A Title

Then I want to think about a working title for your book.

Choosing a provisional title can do at least two things for you, right now.

First, it can make your book feel more real.

Second, it helps you further refine the concept for your book.

Here’s a fun way to get started, from writing coach Jennie Nash. Once you start paying attention, you’ll start noticing that book titles fall into one of six types. I added a few more patterns.

• One word titles (Jaws, Unbroken, Speak, You, Stiff)
• Six word titles (The Other Side of the Mountain, Around the World in 80 Days)
• A title that contains a number (Catch 22, 13 Reasons Why, Daisy Jones and the Six, 12 Years a Slave)
• A title with a metaphor (or imagery) (Lean In, Who Moved My Cheese?)
• Fill in the blanks: The (Adjective) (Noun) (The Book Thief, The Artist’s Way, The Right Stuff, The Tipping Point)
• The List (Eat, Pray, Love; Guns, Germs, and Steel)
• The X of Y (The Elements of Style, The Audacity of Hope, The Age of Innocence, The Power of Positive Thinking)
• X and Y (Bait and Switch, Nickel and Dimed)
• Starting with How, When, What (What To Expect When You’re Expecting, How to Be Single, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, How To Be an Anti-Racist)

List your ideas for your book title below: