Your choice of book title plays a major role in the ability of your book to build a strong and lasting personal brand. Choose the right book title, and your brand is off to a strong start.
Choose wisely
Choose the wrong title, however, and you’re just one more author still looking forward to establishing a memorable brand.
So, exactly how can you tell when you’ve chosen the right book title?
Here are 7 questions to ask when evaluating the effectiveness of your proposed book title:
- Is it easy to say? If you find it awkward to say your proposed book title out loud now, you’ll find it even harder to say the title later, when you’re being interviewed. The best titles are simple and conversational. Even when reading, your prospects will be sounding-out your book title in their mind when they encounter it online or in a bookstore.
- Is it easy to remember? Titles that relate to the problems your prospective readers want to solve, or the goals they want to achieve, are more likely to be remembered and purchased. Think of your title as a bridge between your book and your proposed reader’s mind. Book titles based on cultural references, like popular sayings or movie titles, are also easier to remember.
- Is it as short as possible? The number of words, and their length, will play a major role in the success of your book. Short titles that use short words, supported by longer subtitles, enjoy a major advantage over long titles. Short titles are easier to say and to remember. More important, short titles contribute to high-impact book covers by permitting the use of larger, heavier typefaces.
- Does your title promise a desired benefit? Successful nonfiction book titles arouse desire by creating an instant resonance with your intended readers. At a glance, readers can identify the “fit” between your book and their problems and goals. Unlike fiction titles, intended to arouse curiosity, nonfiction titles work best when they are as literal as possible.
- Does your title tell a complete story? In addition to promising a desired benefit, the best titles provide additional how and why information that adds convincing details and helps differentiate your book from other books on the topic. How information can describe the process, why information can be based on your qualifications, and who information can define the market segment you’re writing for.
- Is your title “SEO friendly”? Does your proposed book title include the keywords and phrases your market uses when searching for information to solve their problems or help achieving their goals? Even if your book is intended for trade, i.e., bookstore, distribution and sales, it’s likely prospective buyers will first search online for resources. The more search engine friendly your book title, the easier it will be prospective readers to locate your book, and the less you’ll have to pay for pay-per-click advertising down the road.
- Is the URL available? It’s never too early to obtain a URL for your book. In some cases, if a desirable URL is already taken, you may want to see if it’s being used, and – if it isn’t – find out who has reserved it. If a URL doesn’t exist, and the owner has owned it for several years, you may want to find out when it may expire, and get on a list to be notified when it becomes available.
Look to the future
Your book title is more than just a tool to help you market and sell your book. The right title creates a brand that can soon become your brand, with a life that extends beyond the first book in the series. When you have chosen the right title, and obtained copyright protection for the title, you can extend your original book title into a series of follow-up books, audios, videos, workbooks, speeches, and events.
Author:
Roger C. Parker shares ideas for planning, writing, promoting, & profiting from brand building books in his daily writing tips blog. His latest book, #BOOK TITLE Tweet: 140 Bite-Sized Ideas for Compelling Article, Book, & Event Titles, offers step-by-step ideas and examples plus easy-to-use tips.
