In one of my last posts I told you that writing a title is one of the best first steps to writing your book. It gives you momentum. It takes your idea and transforms it into a real thing. It gets it on the paper or on the screen and gives you a basis to expound upon. Alright, let's get into this.
I was always taught that the title/opening sentence of your body of work are the absolute most important words you will choose. Yeah, I said "choose". Not "write". "Choose".
Choose your words wisely. Your title will be the first thing to grab people's attention, so really put time into this.
Here are three tips to create a fantastic title!
1. Create a subtitle.
Yep, the first step to creating a title is creating a subtitle. It really doesn't matter what your title is if you have a solid subtitle. This subtitle should be thoroughly thought through. In fact, I'm challenging myself not to change my subtitle the whole time I'm working on my book. THAT'S how fleshed out my idea needs to be before I even write a bit of the book itself.
2. Make it exciting/paint a picture.
The most powerful thing you can do is make people feel something. Try to do that as best you can in your title. Evoke thoughts of creativity and expression. Also (and only if it's true) add words like "quick" or "easy". I always love seeing those words in pattern titles!
3. Demonstrate the value it will provide to the reader.
"What's in it for me?"
ANSWER THAT.
Make it clear what your reader will get if they buy your book. Imagine someone picking up your book in Michaels and being like, "Eh, I don't know... It's $19.99 and I didn't bring my coupon..."
NO. Convince them! Address all the immediate concerns they might have right on the front cover. Describe all the good, helpful things in your book. "I don't have a book yet!" Exactly. Now is the perfect time to decide what you'll put in your book. Throw all of that in your title. Thoughtfully throw, that is.
Describe everything they'll get: Graphs, charts pictures, extensive written tutorials, all that jazz.
I would suggest dedicating a few notebook pages to really brain dump all of these things. If you write a ton, you're pretty much guaranteed to find the right words.
All right, go out there and create your title!
-Grace
