How to Come up with Great Titles
A follower recently asked me if I had a post about coming up with titles, and since I didn’t, I decided to write one.
Coming up with titles is weird sometimes.
For example, I have had stories where the title simply “came to me” before I’d even started writing it.
Other times I couldn’t come up with or even consider a title until the story was essentially completed.
You can also throw working titles in there–titles you slap onto a WIP until you get further along and really consider it (or until an editor wants to call it something different).
If a title just “came to you,” that’s great, but you also might want to double check that it is really the best title for the work.
Other than the cover art, the title is perhaps the most important selling point on the book itself. It might be what gets a reader to pick up the novel to look at. (After that, the back cover copy obviously becomes important.) Unfortunately as writers, most of us have no say in what the cover art is–if we are publishing traditionally. But we do have some say in the title.
Often, the best titles capture an interesting image/concept, promises what kind of story the book is, or both. Genre may also factor in.
It’s usually better to be more specific than vague. Remember that whole post I did on vagueness? And also this whole post I did on not picking generic details? As a reminder, if something is too vague, the audience doesn’t get enough context, and therefore can’t care about the story. If something is too generic, it leaves no impression and is forgettable.
One time in my writing group years ago, we decided to go through the bookshelf (near where we met in a library) and find the worst title we could. To this day, some of us still remember that meeting because of that. The worst?
That was a title. (And the cover art was equally boring.) This is a horrible title, in part because of the points I just made. “The Land” is very vague and very generic. I have no clue what land we are talking about or why I should care about it–I have zero interest in this book (other than the fact the title is so awful). I have no idea what genre it is. Is this something geographical? A Land Before Time wannabe? Who knows.
Now, because I know people are going to go search that title on Amazon, I want you to know that this book did not have a subtitle. It did not have a cover image that conveyed a story. It was just The Land.
So lets talk about some examples that fit into the two categories I named.
1. Captures an interesting (and specific) image or concept.
2. Promises an interesting or specific kind of story
Also, probably worth mentioning is that just because I refer to the title as an example, it does not necessarily mean I have read or watched it–just grabbing examples, some I know, some came up in searches.
Interesting (and Specific) Image or Concept
Mistborn is a good example of this. It takes two images or concepts we are familiar with and smashes them together. We know what mist is. And we know what it means to be born. These are concepts and images that are specific. However, we don’t know what it means to be or act Mistborn, so it’s intriguing. Maybe this is why we pick up the book. Because we understand enough about those two concepts, but we want to know what this concept means.
Well, next thing you know, you are reading the back cover (which is equally interesting) and then opening the book.
Notice too, that the word mist is something that is associated with mystery and maybe even eeriness. In thick mist, we can’t clearly see what’s in front of us. It’s also a word that has some association with the otherworldly, whether it’s from Stephen King’s The Mist, or someone in Middle-earth talking about The Misty Mountains.
“Mist” creates a sort of buzz because of its associations and connotations–like those “buzzwords” I talked about in my post, 5 Tricks that Help with Hooks.
Here are some other examples that use this technique:
The Runelords
Lord of the Rings
Night Circus
Jurassic Park
The Raven Boys
The Book Thief
The Hunger Games
Ghost in the Shell
Legally Blonde
Phantom of the Opera
Death Note
Other times, the title may capture a more specific image:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Day the Earth Stood Still
A Princess in Theory
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
To Kill a Mockingbird
Remember, it is not required that you are highly specific, you just need to be specific enough.
Promises an Interesting or Specific Kind of Story
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, this is a title that promises that this story is about Harry. I know that sounds obvious, but it’s more than that. This story isn’t just about some amazing plot. It’s about the daily life of Harry Potter, too. What it’s like going to a magical school. It’s not always about fighting dark wizards or saving the world. Sometimes it’s about dealing with your awful aunt, friends, and schoolwork.
I believe the title was changed to Sorcerer’s Stone here in the U.S. because that’s better for marketing. A philosopher may be interesting to kids. But from a marketing standpoint, a sorcerer is more interesting, because it implies there will be magic in the book, not philosophy.
So we know that this is a series about a person, but also has fantastical elements or some adventure to it: Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban (again, notice specific images).
Likewise, Diary of a Wimpy Kid immediately conveys what kind of story this is. Like Harry Potter, it’s about a person. “Wimpy kid” is interesting because no kids would typically describe themselves as that. “Diary” tells us this is a slice-of-life story, but it’s also interesting, because what boy would say they own a “diary”?
The Kiss Quotient (Romance)
Austenland (this will be about Jane Austen–also, notice the unique concept)
Sherlock Holmes (this is a series about following the intelligent detective, the character)
The President is Missing (pretty obvious, but immediately tells you what kind of story it is)
The Da Vinci Code
National Treasure
Hamilton
War of the Worlds
Sixth Sense
Cowboys and Aliens
Lost in Space
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Little House on the Prairie
The Little Mermaid
Goosebumps
Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
These all make promises, about the genre, story structure, emotional appeals, plot, or whatever else.
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