I finished my last book back in 2013, a collection of ten short stories, wicked and mischievous. But it wasn’t until a week before publication that I found the right title for it. My editor was going mad, well so was I. Then at 6 am one morning I woke up after another restless night and shouted out, “Divine Damages”

Inspiration came to me in the last minute. I had been brainstorming, playing word games and fiddling with all kinds of variations of titles, until a moment of genius flowed and the title appeared in front of me.

-Titles are like compasses, they give direction. They push you and direct you to buy and read- Georgia Varjas

And now would you believe it, I am in the same position? I have finished writing my new book, my editor is happy and there are only a few bits and pieces to complete and one of them is the title!
Now, I am having to read, eat and digest my own advice!

Fortunately, I still have time and as I read through my work again, I shall be noting down top ideas, hot phrases, sentences that glow and any repeated Gems. I shall collect and collate, juggle and jumble them up – and then sleep on them. For sure, I shall share some with writing pals and fellow scribblers. And of course, I shall bounce them around to hear responses and then probably go back to the drawing board.

In the end, I know I want the title to be the hook, eye catching, like a clip or synopsis, and a sweet temptation for the buyers of my book. And It needs to be somehow informative, instructive and revealing for the book shops, promotors and online media world to gaze upon and say:
“Wow, I want this book now!”

As you see, I am thinking big but now I have to act upon it.
So, here is my list of Action Steps to find
Hot Titles And Then Know How To Create Them

1. Know your readers and audience and write for them
2. Avoid ambiguity and get to the point
3. Keep it succinct, short and sweet
4. Choose a strong font
5. Think outside of the box
6. Questions create curiosity
7. Easy to remember
8. Strong vivid and exciting language
9. Alliteration is Queen!
10. Never give up trying!

There are a couple of rules which you can play around with – (all ideas can be accepted or rejected.)
As a guideline, a non-fiction title should be 5 words or less. Subtitles are generally three to seven words in length. For non-fiction, the title is shorter and the subtitle is longer. In non-fiction if you choose a long title, your subtitle must be longer.

-If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough – Albert Einstein

Here is a good post on the struggle to find the right title, it may inspire you or make you laugh.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-rachman-/whats-in-a-book-title_b_5503681.html

Believe me the title will come along, take a little action, read and write a lot but don’t copy anyone else’s and always check it hasn’t been used before. In this case, Google is there for you.

I know the title for my book will come,(it must, it has too and it will!) and probably just like the first one did, at 6am in the morning!
Keeping in mind, I cannot control the way a person reacts to the content or the title, and remembering you cannot please all the people all the time, helps to decrease any stress or panic.
Some will love it and some will not be impressed.
And when my book does arrive, I hope you will love it and be curious enough to want to buy it.
Let me know how you create your titles, pop them in the comments below.

Have a Divine Week!