to emphasize book titles, trilogies and book series titles are only capitalized, not italicized.

What About Children’s Book Titles, Do Those Get Italicized?

Children’s books in style guides get the same treatment as other authored books. That is, titles of full works are italicized but short titles of poems, short stories, articles, or chapters are put within quotation marks. Also, in addition to the author’s name, they also include the illustrator’s name.

  • Italics and Underlining: Titles of Works
  • Treatment of titles
  • Do You Italicize Book Titles In APA? A Must Read
  • Should You Underline Or Italicise Book Titles?
  • Do You Italicize Book Titles? Essay Secrets Revealed
  • Should You Italicize Book Titles? A Guide to Formatting Titles

Inside this article

write book titles

Fact checked: Content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. Learn more.

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About the author

Dalia Y.: Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. She covers English, ESL, and all things grammar on GrammarBrain.

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Book title generator.

Find the perfect title for your nonfiction or fiction book with our Book Title Generator. Save time and unleash your creativity by generating a unique and captivating title tailored to your target audience.

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Why use a book title generator tool?

Do you need help coming up with a title for your book? Have too many ideas and need help narrowing it down? Our book title generator tool can help!

It will create a working title that sets the stage for your book, with the ability to instantly come up with 1000s of variations to choose from. Simply follow the prompts on the tool and click “Generate” to get your title and subtitle ideas. Use it as many times as you need to come up with new combinations and get the creative juices flowing. 

No book (yet)? No problem! 

You can use our title generator for book inspiration. For many, having an initial idea for their book title inspires them to get started. But for others, it is a daunting task that towers over the actual act of writing their book. 

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How to craft the perfect book title (with a generator tool)

When people ask us how to write a book , we help them break it down into smaller, achievable steps. And one of those early steps is creating a working title.

A “working” title is meant to be used as a placeholder when you first start writing your book. And a quick way to craft one is with a book title generator.

Here are some tips for using an AI book title generator to come up with the winning book title ideas:

1. Start with a few specific words or phrases

A great nonfiction book title should reflect what the book is about, what the person will learn, or the end result they’ll achieve after reading your book.

Fiction books aren’t as straightforward. It’s a creative process that requires establishing the style and tone you want for your title and book cover – and then using a book title generator to help you rapidly test different word combinations, phrases, and title lengths.

2. Do some research within your genre

Search for other books in your genre and subgenre, taking note of the types of titles and trends you see. Which are you drawn to? Do they include a lot of adjectives? Are they long or short? This will help you create a running list of the type of title format you want, and help you steer clear of title formats you want to avoid.

If you aren’t sure about your genre, you can use a list of book genres to find where your story is best aligned.

3. Get inspiration from your characters, setting, or location

Many books have been named after the hero (think: Harry Potter, Oliver Twist , or Macbeth ), the location in which the story or a significant scene occurs ( The Wizard of Oz ), or something that makes a character stand out ( The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ). A unique name or fantasy world can create intrigue and mystery in your book title.

4. Use – or imply – foreshadowing

They Both Die at the End tells the reader what’s going to happen before they even turn to the first page. But that’s part of the reason you want to pick it up. How could the author possibly surprise you after spoiling the ending?

Meanwhile, titles like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King or As I Lay Dying , aren’t as obvious but still pull you in.

5. Consider your audience

Writing a YA book title is different from writing an adult high fantasy book title. That’s why our book title generator asks who your audience is. It will help you brainstorm an age (and genre) appropriate title for your book.

6. Draft a book description

A description will give the book title generator tool keywords and context, resulting in more specific titles.

Understanding how to write a book description that captures someone’s attention and draws them into the story is an art form in itself. It’s like the trailer of your book. And should be intentionally thought out before you publish and market your book. But at this point in the journey, you don’t need to have your description in its final form.

7. Input everything into the book title generator tool

While it’s certainly not required, taking the time to think about all of the above points will help you create stronger inputs for the AI book title generator. Changing the different things you choose to highlight in the tool’s fields will give you a wide mix of titles. You could even come up with 1000’s of book titles (though we don’t recommend that)!

8. Choose between your top three ideas

We recommend using the “Generate” button on the book title generator until you find a couple of possible working titles. You don’t want to give yourself so many options that you are overwhelmed, but 3-4 solid working book titles are just enough to help you move on to the rough draft .

Related: How to Title a Book

Remember that the first milestone for writing a book is getting (imperfect) words on paper.

Then, when you actually write your entire book and complete it, you can revisit the idea of your book title and dig more into how to subtitle your book . You will have a more fine-tuned approach as to what your book title should include, and you’ll be better prepared to hone in on your best-selling idea.

As a self-published author, your title is not set in stone. In fact, many independent authors change their book titles even after they have published their book; they simply release their book with a new title name, especially if they discover after publication that the original isn’t effective in communicating what the book is about.

So, ready to get started?

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How to Write a Book Title

One of the most important assets of your book is the title. 

Truth is, the title of your book has the power to dictate if people will actually pick it up and read it. So while it is important to know how to write like a bestseller , your book’s title shouldn’t be an afterthought.

I promise you the time you invest in writing a memorable, intriguing title is well worth the effort before publishing your book .

Because of the importance your book title has on your success as an author , I’m excited to share my top tips and steps about how to write a book title that I use to come up with titles for my bestselling books.

The Importance of a Book Title

Your book title has the power to convince people to read your book because it is usually the first thing people see or hear. Because of this, your book title is your single most important marketing tool.

You have heard the saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

But in this case, a good book title will cause readers to stop, take notice, and either choose your book or keep on browsing.

You also want to make sure your title is memorable enough so when people finish your book and want to share it with their network, it’s easily recalled.

To help accomplish this, remember a good book title is usually short, attention-grabbing, easy to say, and not embarrassing to say.

It should also be informative enough to give an idea of what your book is about , but has intrigue. Intrigue motivates the reader to pick it up and see what it is all about, after all.

How to Come Up With a Good Book Title

Whether you’re at the end of your writing journey and need a title or want a title to help guide your book writing journey , coming up with the right title will be critical to the success of your book. 

Use these tips on how to write a book title to inspire your thinking.

Make sure you write down ideas as they come to you, test them out, and then choose your best one.

Think About Your Audience

You wrote — or are writing — your book for a certain person or group of people. Keep them in mind when writing your book title.

What do you think would draw them to your book? What would they want to see?

Choose words and phrases that your target audience will understand. Think about their age, interests, the things that are important to them, and the unique challenges they have.

Think and Grow Rich is an example of a bestselling title that appeals to people who want to be wealthy or get out of debt.

War and Peace is intriguing to people who enjoy history and the drama surrounding it.

Learn How to Write a Book That Flies Off The Shelves Attend My FREE Book Writing Webinar

Letting your mind be free to come up with a stream of various ideas is an effective method authors use to learn how to title a book. 

Ideally, this process unfolds over time, even over the months or years that you are writing your book.

When brainstorming, don’t hold yourself to just one title. Keep a running list of book title ideas as they come to you to circle back to later.

Try short titles as well as longer subtitles. Write down everything that comes to your mind. Even bad titles will help you find the right one for your book.

As you continue to write your book, you may also come up with various titles based on clever phrases, names, places, or events in your story.

When sorting through your brainstormed titles, just make sure to always keep the ideas that use relevant keywords that will make your book searchable.

Inform and Intrigue

While your title should give away enough of what your book is about, it should really serve to intrigue your audience and not reveal too much of the actual story.

For example, The Diary of Anne Frank lets people know they will be reading about a diary by the famous historical figure Anne Frank, but they are intrigued to know what is actually in the diary.

Titles that hint at the content but leave room for mystery, such as She: A History of Adventure , are more likely to get people to open the front cover. 

If you’re writing a non-fiction book, informative titles are especially important. To help come up with a good title, you can include people who are interested in the topic you are writing about.

Consider bestselling titles, such as 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The Purpose Driven Life . These titles appeal to those who seek to live effective and driven lives by learning from those they believe already have.

The use of allusions can also spark intrigue in your title. Allusions hint at something the reader is likely to understand the reference to, such as a popular song, event in history, or work of art. 

No matter what strategy you use to spark interest in your book title, always keep your target audience in mind.

Hook Your Audience

A good hook piques interest. This method of how to come up with a book title is often best used with a short title followed by a more descriptive subtitle.  

Your hook can be a question, such as, What Color Is Your Parachute? This title is attention-grabbing, and the subtitle lets the reader know what the book is about, A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers .

Make a claim with your book title that the reader is interested in achieving. You Can Heal Your Life , How to Win Friends and Influence People , and You Are Stronger Than You Think are examples of bestselling book titles that make claims.

Differentiate Your Title

There are a lot of great books and titles out there, so you want to ensure there isn’t something that already uses your ideas. You want your book title to stand out from all the others, after all.

If you want people to be able to discover your book by its unique title, not find a book that has a similar title to yours, researching and differentiating your title from the competition will be essential as you go through the process of how to write a book title.

To help put yourself apart, use captivating vocabulary . Power words that are persuasive or trigger emotion can really differentiate your book from the rest. 

Using inspiring words, such as life-changing, breathtaking, and supreme are also good options to consider. Power words can draw out other emotions, such as surprise, nostalgia, excitement, calmness, appreciation, craving, and empathy.

You can also differentiate your book title by inventing new words related to the content of your book. For example, Plandemic is a blend of the words “planned” and “pandemic” for this bestseller.

Inventing a new word or coining a new phrase has the potential to sets your book up to become a series and can help you stand out as an innovative leader in your field.

Test Your Ideas

Once you have settled on a few good book titles, test their potential. 

Imagine people referencing it and talking about it with colleagues. When they hear your title, do they immediately know what your book is about? Or, is the title so interesting that they want to ask questions to learn more?

If you imagine people having a different reaction, choose another title.

Does your title sound right and is it easy for people to say? A lot of marketing for your book will be done by word of mouth. Long book titles are harder to remember and may be repeated incorrectly. Short titles are easy to recall and share. 

Ask your target market to help you choose a book title. Use Google Surveys or Google Ads to reach out to your audience. You could even send a survey to your email list if you already have one or ask for feedback on social media.

Asking others could be a good feeler if you’re approaching burnout and need help staying motivated about your book writing process . It is also a good method to gain some outside perspective about your book and its title to help increase its likelihood of success.

Book Title Examples

Lucky for you, there are a lot of great examples you can use as inspiration to help learn how to write a book title that is amazing. This includes both nonfiction and fiction books.

Popular Nonfiction Book Titles

Keywords are important when it comes to how to title a book that is nonfiction. Keywords make your book discoverable to your target audience.

When you do not use keywords, make sure your subtitle is clear and descriptive.

Here are some examples of popular nonfiction book titles:

  • Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
  • Educated: A Memoir
  • In Cold Blood
  • Between the World and Me
  • Thinking, Fast and Slow
  • Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
  • Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life
  • Let Me Tell You What I Mean
  • What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
  • Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know

Popular Fiction Book Titles

Good book title ideas for fiction books are more mysterious and thought-provoking. Unlike fiction titles, they do not get straight to the point but create curiosity.

Consider these examples of popular fiction book titles:

  • Klara and the Sun
  • The Last Thing He Told Me
  • While Justice Sleeps
  • People We Meet on Vacation
  • Remember Me
  • Things Fall Apart
  • To Kill a Mockingbird
  • The Hand Maid’s Tale
  • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

You Can Master How to Write a Book Title  

Using these tips and steps for how to come up with a book title will help you craft a title that can get your book the attention it needs to become a bestseller.

Since your title is the gateway into the content of your book, spending the time needed to write a title that sets your book apart from the rest is well worth the effort. 

Writing the title for your book — and writing your book, in general — doesn’t have to be hard. Join my free book writing webinar to learn more about how to write a book that flies off the shelves.

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How to Write A BOOK Title In An Essay

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Writing a book title in an essay can be confusing. But it is necessary for the credibility and clarity of the write-up. Plus, each writing style has its own rules for formatting titles. Hence, doing such an activity could be a real pain for the students.

Don’t worry, as you are in the right place! Since this interesting article focuses on guiding you about how to write a book title in an essay accurately. So, read it thoroughly before you search for a professional  paper writing services  provider.

Table of Contents

Understanding Formatting Guidelines

The first step in learning how to write book name in essay is to learn the basics. It means you need to get comfortable with different formatting guidelines. Let’s begin with the style guides.

Different style guides

When writing essays for college , it’s important to know the rules for formatting book titles. The three most popular style guides are MLA, APA, and Chicago.

In  MLA format , you should usually italicize book titles. You can also put them in quotation marks when a type of work demands.

For example, a book title like “To Kill a Mockingbird” would be italicized:  To Kill a Mockingbird .

However, a chapter title within a book would be placed within quotation marks. For example, “The Ewell Family.”

In  APA style , the first word of book titles is capital.

For example, a book title like “The Catcher in the Rye” would be written as The catcher in the rye

Chicago Style

Chicago style demands a book title to be in italics or quotation marks. It is very similar to the MLA style. But Chicago style gives you a bit more leeway to use italics or quotation marks. It’s best to stay consistent with what you pick throughout your essay when using the Chicago style.

Consistency within the Essay

You must be consistent when including the title of a book in an essay. Figure out what style guide you must follow and ensure you stick with it. That means all the book titles you mention should look the same.

For example, if you choose to italicize book titles according to MLA style. Ensure that all book titles in your essay are italicized consistently. Avoid mixing italicization with quotation marks or using different formatting styles within the same essay.

Inconsistency in formatting can confuse readers and undermine the professionalism of your work. Paying attention to detail and maintaining consistency will contribute to your essay’s overall clarity and readability.

Determine the Appropriate Style Guide to Follow

To determine the appropriate style guide to follow for formatting book titles in your essay, consider the following:

Assignment Requirements

See if your teacher or the instructions for the assignment mention a certain style to go by. Stick to that, if they do, to ensure everything is consistent, and you meet the expectations.

Academic Discipline

Your field of study can affect which style guide you should use. For example, humanities and literature students usually use MLA style, while social sciences usually use APA style. It’s important to know what’s typical in your discipline to choose the right guide.

Formatting Book Titles in MLA Style

Humanities and liberal arts disciplines use MLA writing rules. In MLA style, book titles are usually in italics like in APA style. But there can be variations in capitalization and punctuation. Let’s explore each aspect in detail with examples:

In MLA style, book titles are put in italics to make them stand out from the rest of the text.

Titles of shorter works, such as articles or chapters, are enclosed in quotation marks.

Example 1: Italicized Book Title

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby .

Example 2: Book Chapter (In Quotation Marks)

Smith, John. “The Art of Persuasion.” Essays on Rhetoric.

Capitalization

In MLA style, follows the title case. It means keep the first letter of each word capital. Capitalize articles, conjunctions, and prepositions only if they are the first or last words in title.

Example 3: Correct Capitalization

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird.

Punctuation

In MLA style, there should be no special punctuation like colons or periods between the main title and any subtitles. However, if the book’s title includes a subtitle, a colon should separate it from the main title.

Example 4: Book Title with Subtitle

Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success.

Edition and Volume Numbers

To refer to a certain book edition, add the edition number after the book title. If the book is part of a multi-volume work, indicate the volume number after the title as well.

Example 5: Edition and Volume Numbers

Johnson, Mary. Chemistry in Focus. 2nd ed.

Smith, Adam. The Wealth of Nations. Vol. 1.

Translated Titles

If the book you are citing is translated from another language, include the original title and the translator’s name in the citation.

Example 6: Translated Title

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Translated by David Wyllie.

It’s important to remember that MLA style is always changing and being updated. So always refer to the latest edition of the MLA Handbook or your institution’s writing guidelines.

Formatting Book Titles in APA Style

Usually the social sciences disciplines use APA (American Psychological Association) style. Let’s look at how you must consider capitalization, punctuation and italics in this writing style.

Just capitalize the first word of any subtitles and proper nouns.

All other words, such as articles (a, an, the), conjunctions (and, but, or), and prepositions (in, on, at), are in lowercase.

Example 1: 

“The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business”

In APA style, book titles are italicized to distinguish them from the rest of the text.

Do not italicize titles of shorter works, such as articles or chapters. Just enclose them in quotation marks.

Example 2: Italics

Here’s an example of an italicized book title:

The Catcher in the Rye

In APA style, there should be a colon (:) between the main title and any subtitle.

When citing a book title within the text of your paper, use title case and italicize it.

When including book titles in your reference list, use sentence case and italicize it.

Example 3: Punctuation

Here’s an example of proper punctuation and citation within the text and reference list:

In-text citation

According to Smith (2019),  The Theory of Everything  provides an in-depth analysis of astrophysics.

Reference list citation

Smith, J. (2019).  the theory of everything . Publisher.

Include the edition number in parentheses right after the book title when a book has a specific edition.

If a book is part of a multi-volume work, you can also indicate the volume number after the title.

Example 4: Parenthesis

Here are examples of how to format book titles with edition and volume numbers:

Edition Number

Johnson, M. (2022). Chemistry in Focus (2nd ed.).

Volume Number

Smith, A. (2021). History of the United States (Vol. 3).

Include the translator’s name in square brackets if you cite a translated book. 

Example 5: Translated Thesis 

Here’s an example of how to format a translated book title:

Kundera, M. (1984). The Unbearable Lightness of Being [Original title: Nesnesitelná lehkost bytí].

Translated by M. Henry.

Formatting Book Titles in Chicago Style

The Chicago Manual of Style is mostly used in the humanities and social sciences disciplines. Chicago style follows two systems, namely Author-Date System and the notes and bibliography system. Let’s explore both of them.

Author-Date System

In the author-date system, you include:

  • In-text citations with the author’s last name
  • The publication year
  • A corresponding entry in the reference list

Italicization

In the author-date system, book titles are italicized. It makes them Distinguish from other elements in the citation.

Chicago style uses a title case for book titles in the author-date system. It means the first letter of the title, subtitles, and any major words are capitalized.

There should be a period at the end of the full book citation in the reference list.

Example 1: In-Text Citation

Example 2: Reference List Citation

Smith, John. 2019.  The Theory of Everything . Publisher.

Notes and Bibliography System

You use footnotes or endnotes in the notes and bibliography system for in-text citations and a bibliography for the full list of references.

Similar to the author-date system, book titles are italicized in the notes and bibliography system.

In the notes and bibliography system, the Chicago style uses headline-style capitalization for book titles. It means that the first letter of the first and last words of the title are capitalized.

Put a period at the end of each full bibliographic entry in the notes and bibliography system.

Example 3: Footnote/Endnote Citation

John Smith,  The Theory of Everything  (Publisher, 2019), 25.

Example 4: Bibliography Citation

Smith, John.  The Theory of Everything . Publisher, 2019.

You may include the edition number after the title, and for multi-volume works, the volume number after the title.

Example 5: Edition Number

Johnson, Mary.  Chemistry in Focus . 2nd ed.

Example 6: Volume Number

Smith, Adam.  The Wealth of Nations . Vol. 1.

For translated works, include the original title and the translator’s name in the citation.

Example 7: Translated Title

Kafka, Franz.  The Metamorphosis . Translated by David Wyllie.

Citation of Book Titles in Other Situations

Let’s highlight some unusual circumstances of including a title of book in essay. Starting with:

Book titles within quotations

If you’re citing a direct quote from a book in your essay, you may need to put the book title in quotes. Generally, you should use double quotation marks for this.

For example:

According to Mark Twain, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

In the novel 1984, George Orwell explores the theme of government surveillance through the famous line, “Big Brother is watching you.”

By using double quotation marks, you indicate that the words within the quotation marks are taken directly from the book.

Book Titles in Footnotes or Endnotes

In academic writing, footnotes or endnotes can be added to give extra info or credits. When including book titles, how you format them depends on the citation style you’re using.

In Chicago Style, book titles in footnotes or endnotes should usually be italicized or in quotation marks.

For Example:

Jane Austen,  Pride and Prejudice  (New York: Penguin Classics, 2002), 45.

Harper Lee,  To Kill a Mockingbird , (New York: Harper Perennial, 2006), 77.

Handling Foreign language book titles

Follow these rules for citing a book in a foreign language. You should keep the original language title, especially if it’s a popular work.

Italicize the foreign language book title following the same guidelines as you would for an English book title. Include a translation in parentheses if necessary.

Use the original foreign language title in sentence case without italics or quotation marks. Include a translation in brackets if needed.

Italicize or use quotation marks for foreign language book titles, following the same guidelines as you would for an English book title. Include a translation if required.

Special Cases

In certain situations, you might need to format book titles differently. Like if you’re talking about a poem or play. These types of works have their own rules for formatting titles. Let’s get to know them briefly. 

Typically, you’d put poem titles in quotation marks and longer pieces of poetry, like epics, in italics. It’s worth checking the style guide you’re using, though, since the rules can vary.

You’ll usually see the title written in italics when it comes to plays. The names of characters or speakers within the play are usually written with a mix of upper- and lowercase letters, without quotation marks.

Best Practices for Including Book Titles in Essays

Double-check formatting guidelines.

It’s super important to double-check the formatting rules for book titles when writing an essay since each style guide has its own rules. You need to make sure you’re following them properly.

Proofreading for Accuracy and Consistency

Look out for mistakes in how you’ve done the capitals, italics, and quotes. Double-check any extra rules that might apply to foreign language books, poems, plays, and other special cases.

Seek Assistance from Style Guides or Writing Resources

It’s a good idea to get help from style guides or writing tools when you are stuck with citations. You can also buy cheap essay from a well-reputed writing services provider.

It’s super important to get book titles in essays right. Not just for clarity but also to show you’re a pro. Ensure that you stick to the accurate style guide. It could be MLA, APA, or Chicago. Plus, there are special rules for poems and more.

Furthermore, if you need a professional to help you out with citations, do count on the expertise of  our writers . They are always available to get you out of your troubles of how to write book titles in essays.

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The Write Practice

How to Write a Book Title in MLA Formatting

by Joe Bunting | 0 comments

You're writing a paper for school and suddenly you stop in the middle of the sentence. You have to write a book title, but you don't how to format it. How do you format a book title in MLA style? Good news: you're in the write place (sorry, I had to).

In this post, we'll talk about MLA style and formatting, whether it's appropriate for your project, and most importantly, how to write a book title in MLA style.

How to Write a Book Title in MLA Formatting

What Is MLA?

MLA stands for Modern Language Association, a society primarily based in the United States but with international standing, that has a mission to “strengthen the study and teaching of language and literature”. Founded in the late 1800s by an American novelist and professor, MLA publishes a set of resources used by students and teachers, including the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers .

The MLA handbook is one of the main style manuals for students and scholars in the world, especially for anyone studying literature, film, or theater.

Should You Format Based on MLA Style?

If you're writing a paper for a class in literature, theater, or film, absolutely use MLA style. Outside of that, it depends. Here are the most frequent style guides associated with various disciplines:

  • Literature, Film, Theater:   MLA
  • Psychology:   APA
  • Science (Physics, Biology, Chemistry): CSE or APA
  • Journalism:   AP
  • Mathematics:   AMA
  • Publishing:   Chicago

You can find a full list of international style guides here .

Now that you know if you should be using MLA style, how do you format a book title with it?

How to Format a Book Title in MLA Style: Example

In MLA style, book titles are italicized, as so:

Henry Thorough argues in Walden  that the best life is lived in deliberate simplicity so as to discover what life truly is about.

In fact, most style guides, including MLA and   Chicago style, require book titles to be italicized , not underlined.

If the book title has a subtitle, the subtitle should be italicized as well and separated by a colon to be formatted correctly for MLA style, as in:

Natural History of the Intellect: the last lectures of Ralph Waldo Emerson

Should You Underline Book Titles in MLA Style?

If you are using MLA style, you should not underline book titles. Instead, italicize the titles.

However, AP style, the guide used by journalists, suggests putting titles in quotation marks, not italicization.

Still, I wouldn't recommend underlining a book's title. In fact, I couldn't find a single style guide that requires book titles to be underlined, but if you know of one that does, let me know in the comments!

Which style guide do you use most? MLA? Chicago? APA? AP? Or do you just write based on your own rules?!  Let me know in the comments .

Let's cement this formatting lesson in our minds by putting it to use right away with the following writing exercise .

What are your favorite books of all time? Write about what you love about them and why they are your favorites for fifteen minutes . Make sure to use the correct formatting for each title!

When your time is up, post your practice in the comments section . And if you post, please be sure to read a few practices by other writers and share your feedback with them.

Happy writing!

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Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

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Proper Way to Write Book Titles

by Dan (Indiana)

Hi there, When I write and want to talk about an author and the title of their book, how should I write the title? Should it be in quotes, underlined, italic or maybe something else? Please help.

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write book titles

  • Idea Generators

Book Title Generator: 1,000+ Book Title Ideas

Looking for the perfect book title? Our brilliant Book Title Generator has over 1,000 creative ideas to spark your imagination. From fun and quirky to mysterious and poetic, this handy tool makes coming up with a catchy title for your masterpiece easy. Keep reading for loads of title inspiration!

  • Book Title Generator

Sometimes the inspiration you need is in a book title. If you’re struggling to come up with a solid story idea , then this book title generator is for you! With over 1,000 unique book title ideas, you’re sure to find the inspiration you need for your next story. Feel free to edit and re-adjust these book titles to suit your own story.

Keep on reading this post for tips on creating your own book title and our free book title generator printable. You might also like our daily book title challenge , where you are given a new book title each day to write about.

Other Book Title Generators

Download our app, online book title generator, tips for creating a good book title, create your own book title, random book titles ideas, how do i come up with a title for my book, can you publish a book with no title, can i use any title for my book.

christmas-book-titles

View over 10,000 book title ideas offline, with our brand new Ideas Wizard App . Everything from romance, fantasy and even sci-fi book title ideas. Available now on the Google Play Store:

book-title-ideas-app

Just a reminder, our book title generator has been created to give you ideas for potential stories to write. You may need to adjust these titles so that they suit your story. If you’re looking for more book title ideas, please see our free story title generator which is built inside our story creator with thousands of book title ideas to discover:

story title generator imagine forest

For more book title ideas, check out our festive Christmas book title generator – The perfect inspiration for your Christmas stories. And if you’re writing a fantasy novel, then you should check out this fantasy book title generator for some magical book title ideas.

What makes a good book title? A good book title summarises your story without giving too much away. It is enticing, exciting and mysterious. Here are some tips for creating an awesome book title for your story:

  • Think about the genre: If you’re writing a horror book , then you’ll need a scary or dark book title to suit your story. If you’re writing a children’s story , make sure you think about words that your target readers will understand. Keep your genre in mind when coming up with book titles. And keep your audience in mind! 
  • Make a list of descriptive words: What is your story about? Who is the main character? What objects are used throughout? Where is your story set? These are all things you might want to think about when making a list of words that describe your story. This list will come in handy when writing your own book title.
  • Leave the book title until the end: It is easier to come up with a good book title when your story is written. The more familiar you are with your story, the easier it is to summarise it in a few words. 
  • Review your book title: If you have written your book title before writing the story, then reviewing it at the end is important. You might want to double-check if your book title is still relevant and if it can be further improved. A common theme we’ve seen with writers is that they normally start with a nice, romantic tale, which slowly turns dark and twisted. In which case, the title they gave at the beginning may no longer be relevant after their story is written.
  • Don’t overcomplicate it: Avoid making your book title too long or wordy, as this can put potential readers off. Keep it as simple as possible, preferably under five words or even less. When it comes to book titles the shorter, the better – Try to keep the mystery of your book hidden until your readers read it. Similarly, you should try to avoid complicated or technical words in your story. Even if your story is about physics or time travel, try to give it a name that everyone can understand. 
  • Keep it relevant: Your book title must have some relevance to your storyline or plot. Don’t go completely off-topic, by giving your book a title that just sounds, ‘cool’, but has no meaning behind it. For instance, you wouldn’t want to read a story called Forbidden Dragons that has no references to dragons in the story at all – How disappointing would that be!

Book titles are hard. And sadly there is no secret formula for creating the perfect book title. However there is a useful exercise you can do to create your own book title (or at least an early draft of it). The easiest way to come up with a basic book title is to think of an adjective and a noun relevant to your story. 

Take for example you have a gothic story about a dragon. Following the adjective and noun technique, you might come up with the following potential book title ideas:

  • The Dark Dragon
  • The Grim Dragon
  • The Gothic Dragon
  • The Blood Dragon
  • Bone Dragon

As you can see the above example book titles start with an adjective and then are followed by a noun. Including ‘The’ at the beginning is entirely optional. Using this basic technique you should be able to come up with hundreds of potential book titles for your story. 

It may not be a perfect technique for creating your own book title, but it’s a great start. More importantly, it’s a marvellous way to get your brain thinking and to get those creative juices flowing. And you never know, using this technique you’ll be able to come up with the best story title ever! So go on…Give it a go! 

Using this technique we have created a printable book title generator. Here you can use the first letter of your first name and surname to generate a random book title for your next story:

write book titles

To get you started here is a list of over 160 book titles to inspire you:

  • The Magic Tree
  • Winter Fairy
  • Wizards of Ice
  • Call of the Forest
  • The Enchanted Ones
  • A Spell Too Far
  • A Potion For The Wise
  • Tower To The Stars
  • Me, Moonie and Magic
  • The Last Flame
  • Lost Warriors Of Elysium
  • Night Light
  • Eye of the Wolf
  • The Hollow Spirit
  • Love of Tomorrow
  • Never Again
  • Eternal Soul
  • When Love Lasts
  • Nothing In This World
  • Tales of the Heart
  • Stolen Love
  • Yes, Maybe, No
  • Together For A Day
  • Burning Poem
  • Whispers of a Ghost
  • Dead Man’s WIsh
  • Skeletons in the House
  • The Lost Soul
  • A Party For Ghouls
  • Monster Strike
  • See Zombie and Run
  • Don’t Go There
  • Signs of the Past
  • The Monster In The Dark
  • Horror Stories In The Dark
  • Soulless Dead
  • Lonesome Shadow
  • Space Galaxy Adventure
  • Into The Stars
  • The Happy Alien
  • Aliens of a New Kind
  • Earth To Unknown
  • Dark New World
  • The One After Mars
  • Martian Boy
  • Signs of Life on Jupiter
  • Dangerous Moon
  • Bizarre Robot
  • Imaginary Gravity
  • Mysterious Cyborg
  • Stay Hidden
  • What’s Over There?
  • Clues And More Clues
  • Never to be Solved
  • The Mystery of Mr Watkins
  • Who Took My Book?
  • Who Stole My Homework?
  • The Meaning of Z
  • The Secrets Of Mr. Miller
  • Who Is Mary Walker?
  • The Crimes of Martin
  • The Lost Portrait
  • Blank Paper
  • Behind the Door
  • Who Were They?
  • Bad Surprise
  • The Cover Up
  • The Perfect Thief
  • The Secret Witness
  • Season For Revenge
  • Innocent Eyes
  • Long Road To Go
  • One Boy And The World
  • Neverending Trip
  • Point A to Z
  • The Search For Bella
  • Travelling To New Lands
  • One Car And The Road
  • Captain’s Lost Treasure
  • Unsolved Crimes
  • Who Stole My Cat?
  • The Judgement
  • Judge of Crime
  • Detective Collins and the Van
  • Nice Try John
  • Get Away And Run Away
  • A Sharp Punishment
  • Unofficial Crimes
  • The New Kind
  • Fear Of Those
  • We Are Powerful
  • Elite of the Unknowns
  • We Still Exist
  • The New Days
  • One Way Ride
  • Bang, Crash and Boom
  • A Boring Day
  • Action Pack Man
  • The Bad Guy
  • A Cowboy’s Story
  • Lone Cowboy
  • Riders Of The West
  • Cowboys In A Storm
  • Horse With No Rider
  • Yee-haw! Let’s Get Em!
  • Cattles And Horses
  • Quest Of The West
  • The Two-Cent Men
  • Burning The Breeze
  • Ridin’ To Roscoe
  • The Prince of Darkness
  • Cursed Queen
  • Warrior Princess
  • Slay Like a Princess
  • The Blue Knight
  • Arealia, Forest Princess
  • Iceman: The Melt Down
  • The Power Seekers
  • Fire And Water
  • The Amazing Adventures of Ice Boy
  • Homeless Heroes
  • Mutant Academy
  • Unique And Powerful
  • Cupcake Kitty
  • Christmas Turtle
  • The Angel And The Star
  • Snow This Christmas
  • A Turkey For Christmas
  • Changing Times
  • Never The Same
  • Back In TIme
  • World of Tomorrow
  • World of Yesterday
  • Yesterday is Today
  • Before The Past
  • Standing Still
  • An Elephant’s Journey
  • Cats, Dogs And Other Pets
  • The Other Animals
  • Swimming With Sharks
  • My Best Friend The Lion
  • Snail’s Speedy Adventures
  • Once Upon A Rat
  • Rain On Those
  • Miss Minnie And The Bees
  • Galaxy Bugs
  • Invaders of the Earth
  • Trapped Like A Bug
  • One Mole And A Cat
  • Secrets Of Mara
  • The Unwanted Toy
  • My Neighbour The Alien
  • One Spell Away
  • Caveman in the City
  • Dragon Invasion
  • Talking Trees
  • Ninja Cats Rescue Mission
  • The Strange Key
  • Message in a Bottle
  • Whispers in the Wind
  • Beyond the Horizon
  • Chronicles of Celestia
  • Shadow Dance
  • The Forgotten Kingdom
  • Cogs of Time
  • Starlight Serenade
  • Veil of Illusions
  • The Sapphire Crown
  • Phoenix Reborn
  • Secrets of the Silver Forest
  • Echoes of Eternity
  • Midnight Mirage
  • Song of the Sirens
  • Celestial Dreamscape
  • Shattered Realms
  • The Astral Alchemist
  • Serpent’s Embrace
  • Quantum Quill
  • Twilight Reverie
  • Oracle’s Overture
  • Whirlwind of Wonders
  • Beyond the Veil
  • Enigma of the Ember Stone
  • Aurora’s Embrace
  • Nexus of Nebulae
  • Stormweaver’s Saga
  • Labyrinth of Legends
  • Whispers of the Waning Moon
  • Chronicles of the Crystal Citadel
  • Quantum Quasar
  • Ember’s Lullaby
  • The Velvet Veil
  • Enchanted Odyssey
  • Moonlit Mosaic
  • Scepter of Shadows
  • Astral Symphony
  • The Chronicles of Evermore
  • Echoes of Eldoria
  • Sapphire Serenity
  • The Stargazer’s Sonnet
  • Whims of the Whispering Willow
  • Enigma’s End
  • Celestial Sonnet
  • Oracle’s Odyssey
  • Cogs and Chronicles
  • Symphony of Shadows
  • Echoes in the Silence
  • Threads of Destiny
  • Silent Reverie
  • Whispers of Yesterday
  • The Art of Letting Go
  • Shadows of Reflection
  • Kaleidoscope of Memories
  • Uncharted Waters
  • Mosaic of Moments
  • Fragments of Time
  • The Color of Tomorrow
  • In the Blink of an Eye
  • Footprints in the Sand
  • A Symphony of Souls
  • The Language of Rain
  • Dancing with Shadows
  • Serendipity’s Song
  • The Road Less Traveled
  • Wandering Hearts
  • Windows to the Soul
  • Notes from Nowhere
  • Reflections in Blue
  • The Art of Beginning Again
  • Whispers of Wisdom
  • The Silent Symphony
  • Tangled Threads
  • The Canvas of Life
  • Pages of Possibility
  • Trailblazers and Tribulations
  • Ripple Effect
  • The Unseen Canvas
  • Echoes of Tomorrow
  • Silent Sparks
  • The Tapestry of Time
  • The Alchemy of Change
  • Veins of Vulnerability
  • Footprints of Fate
  • The Palette of Promise
  • Shattered Illusions
  • The Stillness Within
  • Untold Stories
  • The Journey Home
  • Melodies of the Mind
  • Hidden Harmony
  • Echoes of Euphoria
  • Shadows in the Attic
  • The Patchwork Path
  • The Language of Light
  • Whispers of Wonder
  • A Symphony of Silence
  • Echoes of Myra
  • Beyond the Surface
  • The Quiet Revolution
  • Serendipity’s Edge
  • The Canvas of Tomorrow
  • Footprints Across Time
  • The Art of Balance
  • Shadows in the Mirror
  • Mosaic Moments
  • The Color of Rain
  • Songs of Serenity
  • Kaleidoscope of Reflection
  • Windows to Yesterday
  • Echoes of Evolution
  • The Ripple Effect
  • The Dance of Shadows
  • The Road Not Taken
  • Pages of Serendipity
  • The Unseen Symphony
  • The Echo Chamber
  • A Palette of Promises
  • Shadows of Tomorrow
  • Fragments of Fate
  • Whispers in the Attic
  • Trails of Transformation
  • My Mind’s Mystery

Can you create your own book title using the adjective and noun technique or from the ideas in our book title generator? Share your book titles with us in the comments below.

Coming up with the perfect title for your book can be tricky! A good title should be catchy, descriptive and make readers want to pick up your book. When brainstorming ideas, think about your target audience, genre and the main themes or topics of your story.

Using the book title generator can give you a huge list of creative options to get your imagination going. Pick words and phrases that sum up the essence of your book or capture something intriguing about the plot or characters. You can combine interesting adjectives with nouns related to the setting or conflict.

Also consider literary or poetic devices like alliteration, rhyme, repetition and wordplay. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different possibilities until you find the ideal title that captures the spirit of your writing. The most important thing is to choose something memorable that will appeal to readers browsing bookshelves or online listings.

See our guide on how to come up with a good book title .

While it may seem tempting for a book to have no title and let the writing speak for itself, publishers will require books to have a title before being published. Some key reasons for this include:

  • Titles are crucial for marketing and helping readers quickly identify what a book is about. Without a title, it’s very difficult to promote or sell a book effectively.
  • Titles give structure and context when a book is added to a catalogue or bookshelf. They allow books to be organized and categorized.
  • Many online book retailers require a title field when submitting book information. Title-less books would likely get rejected.
  • Readers browse books by title all the time. No title means no way for potential readers to easily reference the book.
  • Titles provide convenient shorthand to refer to a book in conversation or reviews.

So while a purely content-focused book with no title may sound avant-garde, it’s highly impractical from a publishing and marketing perspective. The title plays a critical role in a book’s discoverability and commercial viability. That’s why publishers require even the most experimental literary works to have a title before hitting the shelves.

When choosing a title for your book, you do have a lot of creative freedom, but you can’t use just any title you want. Here are some important considerations around book titles:

  • You can’t use a title that is already in use by another book. Titles need to be unique to avoid copyright issues. Doing a quick search on Amazon or Google Books can help check if your desired title is taken.
  • Be cautious about using titles with branded names or trademarks. You may need permission to use words like Band-Aid, Kleenex etc.
  • Don’t use misleading titles that have nothing to do with the book’s subject matter, as readers will feel deceived.
  • Check if the title is search-friendly. Extremely vague, odd or cryptic titles can get buried in search results.
  • Be sensitive with provocative or offensive titles that may turn off readers or distributors.
  • Steer clear of book titles with clickbait-y wording, as readers dislike misleading hype.

While the book title space is vast, do your research to ensure your chosen title is distinct, accurate, marketable and in line with industry norms and reader expectations. The right title can excite readers and set your book up for success.

Our Book Title Generator provides an endless supply of creative and unique book titles to spark your imagination. Let us know in the comments if you found the perfect title for your story among our suggestions.

What’s your favourite title idea from our generator? We’d love to hear how this tool helped you in your writing journey. Keep using it to brainstorm titles until you discover that ideal attention-grabbing name for your masterpiece!

book title generator- random book title ideas

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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How To Write Book Titles

Writing a book title may seem like a simple task, but it can actually be quite challenging. A book title is the first thing that potential readers will see, so it needs to be attention-grabbing and memorable. In this article, we will provide some tips and guidelines for writing effective book titles.

First and foremost, a good book title should be relevant to the content of the book. It should give readers an idea of what the book is about and what they can expect to find inside. Avoid using vague or misleading titles that don’t accurately represent the content of the book.

Next, consider the tone and style of your book when crafting a title. If your book is a lighthearted comedy, you may want to choose a playful and whimsical title. On the other hand, if your book is a serious academic work, you’ll want to opt for a more straightforward and professional title.

It’s also important to keep your target audience in mind when writing a book title. Consider what would appeal to them and what type of language or imagery would resonate with them. For example, if your book is aimed at young adults, you may want to choose a trendy and modern title that will catch their attention.

Another tip for writing effective book titles is to keep them relatively short and snappy. Long, convoluted titles can be off-putting to potential readers and may get lost in the sea of other books vying for attention. Aim for a title that is concise yet impactful.

Finally, don’t be afraid to get creative with your book title. Think outside the box and consider using wordplay, alliteration, or clever phrasing to make your title stand out. Just be sure that any creative elements still accurately reflect the content of the book.

In conclusion, writing an effective book title requires careful consideration of relevance, tone, audience, length, and creativity. By keeping these tips in mind, you can craft a compelling and memorable title that will draw readers in and pique their interest in your book.

Related Pages:

  • How To Write A Title
  • How To Write A Title In An Essay
  • How To Write Titles In Essays
  • How To Write A Headline
  • How To Write A Book Title
  • How To Write A News Article

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Why did Savannah write a faith-based book? Because she’s the person who ‘needs to read it’

The TODAY co-anchor took on a challenge that was both thrilling and scary when she decided to write her latest book, "Mostly What God Does."

Savannah Guthrie challenged herself to leave her comfort zone and “do something thrilling and scary” when she wrote her new book about faith, “Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere.”

The process was scary for the TODAY co- anchor , who is Christian, because she is, in her words, a “regular person” — not a theologian, not a religious scholar. And yet it was thrilling because her faith is an essential part of who she is.

“It’s what makes me tick. It’s what makes me joyful. It’s what helps me navigate the world and stresses and disappointments and fears,” she tells TODAY.com.

In the foreword for “Mostly What God Does,” a collection of essays and personal reflections released Feb. 20, she lays out her “road map” for the chapters that follow, based on what she describes as the six foundational aspects of a connection to God, including love, hope and purpose. She then notes that the book isn’t solely intended for those who have a firm belief in God.

“You may be faith-full, you may be faith-curious, you may be faith-less, still scarred by a toxic religiosity of your past,” she writes. Regardless of which category applies to you, Savannah invites you to “come as you are.”

“I’m not writing this book from some mountaintop where I’ve received some wisdom, and now I’m imparting it to the world,” she explains in the TODAY.com interview. “No, I’m still down here, struggling. Still down here, disappointing myself. I’m still down here, needing faith, needing grace, needing mercy, needing love. That’s why I wrote the book — because I’m the person that needs to read it. And so I thought, if I do, then maybe others do, too.”

Embarking on an important journey

Prior to working on what became “Mostly What God Does,” Savannah, 52, had co-authored two children’s books and was subsequently pitched follow-up projects.

“From time to time over the years since I wrote those kids’ books, I might get an offer to write something: another children’s book or laughably even a cookbook once,” she shares, with a nod to her relative lack of skill in the kitchen that inspired the TODAY All Day series “Starting from Scratch with Savannah Guthrie.”

“But I’ve always been so busy with the (TODAY) show and I’ve got little kids and I never really wanted to write anything,” the mom of two continues.

Then, about a year ago, she was presented with the opportunity to write a book about faith, and she says she felt intrigued, excited and challenged by the idea. She decided to give it a try, since she considers her faith to be her greatest passion.

The cover of Savannah's new book.

“I wasn’t sure there would be a book at the end of it, but I knew that it would be a really important path and journey to take,” she adds.

Her interest in faith can be traced back to her childhood, growing up as a Baptist in what she calls a “very churchy family.”

“We would go three times a week. It was very much part of my upbringing,” she recalls. “My sister has the best line in the book: She said, ‘God was the sixth member of our family,’ in our family of five.”

Though “Mostly What God Does” is not a tell-all memoir, as Savannah is quick to point out in the foreword, she does reference some of the struggles she has faced personally and professionally, including the loss of her father to a heart attack when she was a teenager ; a divorce in her mid-30s; and her winding career path before she landed her co-anchor seat at TODAY.

Over the years, she says, she’s gone through “seasons of devout study and enthusiasm” about her faith, and also “seasons of distance and disappointment,” when her relationship with God wasn’t as strong.

“All of what I have come to realize is that all of that is my faith story: belief and doubt, you know, joy, and also disappointment and sorrow. It’s all part of my faith journey,” she says. “It’s all enhanced what I believe and have come to understand about God.”

Spreading a message of love

The title of Savannah’s book gets to the heart of the message she wanted to get across with the project: “Mostly what God does is love you,” a phrase taken from a translation by scholar and pastor Eugene Peterson of a Bible verse. The theme of love is one that she knew early on in the writing process she wanted to focus on.

“That sentence always hit me, and I loved it,” she explains. “Because I think so many of us, particularly if you do come from any kind of faith background, you may be asking yourself, ‘What does God think of me? What is God doing right now? What does God think of that choice I made? Am I selfish? Am I flawed beyond reconciliation?’

“The answer is, ‘Mostly what God does is love you.’ What has he been doing this whole time? Just loving you. And I love the simplicity and bareness of it. It’s simple, but it’s not easy.”

Even if a reader is not of faith or is struggling with doubt, Savannah hopes that message of love still resonates.

“I hope the book is appealing and compelling to anyone in any walk of life, because it’s just a gentle call to be loved. And once you feel that love, well, you’ll find that you can’t help but share it. It’s just contagious. And I think that’s really the thrust of the book and really what I was trying to say,” she says.

That positive outlook ties in with one of Savannah’s other foundational aspects of a connection to God: hope. Savannah acknowledges that it can be challenging to hold on to hope in difficult times, when we are inundated with depressing news headlines.

Her faith and her hope provide her with perspective in such situations: “When I get discouraged, I try to go back to basics and remember that I’m not in charge. God is. And that I trust him and believe him and hope in him.”

However, she quickly adds that hope is a “word, it’s not certainty.” She asks in her book, what if there is no silver lining? What if there is no justice in store for the world? What if, she writes, “this whole idea of God is just a figment, a soothing story we tell ourselves?”

These are all reasonable questions to wonder. Still, Savannah chooses to live a life of optimism.

“None of us on Earth here can know if God is real or how it ends, right? We’re humans; we don’t get to know. No one knows what happens after death. No one comes back to tell. Fact. I would rather be hopeful and turn out to be wrong at the end than hopeless and turn out to be right,” she tells TODAY.com. “Hope is the posture that I choose every single day.

“And it’s not a blind hope. I think there are things all around that reassure and confirm that hope. But in the end, it is faith. That’s why they call it a leap of faith. It’s a leap of hope. And so I try to hang on to hope.”

I would rather be hopeful and turn out to be wrong at the end than hopeless and turn out to be right.

Savannah guthrie

Passing down her faith to her children

Much like her sister has said that God was the sixth member of their family growing up, Savannah is trying to make God a part of her family with husband Mike Feldman, who is Jewish, and their two children, daughter Vale, 9, and son Charley, 7 . That includes a nightly ritual of saying prayers with the kids.

“What I know is that it’s my job to give them the building blocks to teach them about the God that I know and help foster that connection,” Savannah says. “And then I also know that when they grow up, it will be their choice. And it’s just my job to give them as much information but also experience with God as I possibly can.”

Savannah mentions how excited Vale was when she was recently baptized at the church their family attends. At the time, she made a comment that touched her mom.

“She said, ‘Today, God, I joined your family.’ And that gives me a lot of joy,” Savannah shares.

Vale has read “quite a bit” of her mom’s book, and perhaps not surprisingly, she approves of it, particularly the parts that reference her. (It seems she didn’t mind Savannah bringing up the difficult aspects of motherhood in the book — for example, the bad behavior or “epic sibling throwdowns” at nighttime that Savannah and her husband often deal with.)

Charley has heard Vale read the book out loud, and he did question the inclusion of a less-than-flattering story that involved him.

“He doesn’t love that, like, there’s a part about how he threw the train at my eye when he was 2. You know, he’s like, ‘Did you have to tell that story?’” laughs Savannah, years after the accident that caused a tear in her retina that resulted in multiple surgeries.

Charley’s concerns notwithstanding, Savannah would love for her children to read the book and gain more of an appreciation for it when they are older.

“I wrote it for them, and it’s dedicated to them. It’s everything I would want to tell them,” she says. “If I died tomorrow — not to sound morose — it’s what I would want them to know about the God that loves them.”

write book titles

Shane Lou is a senior editor for TODAY.com.

We Got This Covered

How to find a book title by plot or description: Best websites and search tips

I f you’re a committed book lover, there will never be a shortage of titles to pick up and options to choose from. You might even wistfully wish you had some sort of Library of Babel , the sort Jorge Luis Borges wrote about, wherein you could have all the time in the world to read all the books you want. How many hundreds, even thousands of years would that take? Unfortunately, we humans don’t live that long so we might need to narrow our wish lists to a more realistic number.

There might not be a Babel Library in real life, but there are ways – mainly thanks to the internet – to discover the next best book in your TBR list, or to get your hands on the literary work you’re thinking of, using only a few keywords.

Here are a few handy-dandy ways and useful tips to find the next book you want to read.

Good ol’ Google: Google Search and Google Books

Let’s start off with what is likely the most obvious one: Google . Chances are you might’ve tried to do a regular Google search to find the book that’s on your mind. Other search engines could also yield good results but Google is hands down the most popular. You probably don’t need us to tell you to “Google it,” as that would be most people’s first advice. But it is true that with Google and other search engines, you could get to the book you’re envisioning in your mind’s eye with only a few words or a vague description. However, if a regular search does not give you what you’re looking for, this is where you could try Google Books.

First, it’s worth noting that you have a classic version of Google Books and a new one . Probably try the newer version first but do think of trying out the classic one in case you can’t find what you’re looking for. With this tool, you can search for titles, authors, keywords, key phrases, character names, or ISBN (International Standard Book Number). If the regular search does not give you what you have in mind, you can try out the Advanced Book Search .

If you manage to find that one book, you might be able to either read it in its entirety if it’s free of charge, or you might be able to Preview it to make sure you’ve got the right match and later buy it in print or digital depending on the available versions. You are also able to search for a specific edition of a book or for any edition if you don’t have a preference.

Netizens got your back: Reddit and chat forums

There is a proverb in my native tongue that can translate to: “Whoever has a mouth can get to Rome.” As someone with a poor sense of direction, I have no qualms about stopping the car and asking a passerby for help. Most people will want to assist you if they can. Reddit can be a great place to turn to if you can only vaguely remember the plot of a book.

In terms of subreddits that are specifically dedicated to helping people find what they’re looking for, first, you have r/tipofmytongue. By posting here, you can ask over 2 million “sleuths” for help in getting to the title of that one thing you’re searching for, be it a book, a movie, a TV series, a game, a song, a website, pretty much anything that you cannot remember the title of. For a book-specific subreddit, although it has fewer members than the other two, r/whatsthatbook is the one you want. Just like r/tipofmytongue, the posts on this subreddit are either marked “Unsolved” or “Solved” depending on whether the query has or hasn’t been answered yet.

You could also turn to Quora, but first, make sure no one has asked about the same book as you, as chances are, someone else may have already presented the same query. Another option, GoodReads’ “What’s the Name of That Book???” forum, allows you to connect with fellow bibliophiles who can lend you an extra neuron in the task of identifying that one title you’re unable to put your finger on. As long as you have a GoodReads account, which is free to create, you can make a post.

In whichever case, describe the book as well as you can, keeping in mind to be as objective, clear, and to the point as possible, as it will help others help you.

Librarians know best: Ask a Librarian

University graduates have these resources more readily available as perks for being alumni, but you do not necessarily have to be a student or an academic to get access. If you are, though, I highly recommend going to a university and/or any public library within your area and leaving aside any shyness to request the help of its librarian. See whether the main libraries in your country have any sort of online query system in place.

Set the mood: WhichBook are you looking for?

Rather than going by a flimsy idea of what the book is about, the website WhichBook can help you find the right match for you by selecting and specifying the kind of mood or feeling you want the literary work to evoke. For instance, you can opt for something more funny or more serious, happy or sad, expected or unpredictable, gentle or violent…

In addition to its most special feature of establishing the mood you are looking for, WhichBook allows you to narrow down your search by picking the location where your book is set on the World Map. First, you’ll pick the continent, then specify which country. If your book is set in a fictional location instead of a real one, you can select the “Imaginary” button in the bottom left corner.

You can also go about your search by focusing on the characters, and selecting which race, age, sexuality, and gender they are.

While it may not be the best tool to find that one title that’s been lodged in a dark, remote cavity of your unconscious, WhichBooks can definitely be useful to search for books that best appeal to your interests.

Cat’s got your book? WorldCat and Internet Archive

If you’re a researcher or academic – and even if you are not – there are some websites that should constantly be on your radar. WorldCat is one of them. It takes about two minutes to set up your profile and from there you’ll be connected to thousands of libraries from across the globe to help you find the one title that’s on your mind or peruse the catalogs until you find reading materials that suit your needs. As it says on the website itself: “WorldCat.org is just the starting point—libraries are your destination.” If a basic search does not land you anywhere, an advanced search might help you get somewhere. By selecting the “Open Access” option, you’ll refine your search so it only presents you with titles you can get your hands on without having to log in or pay for.

Another “Open Access” resource is the Internet Archive. Having its origins in the 1990s, with digitization starting to take place in the early 2000s, the Archive is not only a great place to find books but millions of other materials across different media. Titles which have been published prior to 1927 are free to download, other books may be free to borrow for an hour or longer, something you can repeat for as long as you need to so as to extract what you need out of said book. On the one hand, for more modern books you can try seeing whether Open Library has them available to borrow. On the other hand, The Wayback Machine can help you find specific information by allowing access to billions of websites that may no longer be actively available for viewing.

Unfortunately, the Internet Archive has recently been the target of a lawsuit filed by the massive publishing companies Hachette, HarperCollins, Wiley, and Penguin Random House. Revealed back in March 2023, the court ruled against the online library, a decision the Archive is appealing.

After the disappointing conclusion, Brewster Kahle, the library’s founder, made a statement posted to the site’s blog on Aug. 11: “Libraries are under attack at unprecedented scale today, from book bans to defunding to overzealous lawsuits like the one brought against our library. These efforts are cutting off the public’s access to truth at a key time in our democracy. We must have strong libraries, which is why we are appealing this decision.”

The Internet Archive is committed to continuing to fight the good fight. If you want to join it, you can sign the Battle for Libraries petition . You could also chip in with a donation to help the extensive online library stay afloat during this difficult, and uncertain time.

When truth isn’t enough, turn to fiction: FictionDB

The previous entry focused on resources that are more catered to those involved in academic research, whereas this one might be the perfect search tool for fiction nerds. FictionDB’s basic search is similar to other websites, but it’s an advanced search engine that makes use of a wide variety of metadata that is truly its crown jewel.

Scrolling down beneath the regular search boxes and criteria will allow you to peruse a spectacular array of options and thematic specificities which are divided into seven major sections. With this tool, you may very well find the particular fiction book that’s been on your mind or one that’s similar enough to nevertheless pique your interest.

The Power of AI (has its benefits)

While the wonders of AI technology may have made life more difficult for certain professionals – within the artistic and creative industries, for instance – we must admit, even if begrudgingly, that it does have its advantages. Chances are you did not need us to tell you that ChatGPT is a mostly effective and uncomplicated tool to assist you in arriving at the book-related answers you’re seeking.

However, it would be playing the part of the purposefully ignorant to neglect to mention the fact that this AI chatbot exists and that it often yields accurate results. Not always, though, as one can tell from viral incidents like that of a lawyer who, back in June of 2023 , messed up in spectacular fashion by bringing to court a ChatGPT-fabricated list of “bogus” cases.

Among the many things it can do, ChatGPT can help you find a specific book in question, as seen in the example above wherein I’ve searched for my least favorite classic – let it be known that “a bit of” is an understatement in this case – and it can also generate a list of suggestions based on a description you formulate. You can specify, for example, the genre, tropes, motifs, writing style, or character types. Although you might not get the correct answer straight away, – instead of “Robinson Crusoe,” I got “Life of Pi” on the first try –  with enough adjusting, it’s highly probable you’ll end up with the right, curated result.

Hopefully, this list gives you a solid starting point to find that one title you may not have been able to put your finger on until now. Or, perhaps it will help you add great new options to your TBR list. Whatever the case may be, happy readings!

Screengrab via Google

Screen Rant

Sister wives fans throw shade at robyn brown with hilarious memoir title suggestions.

Sister Wives fans want Robyn Brown to write a memoir and even give hilarious suggestions for a title she could use for her tell-all book.

  • Fans suggest hilarious titles for Robyn Brown's potential memoir, poking fun at her image as a victim in the polygamous family.
  • Robyn's influence on Kody Brown's decisions has caused strain in the Sister Wives household, leading to accusations of manipulation.
  • Despite trying to appear sweet and caring, Robyn's actions have caused viewers to doubt her sincerity and question her true intentions.

Sister Wives fans are having a ball while suggesting names to Robyn Brown for her next blockbuster memoir. Robyn is a 54-year-old reality TV star who is best known as the fourth wife of polygamist Kody Brown . Robyn joined the family in 2010, with her entry being documented in the pilot of the reality show. Kody had previously tied the knot with Meri Brown , followed by Janelle Brown and Christine Brown. Interestingly, all of Kody’s wives except Robyn have all left him. It is speculated that Robyn tricked Kody into having a monogamous relationship , slowly causing his other marriages to deteriorate.

Sister Wives fans such as Reddit user EggplantAstronaut are now curious about what the title of Robyn’s memoir would be if she chose to write one . The fan suggested, “ Just Sittin’ Thurr - Moments From the Bench on the Heel ,” causing others to burst into laughter.

The top comment on the thread is by MrsWaterbuffalo, who wrote, “ My abandoned porch. A sister wife’s lonely journey. ”

Several others agreed that Robyn would certainly misspell the title . “How to Make Yourself the Victim in Every Situation, ” added RevolutionaryPapaya4, with MetallurgyClergy noting, “ Confessions of a Middle Aged Dry Crier. ”

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Why is robyn brown so controversial.

Kody might have been the villain of Sister Wives , but he has not been the only Brown family member responsible for the household’s despair. Robyn has been blamed over and over again for bringing pain and drama to the polygamous family , especially by influencing Kody’s decisions, which eventually negatively affected everyone involved. Robyn has been accused of pushing Kody into making her his legal wife so that she could be the one calling the shots with power that a legal spouse holds. She has been blamed for influencing Kody into moving from Las Vegas to Arizona.

It was after the Brown family packed up their entire lives and relocated to Flagstaff that they started falling apart. Kody started spending more and more time with Robyn, distancing himself from the other wives as they lived separately in rental houses all over the place. Kody quarantined with Robyn during the COVID-19 pandemic and put extreme safety protocols in place, reportedly at Robyn’s insistence. Robyn’s concern over the current state of the Brown family is not believable. While she tries her best to come across as a sweet, caring person, her constant crying has been likened to crocodile tears .

Robyn has infected Kody with her own feeble personality, with neither of them ready to take accountability for what the Sister Wives stars have gone through in recent years. Robyn appears to be manipulative regarding monogamy, with Kody perhaps having been her goal from the beginning. She hides behind her tears and behind Kody, when, in the end, she’s the one playing the games and eventually even winning them.

Sources: EggplantAstronaut /Reddit, Robyn Brown /Instagram

Sister Wives Latest Poster TV Show

Sister Wives

Sister Wives is a TV series created for TLC that follows Cody Brown and his four wives as they raise their eighteen children and tackle the challenges associated with their massive family dynamic and the stigma that comes with their way of life.

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  6. How to write Book in Korean-책[chaeg] #hangul #handwritingkorean #koreanlanguage

COMMENTS

  1. How To Write Book Titles The Proper Way: A Complete Guide For Writers

    How to write book titles: Style Guides and Book Titles. When it comes to book titles within text, there are a few different style guides that have rules you can follow, depending on your writing type. The three types that you will encounter most often are; MLA style, Chicago manual of style, and APA. A writing instructor will usually tell you ...

  2. How to Write Book Titles [+ Our Fail-Proof Formula]

    Step 3: Brainstorm keywords and key phrases. It's important to include the terms your readers are searching for when writing your book description. However, the rules don't necessarily apply when thinking about how to write book titles. Once you have your list from step one prepared, distill it into a handful of keywords and phrases that ...

  3. Book Title Generator • The Ultimate Bank of 10,000 Titles

    We got you. Here are 8 ways to come up with book title ideas. 1. Start free writing to find keywords. Write absolutely anything that comes into your head: words, phrases, names, places, adjectives — the works. You'll be surprised how much workable content comes out from such a strange exercise. 2. Experiment with word patterns.

  4. How to Title a Book in 4 Simple Steps (With Free Checklist!)

    Without a book title, your book can't exist. Having a title in place before you start writing can help inform or reinforce your themes and motifs as you plan your novel. To learn more about the planning process, go here for a complete guide and a free book outline template. Secondly, if you don't already think of the title of your book as a marketing decision, start now.

  5. How to Write a Book Title Correctly: A Step-by-Step Guide

    Tweak Your Book Title and Make a Final Decision. Follow these steps in order and you are almost guaranteed never to regret your book title choice! 1. Understand the Structure of a Book Title. Nonfiction book titles follow a standard structure: a title, generally 5 words or less, and a subtitle, generally 3 to 7 words.

  6. How To Write The Perfect Book Title [Examples Included]

    People get lured into crafting titles that are exacting and long-winded in an effort to make the title signal the book idea and audience. In the title, stick to the core idea. If you want to get wordy, then leave that to the subtitle. If you can, aim to keep the main title around 5 words or less.

  7. How to Write a Book Title: Practical Tips for Authors

    How to Write a Showstopping Book Title. Coming up with the best title for your book depends on a lot of factors as we have seen. You may have noticed the distinction between fiction and non-fiction books, too. While there aren't many differences between the two genres, book titles can look drastically different depending on which one it ...

  8. How to Write Book Titles

    Write a few words or sentences for each of the points above and then from that start brainstorming a list of titles. Write down anything that comes into your head, no matter how terrible it seems right now. Just let the ideas flow until you can't think of anything else. Now you can use that list to start refining.

  9. How to Write a Book Title [In 8 Steps]

    Writing a good book title is part of knowing how to write a novel. The steps for writing a book title: 1. How to Write a Book Title. 1. By Genre. The genre will always be an important factor in determining the title of your book. First of all, fiction and nonfiction titles will look exceedingly different.

  10. How to Write Book Titles in Your Essays

    As a general rule, you should set titles of longer works in italics, and titles of shorter works go in quotation marks. Longer works include books, journals, TV shows, albums, plays, etc. Here's an example of a book mention: Sense and Sensibility, published in 1811, was Jane Austen's first novel. Shorter works include poems, articles ...

  11. How To Write The Perfect Book Title [Examples Included]

    This is one of the most direct and effective approaches for a book title. Summarizing the plot in the title provides readers with an overview of the story and identifies the main narrative elements like tone and perspective, and sequence of events. For example, Gone with the Wind immediately tells us this is a story about loss and sweeping change.

  12. How to Write a Book Title: 7 Crucial Steps (& Mistakes to Avoid)

    Step 2: Brainstorm, Brainstorm, Brainstorm. Every successful title starts with a whirlwind of book title ideas. Set aside dedicated time, grab a pen and paper or your favorite digital tool, and let your thoughts flow. Think wild, think unconventional, think simple. There's no wrong answer at this stage.

  13. How to Write Better Titles: 7 Effective Title Tips for Books, Articles

    Click to continue.. How to Write Better Titles Tip #1: Include Numbers. Whether it's in the title or the subtitle, including numbers (like "10 Tips for Effective Book Covers") is a sure fire way to get a reader's attention.Especially when you're dealing with nonfiction, readers like solutions that are quantifiable and numbers are about as quantifiable as you can get.

  14. Italics and Underlining: Titles of Works

    If you have two titles in one sentence (for example, a book title and a chapter title), the title of the larger work should be italicized, and the smaller work should be in quotation marks. See the example below: In Little Women, Beth March dies in Chapter 40, "The Valley of the Shadow.".

  15. Do You Italicize Book Titles? MLA, Chicago Manual, and APA Rules

    Whether you are writing a book, a business blog, a research paper, or a magazine article, staying true (and consistent) to grammar and style is extremely important. It makes the entire article/ manuscript consistent and reading easy!. But with so many styles and style guides around, losing track is very common. This is especially true when you are writing titles - of books, stories, poems ...

  16. Book Title Generator

    A "working" title is meant to be used as a placeholder when you first start writing your book. And a quick way to craft one is with a book title generator. Here are some tips for using an AI book title generator to come up with the winning book title ideas: 1. Start with a few specific words or phrases

  17. How to Write a Best Selling Book Title

    Use these tips on how to write a book title to inspire your thinking. Make sure you write down ideas as they come to you, test them out, and then choose your best one. Think About Your Audience. You wrote — or are writing — your book for a certain person or group of people. Keep them in mind when writing your book title.

  18. How to Write a Book Title in an Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide

    In MLA format, you should usually italicize book titles. You can also put them in quotation marks when a type of work demands. For example, a book title like "To Kill a Mockingbird" would be italicized: To Kill a Mockingbird. However, a chapter title within a book would be placed within quotation marks. For example, "The Ewell Family.".

  19. How to Write a Book Title in an Essay: Rules and Tips

    Capitalize the first word of titles of books in papers, the first word after a colon, and all major words. Avoid capitalizing minor words (e.g., articles, prepositions, conjunctions) unless they are the first word of the name or longer than four letters. Always place the book title after the author's name.

  20. How to Write a Book Title in MLA Formatting

    In fact, most style guides, including MLA and Chicago style, require book titles to be italicized, not underlined. If the book title has a subtitle, the subtitle should be italicized as well and separated by a colon to be formatted correctly for MLA style, as in: Natural History of the Intellect: the last lectures of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

  21. Proper Way to Write Book Titles

    The most important thing is to pick a style and stick to it. I usually use: 1. italics for longer works such as books. 2. "quotation marks" for shorter works such as poems and articles. To learn one way to capitalize titles, read this article: Capitalization Rules in English.

  22. Book Title Generator: 1,000+ Book Title Ideas

    With over 1,000 unique book title ideas, you're sure to find the inspiration you need for your next story. Feel free to edit and re-adjust these book titles to suit your own story. Please click the button to generate a random book title. Keep on reading this post for tips on creating your own book title and our free book title generator ...

  23. How To Write Book Titles

    Think outside the box and consider using wordplay, alliteration, or clever phrasing to make your title stand out. Just be sure that any creative elements still accurately reflect the content of the book. In conclusion, writing an effective book title requires careful consideration of relevance, tone, audience, length, and creativity. By keeping ...

  24. Savannah Guthrie Discusses New Faith Book 'Mostly What God Does'

    The title of Savannah's book gets to the heart of the message she wanted to get across with the project: "Mostly what God does is love you," a phrase taken from a translation by scholar and ...

  25. How to find a book title by plot or description: Best websites and

    By posting here, you can ask over 2 million "sleuths" for help in getting to the title of that one thing you're searching for, be it a book, a movie, a TV series, a game, a song, a website ...

  26. Sister Wives Fans Throw Shade At Robyn Brown With Hilarious Memoir

    Sister Wives fans want Robyn Brown to write a memoir and even give hilarious suggestions for a title she could use for her tell-all book. Fans suggest hilarious titles for Robyn Brown's potential memoir, poking fun at her image as a victim in the polygamous family. Robyn's influence on Kody Brown's ...