Coming up with a title for your novel can be surprisingly challenging. With my first book, The Beach House, the title came to me long before I jotted down a single note about the story. I didn't care that there were several other books with the same title, it was set in stone as far as I was concerned. When my publisher gently suggested I might consider changing to a variation on the theme (in the interests of being more original) I politely said I would consider it, but knew it would never happen. I have never regretted taking that firm stance as my book is about not only "a" beach house but "The" Beach House.
When writing my second and third novels, it took me much longer to come up with titles I was happy with. In fact, I was almost ready to publish before either book was named. Not having such a strong and obvious theme as The Beach House, it was hard to settle on an original title that captured what each novel was about. With Room 46, I used the setting once again and felt that it sounded intriguing enough that the reader might wonder exactly what was happening inside the room in question. As far as the number 46, that really was random, I just road tested a few in my head and for whatever reason that was the one I liked the most. With my third novel, Third Offence, the setting was not an option and thus began another long and frustrating journey to come up with a title. This time I finally opted for a line in the book, something that had some significance for one of the characters. It did take a while for each title to "settle" with me, but once they did, it felt that they were always destined to be so named. And I was happy that both Room 46 and Third Offence are original titles, at least as far as I know. When competing for retail space on such sites as Amazon, this can be the one way that your book stands out.
With my fourth novel I am currently working on, like The Beach House, the title came to me before I began writing. I won't reveal it just yet, but suffice to say it has a lot to do with the theme of the book once again.
If you are struggling to come up with a title, just let it be while you write. Don't stress about it or try to force it - you will come up with something eventually. Think about the books you have read and how their title relates to the stories within. Try and come up with a short list or even just have a brainstorming piece of paper handy where you can write ideas. Do check out Amazon and see how many other books there are by the same title, of course there is no copyright on a book title, but if there are dozens by the same name you don't want to get lost in the middle of a huge list. It can be hard to let go of a name you may have picked back in your childhood for your first book, but you have to be practical too.
With my fourth novel I am currently working on, like The Beach House, the title came to me before I began writing. I won't reveal it just yet, but suffice to say it has a lot to do with the theme of the book once again.
If you are struggling to come up with a title, just let it be while you write. Don't stress about it or try to force it - you will come up with something eventually. Think about the books you have read and how their title relates to the stories within. Try and come up with a short list or even just have a brainstorming piece of paper handy where you can write ideas. Do check out Amazon and see how many other books there are by the same title, of course there is no copyright on a book title, but if there are dozens by the same name you don't want to get lost in the middle of a huge list. It can be hard to let go of a name you may have picked back in your childhood for your first book, but you have to be practical too.
