How to Choose a Bestselling Book Title

The title of your book is one of the most important decisions you would have to make before publishing.  This is because a book’s title contributes to the sale of the book, and as a result, must be chosen wisely. Whether you are writing a novel or nonfiction, below are guidelines for choosing a book title:

1. Consider the theme of your book: When you want to choose a title for your book, it should obviously have to do with what the whole book is about, and something that readers can connect to, after they have read the book.
2. Be descriptive not poetic: There is always the temptation to play with words and be poetic about the title of your book. However, you need to resist that temptation; especially if you want others to connect with the title of the book, and if you don’t want to be the only one buying the book. So instead of being poetic with the title of your book such as: pan, pot and pins; consider using: How to be a good wife.
3. Use simple language: At bookstores, readers probably have lots of options on books they can buy and they most probably won’t be carrying dictionaries around when going to purchase those books at the store. So, ensure that your book title is in a simple language, simple enough for them to understand, and appealing for them to buy.
4. The length of your title should be moderate: A longish book title can seem stressful to the reader, and he/she may never finish reading the title before moving to another book. While if it is too short, it may come across as boring. So, when choosing a book title, you should be moderate in the length of your book title.
5. Have a list of titles: Before you settle for one title, have a list of titles you can choose from and choose the one that best suits your book.

If after following these guidelines  your book is not selling as expected, consider changing the title of your book. At the end of the day, the readers are the ones that determine what sells; so if it doesn’t sell, and you find out that the problem is the title of the book, change it!