A dear friend of mine, John Harricharan, author of best-selling, "When You can Walk on Water, Take the Boat," explained to me that the real title comes from within you, like the book. I finally started to understand that I did not "try" to write the book, it wrote itself. So too, will the title come from within you. What John meant, is that you must love the title you choose. Be confident with it. With that confidence, the energy of the book can come through, almost like a light shining through the window.
In other words, it does not matter so much what the actual title is. What matters is the feeling you have when you read, see or say the title. That's the key.
When I decided upon the title of my first book "Be The Hero of Your Own Game," it was a simple, clear acceptance. No bells or whistles, just clarity. The other words were gone. As I looked through the book, I noticed I had referred to the hero several times. It had always been there, awaiting my discovery. That is the magic of letting the title be "delivered" to you.
I like the word "hero" because I think hero contains the both words "he" and "her." It blends the male and female. "Hero" offers something that we all have the potential to attain. I have always loved heroes and I believe every one of us has a hero within.
To me the title "Be the Hero of Your Own Game' lets the reader know:
? I think they can be a hero ? I respect them ? Life is a game. Are they curious about the Game? ? It's Your game ? How can they own the game?
Today I have a large list of titles for books and articles I haven't written yet. 118 of them so far. Titles chosen in advance of the book. Who knows? Might be easier that way.
But for you and the precious book you're writing, or will write, let me pass along what I have learned on the title battlefield.
6 Keys to Choosing Your Best Title
1. Write down all possible titles. Anything and everything you can think of. You never know which phrase may catch and stick.
2. Pay attention to how YOU feel when you tell others your title. Do you feel proud, tentative, scared, stupid? The feeling you want is like a proud mother or father of your new little baby. Give it the best name you can. It will be called that name the rest of its life.
3. I also researched other titles on amazon. You don't want a title that everyone has. It will get lost. You also don't want a title so obscure or undescriptive that nothing will come up on a search.
4. It needs to have intrigue and yet be clear. "Things Your Priest Doesn't Want You To Know," would be intriguing. So would "Things Your (fill in the blank) Doesn't Want You To Know." We humans like to know what others are doing, thinking feeling etc.
5. Does your title help the reader to become a better person? We want to strive higher, yet it has to be an achievable goal without huge effort. If your title is "How to increase your IQ by 10 points, studying an extra 5 hours a day," I'm not interested.
6. Sum up your book in one sentence. Write as many as you can of these one liners. If you get just one chance to give a message from your book to others, what would you say? That's often all you get. Use it wisely.
When it all comes down to it, go with your gut.
Give your precious new baby a beautiful life in the arms and hands of readers who will love it too. Give it the best name you can, but realize that if people held a real child of yours, they would love that infant just as much if it were called "Mary" as if it were called "Elizabeth" or "Harry" or "Joshua." The essence of the book is your baby. Name it and love it. Love your book with such a heartfelt feeling that the title springs up from within you. Love the spirit of your book. That essence will speak to you. In my case it took a little struggle, but what John said is so true. The book has it's own energy and identity. Just as the words you wrote came to you, so will the title. It's all part of the magic you are here to create.
Many happy titles to you!
Terri Marie
The Information Highway has turned into a sea of information. It's teeming with information from every direction. So how does one make a difference in such a vast medium? If you don't want your book and material in general to be lost in the sea of information streaming into your reader's consciousness each day, you must title them well. In fact, all marketing material from your 5 page sales letter, tri-fold brochure or email campaign to the 2 line classified ad needs the attention grabbing power of a great headline.
Create sizzling titles designed to hook your potential readers. One of the most important skills to develop as a marketer of your book, product or service is the skill of creating attention-grabbing titles. When you master this skill you may use it in every aspect of your writing to attract more readers, more sales, improve your cash flow and increase your profits. You will need title writing skill for your book titles, chapter titles, sub-heading. Even bullet points will have pulling power if they are developed correctly. Don't forget your website. Your website will need passionate headings to capture the attention of your web visitors.
Titles set the stage for your potential audience. They either will work to grab your potential reader by the collar and pull them in for the read or they don't. Top titles create excitement, anticipation and enthusiasm for more. You want your titles to express the heart and passion of your message. Here are 7 top title templates to help create your best titles:
1.The Command. "Write Your Best Book Now!" Most will say they don't like being told what to do. But our human psyche seems to respond in spite of what we like. The command has an immediate effect. Why? It connects with the "Yes, I want that" spot within us all. Commands reassure you that helpful advice will follow that help you get what you want from the advice. It tells the readers it's possible to achieve the benefit the author is claiming.
2.The How to. "How to Make Your Article Go the Extra Mile" People love to learn with simple steps and fast. Combine it with a powerful benefit and you will reel your reader in every time. You decide. Does the title above, "How to Make Your Articles Go the Extra Mile" or "8 Ways to Format Your Article"
3.The Provocative Statement. "5 Mistakes to Avoid That Drive Your Web Visitors Away In Less Than 2 Minutes" You mean my site could be driving my visitors away that fast. Especially, if you have been working hard to get site visitors you would want to know what would drive them away fast. Provocative statements pull at our attention like an electric shock. They make us curious. They sometimes make us mad. They make us feel a lot of different things but most of all they make us read.
4.The Question. "Do You Want More Traffic, More Free Publicity, More Sales? Most times people unconsciously answer the question you pose in their minds. The key is to provide the answers in your copy including statistics. For example, "Have you ever felt afraid to buy online? Like it or not, many are still cautious of buying on the web. A Boston Consulting Group Consumer Survey found that 70% of respondents worry about making purchases online."
5.The Big Promise. "How to Increase Sales 400% by Using Short Articles" People will click away from hype and never come back. But if you have a big gun don't be afraid to pull it out and use it. Consider carefully and use sparingly; then make your big promise and deliver. People will remember your promises and come back for more or purchase. Don't forget to include the specific delivery or 'how to' in the copy beneath your big promise headline.
6.The Confusing. "3 Little Pigs Went to Market but One Went Faster" Develop curiosity into your title. A seemingly opposite simile works like a charm. Sometimes the title that doesn't make a lot of sense will pull your audience in for the read. Would the title above arouse your curiosity? The confusing title can capture the attention of your audience just to see what it's about.
7.The Top Benefit. "Think and Grow Rich" A winning non-fiction title immediately communicates the benefit readers will gain after reading your book. Benefit-oriented books often use the problem-solution approach. Master (A) this skill or technique and get (B) this benefit. Readers buy non-fiction books for a "benefit" for something that will help them, grow them, profit more, less expense, less trouble, gain more time, less stress, better relationships, better health, less drama, less trauma, more energy and vitality and less fatigue.
Develop this valuable skill and you add magnetic pulling power and punch to all your marketing documents including your front book cover and chapter titles that will get your message read. Titles set the stage for your potential audience. They either grab your potential reader by the shirt or they don't. Create your titles to be 'the match' that ignites your reader's interest in reading your important message. Title well and prosper!
Both Terri Marie & Earma Brown are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Terri Marie has sinced written about articles on various topics from Writing. Terri Marie writes a monthly column for The Sun Post News called Heroes Among Us. You may read more about her book at www.herobookonline.com.Sign up for a FREE Year of Cheer at yearofcheer@awaber.com and visit heroesamongus.blogspot.com for st. Terri Marie's top article generates over 590 views. to your Favourites.
Earma Brown has sinced written about articles on various topics from Writing, Marketing and Writing. Earma Brown, 12 year author and business ownerhelps small business owners and writers who want to write their best book now! Earma mentors other writers and business professionals through her monthly ezine "iScribe." Send any email to. Earma Brown's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.