The title of a book is a big deal. It’s the first thing readers see, so it’s an important marketing tool. But there’s no magic formula to creating a good title. Whether fiction or nonfiction, the title should be catchy, interesting, unforgettable; it should get the attention of potential buyers.
And publishing companies have a system to title books they’ve contracted to publish. I counsel authors all the time to not get too fond of their working title, because it might well change—and they should trust their publisher, who has no small amount of interest in these matters.
So what is this system? It’s called the titling committee. Representatives from the editorial management team, the folks from marketing and sales—they’ve been around, have seen what sells, what doesn’t sell—gather together with the book’s in-house champions. They’ve already been provided copies of the book proposal and sample chapters (maybe even the entire manuscript), so they’re prepared. And then … they conduct a brainstorming session.
The new title (and possibly an alternate or two) is dropped into cover comps, and everybody looks and comments and admires. And sure, they run it past the author and the author’s agent, and the publishing team listens to feedback. Still, in the case of a tie (ahem), the decision generally goes to the titling committee.
But every once in a while the system fails. Here’s a little cautionary tale from the point of view of a book buyer. That is, me.
The Irishman is a sports fan. He’s a big fan of soccer, of course (football to him; Manchester United is his team), but he enjoys it all—basketball, tennis, car and bicycle racing, surfing, the Olympics, everything. Early in our relationship I took him to a Tennessee–Alabama football game in Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium (with, as they say, 100,000 of our closest friends); I love college football and the Third Saturday in October rivalry is historic. We spent several days of our 2015 honeymoon in Ireland watching the Rugby World Cup; I learned about the haka. We’re both fans of college basketball; March Madness indeed. Sports (particularly televised, often international) are a thing in this household.
So when I saw this book in the local bookstore—it was published by Houghton Mifflin in 2007— I picked it up: Fanatic: 10 Things All Sports Fans Should Do Before They Die. Sounded great. I did all the things I do: checked the title, skimmed the flap (“sports’ most iconic events”!), checked the back cover. It’s by Jim Gorant, a senior editor and writer at Sports Illustrated, so he’s clearly qualified, right? (Wikipedia says it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice. Excellence! Twice!)
I bought it. Gave it to the Irishman for Christmas. He never read it.
Why? Because it is poorly titled.
Why do I think it’s poorly titled? Let’s take a look at the table of contents and you can be the judge:
1 The Super Bowl
2 The Daytona 500
3 The Final Four
4 The Masters
5 The Kentucky Derby
6 Wimbledon
7 Chicago Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves
8 Ohio State vs. Michigan
9 Lambeau Field
10 Fenway Park, Opening Day
See it? Aside from Wimbledon, these are all American sporting events. But the title makes no mention of that. The titling committee, in my opinion, gets a fail. (I do too: I should have checked the TOC. But … it was a busy season.)
Now, we could argue all day long about what events to put on a list of don’t-miss sporting events. Where are the Olympics? The World Series*? The Tour de France, the America’s Cup, the Boston Marathon (world’s oldest annual marathon), the Ryder Cup, the 24 Hours of Le Mans or the Monaco Grand Prix? Where’s the World Cup, for heaven’s sake? In point of fact, I think this title with this list of sporting events is remarkably tone deaf.
But that’s not my point. No, the title just didn’t do its job. Much of this publishing fail** could have been averted if the book had been titled more honestly. For me, this would have involved one word change:
Fanatic: 10 Things American Sports Fans Should Do Before They Die
Replace Wimbledon with another American sporting event (gymnastics, anyone? hockey?), and it all works for me. (The Irishman notes that American fans might well be interested in Wimbledon, and that perhaps a better title would be Fanatic: 10 American Sporting Events All Sports Fans Should Do Before They Die, but now he’s just showing off.)
Regardless, the current title doesn’t do its job. Remember this when you and your publisher are discussing titles for your book.
The titling committee wants a memorable title, something that will make it stand out from all the others on the shelf. About nonfiction titling, publishing expert Michael Hyatt says great titles “do at least one of the following: make a promise, create intrigue, identify a need, or simply state the content.” The subtitle is also a useful tool in nonfiction titles.
The approach to fiction titles is a little different (I’ve discussed it some here) but still the titling committee is going to consider names that are provocative, clever, meaningful in context, and/or that reflect the theme or the protagonist. Even rhythm gets consideration. Think about it!
So in spite of this little tale of woe, think of the titling committee as your friend. Now that you know how this business works, don’t get attached to any one title. Try on several; do some brainstorming with your readers. And watch out for the obvious.
* My international friends all want to know why we Yanks call a sporting event that only involves American teams—OK, and one Canadian team—a world series. It’s really, well, the North American Championships. A discussion of the American use of hyperbole is another post for another time. 🙂
** I have no idea, really, whether the book was a sales success or not.
Tweet: The title of a book is a big deal. It’s the first thing readers see.
Tweet: Titling committee meeting = a brainstorming session.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”