How to Write a Novel: Book or story title

“I think of the titles first.”

—R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps series, with over 400 million sold

Some authors start with the title, others find the title later, and that may change from book to book. If you publish independently, the title is your choice, but if you choose a traditional publishing deal, the title might be out of your hands, depending on the situation.

What kind of titles make you pick up a book?

Think about your behavior as a reader. How much does the title play a part in your decision to sample or buy?

If it’s an author and series that I know I like, I will buy the book regardless of the title. John Connolly’s Charlie Parker series, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s Pendergast series, and pretty much anything by Jonathan Maberry are on that list.

If I don’t know the author, the title is often what catches my eye. The book cover is less relevant as I shop for fiction on my black and white Kindle Paperwhite or my phone. The cover is thumbnail size, but the title has more space on the virtual page. In a physical bookstore, I notice the cover first and then the title, but I never read fiction in print anymore, so I might note down the title and look at it online later.

We all have our preferences in reading and I almost always sample fiction that implies a religious thriller angle. My library includes Song of Kali by Dan Simmons, Angelology by Danielle Trussoni, Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor, and many more with words in their titles that resonate with my particular catnip as a reader.

Go through the books on your shelf or device, especially those by authors you don’t buy from based on name recognition.

Are there common words? Or a theme or emotional resonance that comes up multiple times?

Write a list of those words and weigh them up against your story for possible book title ideas.

Choose words that resonate with your genre. This might sound obvious, but there’s a reason that words like ‘love’ or ‘heart’ come up in so many romance titles, while ‘blood’ and ‘death’ appear in so many thrillers, crime novels, and mysteries.

Make sure you give a nod to genre in your title and, when placed in context with the book cover, the reader will be clear on what type of book this is.

Use quotes or other book titles to inspire your own

My short story trilogy title A Thousand Fiendish Angels is based on a quote from Dante’s Inferno, Canto VIII.

“I saw more than a thousand fiendish angels perching above the gates, enraged and screaming: ‘Who is this one who comes, and without death, dares walk into the kingdom of the dead?’”

The title also resonates with the theme and genre, implying an element of dark fantasy and horror.

Many books take their titles from Shakespeare. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is from The Tempest, and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is from Julius Caesar.

Be careful with this approach. While titles themselves cannot be copyrighted (in English), you can’t use brands or character names or other potentially protected intellectual property. Be especially careful about song lyrics. If you’re unclear on what you can use, check out How To Use Memorable Lyrics Without Paying a Fortune or a Lawyer by Helen Sedwick and Jessica M. Brown.

Find the title within your book

During the editing process, you might find a line of text that works well as a title. Keep a note of it and see if it resonates as a title later.

Use a character name or type

The Harry Potter series uses his name in every book title, and The Girl on the Train spawned a glut of thrillers with ‘girl’ in the title, proving this option can also be overdone.

If you’re writing in a series, think about multiple book titles

Series books tend to have titles that link them together in some way. For example, my Mapwalker trilogy includes Map of Shadows, Map of Plagues, and Map of the Impossible, which have a repetition in the titles.

For my Brooke and Daniel crime thriller series, I wrote Desecration and then settled on words beginning with D, so the next books were Delirium and Deviance. I have a list of other interesting words beginning with D for possible sequels.

You can even imply the number of books. For example, Sue Grafton’s alphabet crime series started with A is for Alibi.

Use a working title during the writing process

You don’t have to decide on your final title right away. Sometimes it’s best just to give your project a working title so you have something to call it, and then finalize it later on.

My first novel started out as Mandala, then became Pentecost, and later Stone of Fire. What started out as Day of the Martyr turned into Tomb of Relics after I’d finished the draft.

If all else fails, change the title later

My first three novels were originally called Pentecost, Prophecy, and Exodus. A few years after publication, I re-edited, re-titled, and re-released them as Stone of Fire, Crypt of Bone, and Ark of Blood, removing the confusion about whether they were Christian fiction (they’re not) while still retaining the action-adventure thriller vibe.

Questions:

•   Examine the books on your shelf or your device, especially those by authors you don’t buy from based on name recognition. What are some of the common words used in titles? Is there a theme or resonance across them? Write down a list of those words and weigh them up against your story.

•   Have a look at the top 100 books in your genre. Write down the titles and see if you can find commonalities.

•   What are some other ways you can come up with book titles?

Resources:

•   Interview with R.L. Stine on The Author Hour — www.theauthorhour.com/r-l-stine

•   How To Use Memorable Lyrics Without Paying a Fortune or a Lawyer — Helen Sedwick and Jessica M. Brown