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As a fiction author, perhaps finding a title for your novel isn’t very difficult. After all, quite often writers begin with the title as a first thing. Of course it might later change, but rarely does a writer work for long on something called “untitled”. However, picking just any title and picking the right title can be two crucially different things. There are several aspects that affect your choice of a book title, and today we’ll talk precisely about that. In this article, I’ll show you how to pick a title for your novel.

First we’ll see what makes a title good or bad, and what “good” means in this context. Then I’ll give you some concrete tips on finding the perfect title for your book. There are basically good news and bad news: The good news is that only you can know whether a title for your book is the right one. You will just know it, once you think of it. The bad news, maddeningly enough, is that… only you can know whether a title for your book is the right one. I will show you the how’s and why’s on how to pick a title for your novel, but the choice can only be yours.

What Makes a Good Fiction Book Title

Before we answer this question, we must first see what a good fiction book title really means. It might mean different things to different people, but for our purposes, a good fiction book title is one that strikes a balance between having artistic merit and being marketable.

There. That was easy, wasn’t it? A good title is one the author can embrace artistically, a title that is true to the content and meaning of the book. At the same time, a good title must also be one that attracts the attention of prospective readers. Let’s take To Cross an Ocean: Apognosis as an example – once again, I’m using one of my own books not as a sign of vanity, but for practical reasons.

Although sometimes I’m using only the second part of the title to refer to it, naming the book simply “Apognosis” would not have been optimal. Artistically, it satisfies me; it conveys what is the heart of the novel. But it’s a difficult word (indeed, one very rarely encountered in the English language). Another element was needed, which is where “To Cross an Ocean” comes into the picture. It’s equally satisfying artistically, and a bit easier to… digest, marketing-wise.

How to Pick a Title for Your Novel: Some Tips

If you recall my article on picking a right narrative ending for your book, you might remember something I’d said about a good ending being both surprising and (more importantly) inevitable. In a sense, the latter part is true for picking the right title for your fiction book. It has to be inevitable, and this is how you know you’ve picked the right one. The perfect title is one that makes you feel that no other title, ever, could be more suitable.

Here is a list of tips that will help you find the right title for your book. It has worked marvels for me, and it’s a product of years (nay, decades) of experience.

1. Make a list of 5-6 keywords that describe your novel. One or two of them could be character names, but try to insert some abstract nouns there as well.
2. Think of your genre and your audience. This is something that, in all honesty, you must know beforehand. But if not, you can’t pick a title. If Bram Stoker’s Dracula was named “The Adventures of Two English Women”, it would sound like an LGBT Victorian romance novel. Parenthetically, Bram Stoker intended to name his novel “The Undead”, which would have probably been a better title, if you ask me.
3. Make a list of possible titles using the keywords you have gathered. Experiment with different grammar forms – “Falling from the Sky” and “To Fall from the Sky” are two different things; “Falls from the Sky” a third one. Don’t feel pressured, don’t feel embarrassed. You’re brainstorming now, let the candidates be absolutely ludicrous. Divide your possible titles by thematic category. If, for example, your keywords include words such as “fear”, “anger”, “despair”, then make a separate list for each. You will begin to realize what works and what doesn’t.
4. The title might be important for an event occurring in the book. Could it be someone’s reply to something? Perhaps someone’s final words? Maybe the detail that will make everything fall into place for the reader, once the narrative is concluded?
5. If you have picked some titles (or even “the one”), ask yourself: would you pick up the book (or click on the link) solely because the title seems interesting? If the answer is no, then go back and rethink your choice.
6. Allow some time to pass between brainstorming sessions (and especially between choices). Don’t expect to find the title in a day or even in a week. It takes time. Even if you feel confident you’ve found the right title for your novel, let it rest for a few days. Go back to it later, and see if you still feel the same way.

Note: If you’re looking for more inspiration, why don’t you try my title generator program!