It's All In The Title.

 

It is often said that a book is judged by its cover. An important part of that is its title. One review site claims that even before being judged by its cover, it will be judged by its title. In life, we gather titles as we go along – personal and professional. Mr, Mrs, Reverend, Dr, Chief Inspector, etc. All of them reflect something about our character, status, and relationships with others, e.g. Mrs. tells someone that the person is married, while Dr the occupation or academic status of the individual.

As Christians, we have many titles for Jesus which reflect how we view Him, His status and relationship with us, for example, Song of God, Prince of Peace, and Lord. The first disciples called him Rabbi (teacher) as a mark of respect for his knowledge of the scripture and teachings of God’s will.

A book title can tell us much about the content, genre, and its main theme. Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons suggest a story of good and evil forces. Dancing Under the Moonlight romance, you get the idea. Some author’s use well-know sayings: Of Mice and Men.

So, how do we pick a title for our own books? What makes a good title? I will be honest and say I am rubbish at picking titles. In-Between Girl was the fourth title I used. It was not until I had drilled down into the heart of the story over the m/c’s dilemma of living in two different communities that it came whilst walking the dog on evening. Talking to other writers, it seems it can instant or, like me, be like trying to snatch the seeker in a Quidditch game.

The aim of a title is to grab the reader’s attention and give a good vibe to the content between the covers. But here are some other things worth considering when choosing your title:

·         Keep it concise, memorable and say to say.

·         Think of your audience – who is going to read this – use language that will resonate with them.

·         Check someone has not already used.

·         The names given to Jesus came from people who met or heard about him. They knew his story. Read yours through and note down notable phrases/words.

·         The titles they gave him summed up his purpose on earth – what is at the heart of your book?

·         Include keywords for search engine purposes so people can find it easily.

You may find it helpful to checkout some sites which give advice on choosing book titles like the one below from Amazon:

https://kindlepreneur.com/how-to-title-a-book

And when your head starts to spin and goes blank, do not forget to take the dog for a walk/do the housework/iron the washing – and let inspiration get to work.

 

Sheelagh is a freelance writer and blogger living in the northeast. You can find out more about her here