What Most Authors Get Wrong About Titling Their Books

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I used to think that the title was something you came up with at the “end” of the book.

“Don’t worry about the title,” I would tell myself or clients. “Just get started.”

But the more I worked with clients, the more I realized that without a North Star, they would go so far adrift they never would reach their final destination (aka finishing their manuscript). More often than not, they would crash and sink.

I always knew I needed to dispatch the lifeboats when I asked them: “So what is your book about?” and they couldn’t succinctly tell me in less than a sentence.

“It’s complicated,” They’d say.

“It shouldn’t be,” I’d say.

“It’s so hard to title. My book is about so many things,” They’d reply.

This I know is the final SOS call. They’re going down. And that’s when I step in.

Rose, move over, there is plenty of space on the door.

Your title, your book concept, shouldn’t be complicated. You, the author, should absolutely know what your book is about. That is why a strategy session matters to figure out exactly what the main point of your book is, and to figure out the title. The title will guide you throughout the writing process.

Most strong non-fiction titles tend to do a few things quickly:

  • They instantly grab a reader’s/buyer’s attention. (UNFU*K YOURSELF, anyone?)

  • They answer a call coming from inside the reader that they didn’t know they had. (Damn, maybe I AM A BADASS?)

  • And, finally, a great title points clearly toward the reader’s desired shift or outcome. (Yes, sign me up, I do want to WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE!)

When one of these is missing, a reader can feel it immediately.

And when you feel it, the reader feels it too.

Authors don’t usually start with this in mind. And it shows. Often a bad title doesn’t become obvious until later in the process, after countless drafts and revisions—because something isn’t quite “working” or gelling. This is typically when authors throw in the towel. But there is hope. There is a way to give your book the best possible shot in the marketplace.

That’s why I created a short mini course—Non-fiction / Self-Help Title That Sells.

Not because titles are complicated, but because people don’t know the right questions to ask.

Inside this short, 30-minute course, I walk through how strong titles actually show up in real book work—what lands instantly and what gets ignored. I will help you discover a clear and easy-to-repeat title that is impossible to ignore or forget.

Because if it can’t be remembered, it won’t travel, and neither will the book.

If you’ve been sitting on a few titles and don’t know which one encapsulates your message, start here: Non-fiction / Self-help Tittle That Sells.