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"What's in a name?" asks William Shakespeare's Juliet. "That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet." Compelling though this sentiment is, what might apply to floral names does not typically work for book titles. In fact, an apt title enhances both the artistry and marketability of a book, while a poorly chosen title can subvert a book's intention and meaning, and adversely affect its reception. This is true of both fiction and nonfiction.
If an author has a conventional book contract, the publishers will often step in and insist on renaming the work. This can be a mixed blessing, as the publisher's title will often be catchier and more marketable than the author's but will not necessarily reflect the book's content with strict faithfulness. Publishers typically have the power to override the author's title preference but will usually concede the author's right to give input. My advice to any author faced with a publisher's title is to listen to your own instinct. If the new title sounds good to you, then run with it and everyone is happy. But if you strongly dislike the publisher's title, then risk being considered difficult and advocate for your own title. You might not win this battle but at least you will have the satisfaction of having stood up for your own creation.
Some writers appear to have a natural feel for a good title and are quick to devise one or more concise and compelling options for naming their manuscripts. Many others, myself among them, struggle with titles and never quite feel that we've chosen wisely. I know of no easy way out of this dilemma. But at least the possibilities for titles are numerous, and awareness of how others have successfully titled their books may set you thinking in some new direction that will eventually lead to a title that works for you and your manuscript.
Here, for both fiction and nonfiction, are some title categories and examples of each:
Novels
Humor/whimsy/irony/satire
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- MASH
- Catch-22
Concepts
- Pride and Prejudice
- Sense and Sensibility
- Magnificent Obsession
Metaphors
- Gone with the Wind
- To Kill a Mockingbird
Literary references
- For Whom the Bell Tolls
- The Sound and the Fury
- Brave New World
Biblical references
- East of Eden
- Song of Solomon
- A Time to Kill
- The Tower of Babel
Character names
- Moll Flanders
- Fanny Hill
- Joseph Andrews
- Jane Eyre
- David Copperfield
- Oliver Twist
- The Great Gatsby
- Rebecca
- Cross
- I, Alex Cross
Setting or place names
- Wuthering Heights
- A Room with a View
- Hawaii
Single words
The thriller writer Jonathan Kellerman is a notable contemporary master of the one-word title—
- Rage
- Gone
- Compulsion
- Deception
- Victims
- Motive
—to cite just a few.
Creative nonfiction
Also known as narrative nonfiction, creative nonfiction, includes such genres as history, true crime, biography and memoirs, and uses many novelistic techniques. This alliance of fiction and nonfiction is reflected in the many creative nonfiction titles that derive from sources similar to those that have inspired the naming of novels. Here are a few examples:
- My Family and Other Animals (humor/whimsy)
- The Russian Album (metaphor)
- The Pebbled Shore (literary reference)
- All Creatures Great and Small (hymn reference)
- All Things Bright and Beautiful (hymn reference)
- Angela's Ashes (subject's name)
- Dietrich (subject's name)
- Liverpool Miss (place name)
- Lime Street at Two (place name)
Expository nonfiction
Expository nonfiction, such as self-help, how-to, and motivational books, tends to look less to outside inspiration for its titles and more to capturing the main content of a book. This imperative typically, though not always, requires the use of a title-subtitle combination. In today's world of Internet marketing, another consideration for titles is the need to provide meaningful keywords for online searches. Here are some representative examples of expository nonfiction titles and subtitles:
- Stand-alone title: The Seat of the Soul
- One-word title + explanatory subtitle: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
- Short title + concise subtitle: The Wealthy Barber: Everyone's Commonsense Guide to Becoming Financially Independent; Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ
- Short title + long subtitle: Necessary Losses: The Loves, Illusions, Dependencies, and Impossible Expectations That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Grow
-Title + shorter subtitle: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
Brainstorming titles
Not inspired by the examples listed above? Then try brainstorming a range of words and concepts, and combining and recombining them until some potentially viable titles emerge. Just Google "book title generators" and you will discover a number of websites that generate titles either randomly or by your choice of genre and words relating to your book's content. To my mind, many such titles have an awkward or contrived feel, but title generators might nonetheless stimulate your thoughts and spark that just-right title for your book.
Book titles matter
As Google results and the sampling of titles given here show, when it comes to naming your book there are many sources and kinds of titles, as well as variations on the basic title-subtitle combination. This embarrassment of riches may or may not be helpful to you, the author, as you try to nail the perfect title for your work. Frustrating though the endeavor can be for some, even the most title-challenged writer can at least take comfort in knowing that the effort is worthwhile. As much as the content of the pages—sometimes even more so—the title is crucial both to representing the intent of your book, and to maximizing its appeal to readers.
