I think we are probably all in agreement that it's important to get cover images right.
But we all know that words are important too.
So it's just as essential to get the title of your book right. It can be the hook which makes the difference between someone passing over your book and pausing, picking it up (or of course, clicking on it in the case of ebooks) and taking a peek inside - and then, hopefully, buying it. It has to grab the attention of the reader you are trying to attract: be memorable: piquing the curiosity perhaps ...
With factual books, having the right words in the title can also, of course, help readers looking for a specific subject to find just what they are looking for. You might think that choosing a good title for a factual book is easier than for a fictional one, but it's far from the case. Do a search for 'worst book titles' and although you'll find a few fictional delights such as
Pooh gets Stuck,
Scouts in Bondage and Fellow Fags, they are far outnumbered by the non-fiction titles. One of my favourites is '
Still Stripping after 25 Years'. See how easy it is to get it wrong? If you thought you were going to get a book about senior citizens taking their clothes off, you'll be bitterly disappointed. Possibly not so if you enjoy quilting.
Something else you need to take into account is where certain words in your title may have different connotations in different countries - for example '
Games you can play with your pussy', which is a handbook for cat owners. The way in which you arrange and punctuate the words in your title may also give the wrong impression to casual browsers - such as '
Who cares about elderly people?'
So while choosing a title for your non-fiction masterpiece that follows the 'does what it says on the tin' principle seems obvious, it can be all too easy to trip up.
'The Principles of Teaching Riding',
'The Difficult Horse', and '
101 Riding Exercises' all seemed pretty self-explanatory. So did
'The Hacking Handbook', until I realised that I needed to retitle it 'The Horse Rider's Hacking Handbook' if I wanted to avoid misinformed purchases and complaints from computer nerds. 'Dog-friendly Gardening' also seemed quite straightforward: but beware of the unnecessary hyphen which means it doesn't pop up so frequently in online searches as sites with the same name but with no punctuation.
And then of course, there is the decision as to whether you want a sub-title or to include a strapline on the cover too ...
Anyone got any gems of titles you'd like to share?
Comments
Still laughing...