All about Book Titles

You can't judge a book by its cover, but you can judge a book by its title...

YOU can do whatever you want in your book choosing process. But that is how the old saying goes. Of course, that probably started when book covers were a bit more bare bones and less full of gorgeous illustrations.

I personally love collecting beautiful books, but since I know nothing about making jaw-dropping covers, I'll share what I do know about BOOK TITLES from lots of trial and error and brainstorming.

A good title matters because it's the first thing your future readers read. Literally the first words they assume you crafted to entice them into the book full of words you wrote.

With me?

Exellent, let's keep diving in.

A good title should make you intrigued enough to pick up a book and read more about it, at the very least. We'll do pitches and blurbs another day, but for now, stay focused on the title.

There is no magic formula to what makes a title great. At least to me. Let's explore a few different kinds and discuss how they work. Sound fun? YES of course it does. You've made it this far! Now you only have to keep going!

Here are my favorite types of book titles along with examples of book titles I love:

1. The really long, whimsical/quirky book titles that somehow encapsulate the book's essence perfectly. Examples! The Very Secret Society of Irreular Witches, Once Upon a Broken Heart, The House in the Cerulean Sea, House of Roots and Ruin, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

2. The one word titles that DO IT WITH ONE PERFECT WORD. I am eternally in awe of these. Examples! Belladonna, Fable, Caraval, Dracula, Vicious, Circe

3. The book title that tells you the MC and exactly what the book is about. This one is tough, and usually seems to work only for a series. Example: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and my made up example based off of one of my books Luna and the Merryweather Four.

Again, there is no perfect formula. The very long and fun titles feel maybe the hardest to replicate. For a one word, if you have a catching MC name or word you use a lot in the book, that could be interesting to play with. And, for the final, starting with your MC and INTERESTING HAPPENSTANCE in the book is a solid place to start brainstorming.

Long story short, titles are tricky. I started my first book with The Protectress before it became Moonlit Isles, The Celestial Isles and Realm of the Celestials. I'm still not completely sold on the latest title, and toying with Luna and the Celestials now! Maybe?! As for my other Adult Fantasy, I loved the title from the moment it came to me: The Eternal Night Soiree. It's one of those rare perfectly encaptured vibe titles, to me at least. And I'm thrilled I managed it!

What about you? Favorite book titles? Your own book titles? Favorite books you read because you loved the title? I wanna know.