| Judy Cullins c. 2007 | | | | Sam Horn, author of Tongue Fú!, puts her |
| | | | special twist on defusing verbal conflict. |
| A clever title is great if it is clear, but a | | | | Check out the cliche' books. You can tweak a |
| clear title is always preferable. The best? A | | | | cliche and make your book title memorable. |
| clear and clever title. A shorter title is | | | | |
| better than a longer one. Your reader will | | | | 6. Include benefits in your subtitle if your |
| spend only four-eight seconds on the cover. | | | | title doesn't have any. |
| While some long titles have succeeded, | | | | |
| usually the shorter, the better. | | | | Specific benefits and your audience mentioned |
| | | | in the title invite sales. For instance, |
| A title is part of your book's front cover. | | | | Marilyn and Tom Ross' Jump Start Your Book |
| Busy buyers including bookstore buyers, | | | | Sales: A Money-Making Guide for Authors, |
| wholesalers, distributors and your audiences | | | | Independent Publishers and Small Presses. |
| buy mainly because of the cover. Dan Poynter, | | | | |
| author of Writing Nonfiction, says, "The | | | | 7. Choose others' book covers in your field |
| package outside sells the product inside." | | | | as models. |
| Make your cover sizzle. | | | | |
| | | | Go to your local bookstore with five-colored |
| Start with a working title before you write | | | | felt tips pens and paper. Browse the section |
| your chapters. Include your topic, your | | | | your book would be shelved on. Choose five |
| subject and use the book's benefits in your | | | | book titles and covers that attract you. |
| sub title if possible. Here's your ten tips | | | | Photo copy or sketch those, noting the |
| for titles that sell: | | | | colors, design, fonts, and sizes of fonts. |
| | | | Add other colors you like. Place the book |
| 1. Create impact for your title-check out | | | | cover you love near your workstation to |
| magizine print and radio ad headlines. | | | | inspire you. For the final copy, use |
| | | | professional cover designers if possible. |
| Check out other authors' titles on the | | | | Your bookcoach can recommend some if you |
| bookstore shelves. Your title must compel the | | | | email her. |
| reader to buy now. Which title grabs you? | | | | |
| Elder Rage or Caregiving for Dad? | | | | 8. Be outrageous with your book title. |
| | | | |
| 2. Include your solution in your title. | | | | People do judge a book by its title. Your |
| | | | reader will spend only four-eight seconds on |
| Does your title sell your solution? Make sure | | | | the front cover and eight-fifteen seconds on |
| it answers the question rather than asks one. | | | | the back cover. Your cover and title must be |
| For instance, Got Minerals?, or Minerals: The | | | | so outstanding and catchy that they compel |
| Essential Link to Health. Use positive | | | | the reader to either buy on the spot or look |
| language instead of negative. For instance, | | | | further to the back cover. Take a risk. Be a |
| Without Minerals You'll Die can be Minerals: | | | | bit crazy, even outlandish. |
| The Essential Link to Health. | | | | |
| | | | 9. Be your strongest salesperson self. |
| 3. Make it easy for readers to buy. | | | | |
| | | | Choose the strongest words, benefits, and |
| Readers want a magic pill. They want to | | | | metaphors to move your audience to buy. |
| follow directions and enjoy the benefits the | | | | Titles do sell books. This picture or feeling |
| title promises. For example, 1001 Ways to | | | | words to get started. |
| Market Your Books by John Kremer gives at | | | | |
| least 1001 ways for authors and publishers to | | | | 10. Include your audience in your title. This |
| market their books. | | | | gives your book a slant. |
| | | | |
| 4. Expand your title to other books, | | | | When your title isn't targeted other famous |
| products, seminars, and services. | | | | authors' titles win out. Always make your |
| | | | title clear and make it easy for your |
| Make sure that your title will work well with | | | | audience to recognize they need your book. |
| the title of your presentations, articles and | | | | Your title and front cover is your book's |
| press releases you'll need to promote the | | | | number one sales tool. Short titles are best, |
| book. Such seminars and teleclasses titled | | | | say three to six words. John Gray didn't get |
| "How to Write and Sell Your Book- Fast!" and | | | | much attention with his book "What Your |
| "Nine Sure-Fire Ways to Publicize and Promote | | | | Mother Couldn't Tell You and What Your Father |
| your Business on the Internet." come under | | | | Didn't Know." He shortened it to the now |
| the umbrella "fast book writing, publishing | | | | famous, "Men are From Mars, Women are From |
| and promoting," and "promote your book or | | | | Venus." |
| business with the #One Way-The Internet." | | | | |
| | | | An outstanding title sells books. Make sure |
| 5. Use original expressions--a way of | | | | to give this part of your book, the number |
| expressing one idea for your book--yours | | | | one essential "Hot-Selling Point," some time |
| alone. | | | | and effort. |
| | | | |