Tuesday, February 21, 2023

8 TIPS FOR CREATING TANTALIZING TITLES!

by Linda Skeers 


Sometimes the trickiest part of writing isn’t coming up with an idea, or writing and revising, it’s figuring out what to call your masterpiece! Titles can be so frustrating! Here are 8 tips and examples to help you come up with a terrific title that will catch a reader’s (and editor’s eye) and draw them into your book.

1.     Awesome Alliteration

Titles should be fun to say and easy to remember. That’s where alliteration can be an asset! Get out your Thesaurus and play around with key words about your subject. 

FREAKY, FUNKY FISH:  Odd Facts about Fascinating Fish – Debra Kempf Shumaker. 

GIZMOS, GADGETS AND GUITARS:  The Story of Leo Fender – Michael Mahn.

HERO FOR THE HUNGRY: The Life and Work of Norman Borlaug – Peggy Thomas.

2. Rhyme Time

A close relative of alliteration is rhyme. It can make the title stand out and be memorable.

JACK KNIGHT’S BRAVE FLIGHT:  How One Gutsy Pilot Saves the U.S. Air Mail Service – Jill Esbaum.

JOAN PROCTOR, DRAGON DOCTOR:  The Woman Who Loved Reptiles – Patricia Valdez.

 3.     Quirky Questions

Humans are curious creatures, and you can use that to your advantage. Ask a fun and fascinating question and readers will keep reading to discover the answer.

     WHAT DO THEY DO WITH ALL THAT POO? – Jane Kurtz

     WHAT’S IN YOUR POCKET? Collecting Nature’s Treasures – Heather Montgomery.

4.     Terrific Twist     

Turn your subject upside down and inside out – look for a new angle or perspective. This works well if readers already know a little about your subject but you want to dazzle them with new and surprising information.

 BEFORE MUSIC:  Where Instruments Come From – Annette Bay Pimental

 SO MUCH MORE TO HELEN! The Passions and Pursuits of Helen Keller – Meeg Pincus.

 HOW TO BUILD AN INSECT – Roberta Gibson

5. Wonderful Words

Strive for unusual or surprising words that grab a reader’s attention. 

THE SECRET GARDEN OF GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER – Gene Barretta.

STACEY’S EXTRAORDINARY WORDS – Stacey Abrams.

THE GREAT STINK – How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem – Colleen Paeff. 

6.     One Outstanding Word

Sometimes less is more. Is there one distinctive and powerful word that describes your subject?

     UNSPEAKABLE:  The Tulsa Race Massacre – Carole Boston Weatherford. 

     EXQUISITE:  The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks – Suzanne Slade

     CLASSIFIED:  The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer – Traci Sorrell. 

7.     Kid-Friendly

 Let your inner child loose! Be weird, be silly, be unexpected! 

PLAY LIKE AN ANIMAL! Why Critters Splash, Race, Twirl and Chase – Maria Gianferrari. 

BLOOD! Not Just a Vampire Drink – Stacy McNulty.

THERE’S NO HAM IN HAMBURGERS:  Facts & Folklore About Our Favorite Foods – Kim Zachman.

8. Ignore the Rules!

 “And now for something entirely different…” Play around and do your own thing and you might just come up with a tantalizing title all your own!

BLUE:  A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Ocean – Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond.

I AM SMOKE – Henry Herz.

HER RIGHT FOOT – Dave Eggers.

Your turn! Make a list of all the words – especially adjectives and action verbs that connect to your subject. Look for alliteration, rhymes, kid-friendly, silly and unusual words. Say your titles out loud to see how they sound.

 Can you just hint at your subject rather than stating it directly?

 Can you ask a question that demands an answer?

 Does ONE word sum up your idea/subject?

 Don’t tie yourself up in knots when it comes to titles! Play around and have FUN!




Meet the Author: 

Linda Skeers is the author of award-winning fiction and nonfiction including WOMAN WHO DARED: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, & Rebels (Sourcebooks) and DINOSAUR LADY: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist, which is being translated into Japanese. She is a founding member of the Nonfiction Ninjas and has also co-taught the Whispering Woods Picture Book Writing Workshop for over 15 years. 




45 comments:

  1. Helpful tips for catchy titles. Perfect for my title search. Thank you.

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  2. Thanks for the list and the great examples!

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  3. Oh - wow - these are great! I have been working on my first NF book - almost tweaked to where I don't recognize it - but the title is boring! Timely intervention!

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    1. Play around until the right title pops! And even then, an editor may have other ideas!

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  4. Great suggestions and wonderful examples, Linda! Thank you! Also, I really enjoyed/appreciated your books (not just the titles!).

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  5. Great post, Linda! Thanks for the ideas and examples.

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    1. Debbie -- you're already pretty good at titles but it's fun to play arround with them!

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  6. Great ideas! I may have to reconsider the title for the nonfiction biography I'm writing on. Thanks.

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    1. Pat, keep playing around until the right one grabs you!

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  7. Great title tips! And I love that "playing with words" is our homework...

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    1. Hi, Sue! Ah, "playing with words" is my favorite thing to do!

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  8. Awesome post Linda! I love the examples you chose. Two recent titles I liked, which might fit in "Wonderful Words" is THE FIRE OF STARS: The Life And Brilliance of The Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of - Kirsten Larson or "Kid Friendly" is ON THE CORNER OF CHOCOLATE AVENUE: How Milton Hershey Brought Milk Chocolate to America - Tziporah Cohen.

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  9. Fun titles which make me want to read the books. Thanks for a great post.

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  10. Terrific title tips, Linda! Thank you for the examples!

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  11. Great post! Fun to "see" you here, Linda!

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  12. As a newbie, it's helpful to look for a new angle and say it out loud! I like the question idea and the examples you gave to keep us fresh. Appreciate all you do!

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  13. These are such helpful ideas for creating catchy titles. Thank you!

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  14. Titles are definitely hard for me, but now I'm looking forward to playing around with some of these ideas. Thanks, Linda!

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  15. Great post! Thanks for all the tips and examples. I think many can be used for fiction, also.

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  16. These are so helpful ,and I love the title examples you provided. Thank you!

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  17. Many people pick books off the shelves simply by their titles. It pays to write a clever title!

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  18. Titles Can be great fun to come up with or, as you point out, the trickiest part of the whole book!

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  19. Such a fun post! Titles are so important.

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  20. Wonderful post with wonderful examples. Thanks!

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  21. I love all these examples. Great post!

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  22. This is a great post, Linda. Thank you. A title is one of the hardest things for me to come up with. I'll definitely play with your suggestions and who knows, awesome titles may just appear. Poof!

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  23. Aww, Linda. You hit my sweet spot. I LOVE a great title.

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  24. LINDA: I LOVE the examples you've given on how to make our titles STAND OUT to readers and SHOUT: "READ ME!"! I will be sharing these ideas with the university students I tutor in writing. Titles are always something I discuss with them to help them understand you have to GRAB your reader's attention right from the start. THANK YOU for the GREAT tips and INSPIRATION!!!

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  25. Thanks for sharing, Linda! I like to use surprising words in my titles.

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  26. Such great ideas for titles here. Thanks, Linda!

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  27. Love these ideas! I used alliteration in the title for my debut PB (ANIMALS IN SURPRISING SHADES: POEMS ABOUT EARTH'S COLORFUL CREATURES), but I'd love around with some of these other techniques for future projects.

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  28. Thank you, Linda, for these terrific, top-notch tips for picture book titles.

    Suzy Leopold

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  29. Linda, thank you so much - titles are SOOOOO important & it's nice to have some categories as a guide.

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  30. Titles can be tough! Thanks for sharing these terrific ideas, Linda!

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  31. LOVED this. Perfect post to quickly reference when playing with titles. Thanks so much!

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  32. Linda, your post couldn't have come at a better time for my WIP! Thank you for the helpful hints ;)

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  33. Thank you for these helpful tips.

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  34. Great ideas for titles Linda! Thank you for sharing this post. I also love your 2 books and have one of them sitting on my desk right now. I would love to better understand how you decided to do a book on 52 women vs 10? or 15?

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  35. Oh, my gosh. I'm printing this one out to hang in my office. I struggle so much with titles, and my editor and I went round and round on the title for my debut. But now that I think about it, it was the subtitle that gave us so much trouble. A RIVER OF DUST never changed, LOL. The subtitle needed to sound snappy while hitting search engine key words. Geez louise!! Anyway, your tips are extremely helpful for future projects. Thank you so much, Linda!

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