The book title is the name a book goes by and, along with the author’s name, make up the two most important feature of any book’s front page. They rival the artwork, as important as that is for marketing purposes. The case for excellent book covers goes beyond winning at playjudgy.com. In this post, we discuss book titles and the considerations for arriving at apt book titles that increase the marketing fortunes of books.
- The Gods Are Not To Blame by Ola Rotimi
- The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwi Armah
- Not Even God Is Ripe Enough by Bakare Gbadamosi; Ulli Beier
- The Poor Christ of Bomba by Mongo Beti
- The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda N. Adichie
- There Was a Country by Chinua Achebe
What do the book titles above have in common? They arouse interest. They make you pay attention. You want to wonder why the gods are not to blame and who thought to blame them. Why would you say the beautyful ones are not yet born and what kind of spelling is “beautyful” anyway? Not Even God Is Ripe Enough… Are we trying to eat God? Why should God be ripe? What or who is this Poor Christ of Bomba? How come there’s a Christ in Bomba? Why did the author say “There was”? Nigeria still exists, right? Right?
A good title tells what the book is about. A great title tells what the end destination is. A truly superb title is one that tells the end destination and also appeals to core human desires.
Buck Flogging
See what these titles have in common? They inspire curiosity. I imagine they make you want to question the page as you browse bookshelves. Even though these titles are from fiction books, nonfiction titles do not have to be boring. At all. In fact, the more thought you put into it, the better for every sale opportunity.
Every publisher and author aims for books that will be successes beyond their immediate geographical locations; books that pick up steam with a little marketing. Who doesn’t want to be a bestselling author?
To be continued.