How to Create a Title for Your Book

Feb 4, 2025

Guest

Gina Sorell

Guest

Tara Conklin

Join New York Times bestselling novelist Tara Conklin and author Gina Sorell as they delve into the art of titling your book. They discuss the importance of audience targeting and how a title serves as an effective marketing tool. Discover how to convey tone and intrigue, explore themes for layered meanings, and get creative with inspiration from poetry and song titles. With practical tips on flexibility and options, this conversation is a treasure trove for any writer looking to hook their readers right from the title!

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ADVICE

Target Your Audience First

Identify your target readers and genre before settling on a title to attract the right buyers.
Use the title as an advertisement that signals genre and appeals directly to your ideal audience.

ADVICE

Decide What The Title Should Achieve

Decide what you want the title to achieve: signal tone, genre, or thematic weight.
Make the title communicate intrigue, humor, or complexity depending on the book's aim.

INSIGHT

Let Tone Shape Naming Style

Let the book's attitude and tone guide naming style: declarative, playful, or punny.
Layered titles reward readers by revealing deeper meaning as they read.

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How you name your book is your story’s most important marketing tool, so you must choose your novel title wisely. In this podcast episode of The Novelry on Writing, coaches Gina Sorell and Tara Conklin share the keys to crafting a unique, memorable, and insightful title to hook your readers before they even crack open the spine!

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction

01:55 - Tip #1: Audience

03:04 - Tip #2: What will the name achieve?

06:00 - Tip #3: Attitude

09:18 - Tip #4: Attributes

11:50 - Tip #5: Ancestry

Guest Bios

Tara Conklin

Tara Conklin is a New York Times bestselling author whose books have been selected by the Today Show Book Club, Barnes & Noble Book Club, Target Book Club, and as a No.1 Indie Next Pick and Amazon Best Book of the Month. Tara’s debut novel, The House Girl, was a New York Times bestseller, translated into eight languages. Her second novel, The Last Romantics, also became an instant New York Times bestseller and was selected by Jenna Bush Hager as the inaugural read for the first-ever Today Show Book Club. Her latest novel, Community Board, is a recommended read of Vanity Fair, Barnes & Noble, and Kirkus Reviews.

Gina Sorell

Gina Sorell is the author of The Wise Women, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, Good Morning America Buzz Book and People Magazine Best New Book Pick that was also selected for Read with Jenna, Parade Magazine’s Most Anticipated, the Washington Post Summer Selection, Elin Hilderbrand’s summer reading list, and the Eva Chen Book Club. Gina’s debut, Mothers and Other Strangers, was a Refinery29 and Self Magazine Best Book Pick, a Great Group Read, and an Indigo Best for Book Clubs selection.

Resources

Check out these blog posts for more insight on how to write and publish your story:

5 Secrets for Naming a Character

Indie Press or Big Publisher? Gina Sorell on ‘Debuting Twice’

7 Top Tips from The Novelry on Writing Podcast (Season 1)

Read the full episode transcript here!

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Show description

Learn how novels work from publishing’s top experts at The Novelry, the world’s #1 school for writers. Hosted by our bestselling writing coaches and publishing editors, this podcast is a practical, helpful guide to writing novels for every genre. Enjoy inside tips and tricks to make your writing a joyful experience while building your expertise in writing craft.

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