Upon kicking off a new season at SparkPress, we want to make sure that all of the new books are titled appropriately, way before we begin the cover design process and collecting metadata. Most books come to us titled, but that doesn’t mean all of those titles stick. As publishing professionals, we have a good idea of what kinds of titles sell. However, we also want to make sure the title fits the book, and the author knows the book best.

If you’re struggling to find the right title for your book, here are a few common pitfalls to avoid, and some advice when looking for something fresh.

Common Pitfalls:
Being too generic. Your title needs to tell us something about the book. Titles that seem cliché should be avoided. No The Light at the End of the Tunnel. No Just Keep Swimming. They’re overused and don’t really say anything.

Being too on-the-nose.If your title is too literal, you may tell the reader too much. Do not reveal the twist ending in your title. In most cases, your title should not be an entire sentence.

Being too similar to best-selling titles. Just because a book called By Invitation Only is wildly popular doesn’t mean you should name your book Invite Only. Yes, maybe someone will get them confused and pick up your book by mistake, but chances are, your book is just going to be overshadowed by the bigger author’s. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a similar title to a bestseller, or even the same title—especially if they’re in different genres. It happens. But it should not be the goal.

Being too trendy. Book titles with hashtags in the title are not going to be popular for much longer. And if you’re using a trending hashtag from a movement (like #TimesUp), the trend will be long over by the time you publish. Unless your book is directly about that movement, find a better way to describe it.

Being too boring. Long titles (this includes your subtitle) that sound too academic (especially in fiction, but also in memoir!) will scare off a tentative reader. Avoid phrases like “a study in” and words a seventh grader wouldn’t know.

Evoking the wrong genre. This one may be a little harder to avoid, because it’s genre-specific, but you want people to see the name of the book and be able to guess the genre. The cover helps with this a lot too, but there are conventions of certain genres that you want to avoid if you’re not in that genre. A title that is just two peoples names like Bernard and Katherine would indicate romance, historical fiction, or literary fiction—so avoid this convention if your book is sci-fi or a tennis biography.

Tips to Find Your Title:
Name it after a character. I know I just gave an example of when not to do this, but including a character’s name in the title doesn’t hurt. It just probably shouldn’t be only those character names (for certain genres). Include action or possession to garner interest, like Quinn and Rory Take on the World or Rosie’s Getaway Car.

Use an image. Look through your manuscript for a poignant, recurring image. Think of it like an English class assignment—what would an English teacher point out, and what symbolism would they want the students to understand? The Little Red Dress or Billowing Curtains evoke these sorts of images.

Pull from the text. Aside from a distinct image, there are likely plenty of other significant interesting combinations of words in your book. This is a technique we commonly use when helping authors brainstorm for titles. Have a trusted friend who is a writer or voracious reader go through your book and point out any imagery or poignant phrase that jumps out at them. You may be surprised at what you find.

Use your subtitle—or don’t. Sometimes, a subtitle can make or break a title. If you have a one-word title, you often need a subtitle to explain what the book is about. In fact, plenty of books with titles that are three, four, or more words do this. However, a large portion of the time, the only subtitle you need is A Novel or A Memoir.

How do you come up with your titles?