Crafting Your Book Title

Crafting Your Book Title So They Can’t Ignore You

When I began writing to build my business back in 2006, it was blog post titles I was most concerned with each day. There was SEO (search engine optimization) to consider so that people could find me. There was also monetization to think about. Crafting a book title would come later, once I’d published my first full-length, non-fiction book. Let’s discuss crafting your book title so that others cannot ignore you and what you have to offer.

In the world of Amazon – and book publishing in general – your book title must grab the reader’s attention. Contrary to the old adage, “You can’t judge a book by its cover,” readers do exactly that: They create a split-second opinion about a book based on its title and its cover. If it doesn’t grab them within three seconds of viewing, they have already scrolled to the next page. Craft a book title they can’t ignore and your book will skyrocket.

Crafting your title involves some copywriting along with a sales strategy, SEO (search engine optimization), and marketing all rolled into one. If you want to be easily discovered in the wonderfully huge Amazon marketplace, then discoverability is paramount and makes your title that much more important.

For example, children’s author Katie Davis penned a book titled, “How to Write a Children’s Book“. Guess what pops up first in the Amazon search field when aspiring children’s authors search for “how to write a children’s book”? My long-time friend and co-author, the late Geoff Hoff published a book on how to write a short story and continues to rank near the top for the search “how to write a short story” after all these years.

Your title doesn’t have to be a keyword search term but think of some keywords that you might use to search for your book. If there is a clever way to weave those keywords into your title, give it a try. For example, I have more than twenty-five books published, as of this writing. Here are a few of my titles, so you may see how I approached this concept of crafting your book title:

• In Pursuit of Healthy-Ness: How I Reinvented My Life with Intermittent Fasting
• Rethinking the Work Ethic: Embrace the Struggle and Exceed Your Own Potential
• Speakers! The Quick Public Speaking to Business Method
• The Inner Game of Internet Marketing
• Local Business Marketing: Making the Phone Ring for Businesses Everywhere
• Kids and Money: Teaching Financial Responsibility and Values to Children

You’ll notice that I like to mix it up, in terms of keywords up front or at the end; subtitles: length and keywords; and using phrases that could be seen as cute or trendy. While there is no right or wrong way to choose the title that will bring you the most recognition and sales, you do want to look at other people’s books. I recommend starting with an online search for books similar to what your will be about, as well as visiting libraries and bookstores to literally get a feel for the books that grab your attention and make you want to read and/or own them.

Here are some more tips for crafting your book title. Your title needs to be:

• Compelling or exciting – use strong, descriptive words
• Easy to remember – not too long, not too short; you’re giving a preview of your subject matter, not a summary
• Relevant to your topic and your business – but not so obscure that no one knows what you’re referring to.
• Original! No copying! – Plagiarism is never acceptable. Go one step further and do your research to make sure someone else isn’t using your title idea.
• Written with SEO in mind – Compelling and easy to remember are still important but why not use the search engines to your advantage to get extra sales? Also consider how this title will tie in to your overall brand and your other marketing materials.

If you’re drawn to using a subtitle, be meticulous about it. Many authors cram multiple ideas into their subtitles, which can help with search results, but also makes the cover, marketing materials, and Amazon listings look cluttered. I had one client who decided to use not one, but two subtitles and that was really a mess!

Subtitles are often used to denote the name of a book series or to give more hints as to the content of your book. Don’t force yourself to create a subtitle; that’s always something that can be brainstormed or added at a later date. For now, focus on your book’s main title and keep working it until you are convinced that it is conveying the message of your book.

I’m author, publisher, and entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and would love to connect with you. If you are new to the world of online entrepreneurship please check out my comprehensive training on how to set up Funnels That Click and learn how to gain an unfair advantage when it comes to building a lucrative online business.