How to Title Your Novel: The Complete Writing Guide

Titles shine a spotlight on the heart of the novel, directing readers’ attention to an important element that thematically ties the story together. For some writers, coming up with a title is even harder than writing the book itself! After analyzing a few hundred novels, I’ve noticed seven categories that might help you brainstorm ideas for a musical, memorable, and marketable title—one that sounds like poetry to the ear, that readers will easily remember, and that captures people’s attention. You can read a text version of this video on Medium: Love my channel? Treat me to a cup of coffee at Behind-the-scenes notes for this video: My Published Stories and Poems: Twitter: Title and End Music: “Clockwork” by Vindsvept - Background Music by Vindsvept: “Keeper of the Forest” “The Fae” “Woodland Lullaby” “Voyage to Nowhere” “Hearthfire” “Winter’s Tale” “Skymning” “The Forgotten Forest” “Iluminate” SOURCES Book Title Generators: “How to Find Good Novel Titles” on Novel Writing Help: Interview on Read at Midnight with R.F. Kuang about _The Poppy War_: “Q&A with Neil Gaiman” on Publishers Weekly: “The Legal Use of Song Lyrics in Books from the Perspective of an Indie Author” by Jonathan Westwood: “Here’s How Tupac Inspired The Hate U Give” on Epic Reads: “Another Story About Me and Some Guy” by Kathy Fish: Anthony Marra: The Interview: “Can You Trademark Your Title?” on The Authors Guild: #:~:text=The law is clear that,the role of a brand Stephenie Meyer FAQ on _Twilight_: #title “Commonly Used Words in YA Book Titles” on Brin’s Book Blog: “Best of the Decade Data: Common Words in Titles” on Tor: “When Advertising Tried to Create the Perfect Woman, Thriller Writers Rebelled” on CrimeReads: “How to Name Your Bestseller” by Michael Tauberg: @michaeltauberg/how-to-name-a-bestseller-6f7313fbb9e6 _Why Not Catch 21? The Stories Behind the Titles_ by Gary Dexter: Introduction (0:00) Key Plot Event or Element (2:23) Character Name or Role (5:00) Important Setting (8:16) Allusion (10:36) Symbol or Metaphor (15:12) Theme (16:47) Phrase (19:14) Marketing Considerations (21:27) Brainstorming Exercise (27:35)