You’ve written something: a book, a blog post, an article, a listicle, some work of written art. And now you’re about ready for the world to read it, but one thing is missing: the perfect book title, article title, or novel title.
Your title will either grab your readers attention or be another phrase they glance over. It is the deciding factor of whether or not they read your work of art.
After running and working on various blogs and books over the last few years, I’ve learned a few things that grab readers’ attention. Here are my best tips to writing the perfect nonfiction book title, blog post title, or novel title.
How to Come Up With the Best Titles for Books and Blogs
Book titles and blog post titles are often very different. Depending on what genre you are titling, you’ll use different tactics. Here are strong strategies for each one:
Nonfiction Book Titles
When titling a nonfiction book, it’s best to be very clear about what your book is going to do for the reader. In nonfiction, we aim for simplicity and clarity.
Some of my favorite nonfiction book titles are Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, How to Win Friends and Influence People, and our own, Let’s Write a Short Story.
All of those bestselling books have titles that make it very clear what is inside their covers. They are upfront with what they plan to teach and offer you.
Novel Titles
With fiction, we’re allowed to have a little more fun.
First Edition Design Publishing - a hybrid publisher 