What Should a Book's Title do? By Michele Weber Hurwitz
Sometimes, coming up with the perfect title for your book can be a frustrating experience for authors and editors. How to capture the essence of the book in just a few short words? How to make it stand out? How to find just the right tone and impression?
A book's title should do three important things: it should be unique, be memorable, and provide insight to the story.
It's becoming more difficult to choose a title that hasn't been done before, but you and your editor should aim to come up with something that is uniquely personal to your book. Second, choose a title that readers and prospective readers will instantly remember. Nothing's worse than a reader who loved your book and wants to tell a friend, but can't remember the title. The title needs to be something that easily comes to mind when searching for the book online or at a bookstore.
Perhaps most important, give readers a glimpse of what they can expect from your novel. A good title begs readers to open the cover.
Simple, one-word titles often work in middle grade, such as Pax or Crenshaw or Holes. In fact, I think Holes is an amazing title because it works on several levels for the story. Longer titles are also used in middle grade and can draw readers in too, such as with my second book, The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days. Or, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy, which is such a funny and spot-on title.
When you're trying to come up with the perfect title, ask yourself some important questions, such as WHO is the book about? Many titles are just that, such as Flora & Ulysses, or The One and Only Ivan.
WHAT is the novel about? The Hunger Games, or The Crossover, or Brown Girl Dreaming, which is a lovely mix of who and what.
Also consider WHEN and WHERE your novel takes place, and that may give insight to the perfect title, like One Crazy Summer and Beyond the Bright Sea.
Often, titles are pulled from a line of dialogue or illustrate an overall theme of the book, such as Wonder and Esperanza Rising.
Last tip is to think of your title as a mini Haiku poem with a flow of syllables and a few words. It can be alliterative, action paced, mysterious, or descriptive, like The Girl Who Drank the Moon, or Inside Out and Back Again, or Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.
I've found that I spend weeks fretting over the title and then something just comes when I'm not even thinking about it. For my next book, coming in spring 2020, my editor came up with a variation of the title while she was walking her dog, emailed me, and we tweaked it slightly to give it just the perfect ring.
Michele Weber Hurwitz is the author of four middle grade novels from Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. Find her online at micheleweberhurwitz.com.
A book's title should do three important things: it should be unique, be memorable, and provide insight to the story.
It's becoming more difficult to choose a title that hasn't been done before, but you and your editor should aim to come up with something that is uniquely personal to your book. Second, choose a title that readers and prospective readers will instantly remember. Nothing's worse than a reader who loved your book and wants to tell a friend, but can't remember the title. The title needs to be something that easily comes to mind when searching for the book online or at a bookstore.
Perhaps most important, give readers a glimpse of what they can expect from your novel. A good title begs readers to open the cover.
Simple, one-word titles often work in middle grade, such as Pax or Crenshaw or Holes. In fact, I think Holes is an amazing title because it works on several levels for the story. Longer titles are also used in middle grade and can draw readers in too, such as with my second book, The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days. Or, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy, which is such a funny and spot-on title.
WHAT is the novel about? The Hunger Games, or The Crossover, or Brown Girl Dreaming, which is a lovely mix of who and what.
Also consider WHEN and WHERE your novel takes place, and that may give insight to the perfect title, like One Crazy Summer and Beyond the Bright Sea.
Often, titles are pulled from a line of dialogue or illustrate an overall theme of the book, such as Wonder and Esperanza Rising.
Last tip is to think of your title as a mini Haiku poem with a flow of syllables and a few words. It can be alliterative, action paced, mysterious, or descriptive, like The Girl Who Drank the Moon, or Inside Out and Back Again, or Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.
I've found that I spend weeks fretting over the title and then something just comes when I'm not even thinking about it. For my next book, coming in spring 2020, my editor came up with a variation of the title while she was walking her dog, emailed me, and we tweaked it slightly to give it just the perfect ring.
Michele Weber Hurwitz is the author of four middle grade novels from Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. Find her online at micheleweberhurwitz.com.
I know EXACTLY what you mean about memorable titles. I had a HORRIBLE time trying to remember the title of the Melissa McCarthy movie about the forger. It still takes me a while to bring it up when I talk about it. (CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?)
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