How Do You Come Up with a Children’s Book Title?

Picture this: you just made what you think you believe is a book that has the potential to be the bestseller. It’s a fantasy story book about a girl named Julia Amsterdam and her adventures. You craft a compelling tale and get it published. You give the book the name of the same girl.

Now, when a potential reader (a parent) walks in the bookstore where your book is how will they choose if the book is suitable for their kid? You would be lucky in the bookstore if your book is on full display. At that moment, it’s competing against several books of the same genre and age group.

The most your book could receive, like the rest of the books, would be it is on the shelves with the rest, with only its book title and author name on display. As a result, the only way to make a good impression on readers who want to buy your book is through its title. Naming your children’s book is an important aspect of professional book writing.

If you feel stuck in naming your book, don’t worry; the following piece has much to offer on naming books. We’ll offer some great insight into making book titles and strategies you can use to make the best one. In addition, we’ll also take a look at mistakes you want to avoid while naming your books. 

Making Up Titles:

Think of the title as the hook to your book. As it’s among the first things readers view when they look at your book, it is the ultimate deal breaker in reading the book. Titles would be different depending on the book genre and age. The following is an insight into naming books depending on the genre and age. 

1.      Non-Fiction:

Regarding non-fiction books, you want to ensure the message the book portrays is clear. For instance, The Art of Communicating.

Another thing you can do to make your title stand out is to use a catchy title with a subtitle that conveys the information. For instance, Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion.

If you aim to appear in searches, consider making up a title that utilizes the keywords you want to rank on in the search engine.

2.      Picture Books:

Picture books differ from regular books as they portray the story using illustrations rather than words. You can say that the text is there to provide support to the book rather than be its core. Most popular picture books utilize only two to three words max. Here are a few ideas you can use while naming picture books:

Book Naming Tips	Examples
Make it Funny	The Day the Crayons Quit
Use a Conflict	Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
Use Alliteration	Walter the Farting Dog
Rhyme your Titles	Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Try Using a Single Word	Chomp

3.      Middle-Grade Books:

Next up, we have middle-grade books. These books are specially made for young readers who have started developing a passion for reading. These books have more vocabulary and can often be divided into chapters to make the story more readable. With Professional book writing, you need to ensure the titles create intrigue and make them curious to read it. Let’s take a look at the tips for naming them:

Book Naming Tips	Examples
Make it Humorous	Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Utilize Wordplay to your Advantage	The Mysterious Benedict Society
Peek their Curiosity	The Secret Keepers
Use Age Appropriate Long Titles	The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
Use Story Location	Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
One Word Titles also Work	Goosebumps
Introduce the Main Character	Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone

4.      Young Adult and Up:

If you’re targeting a more mature audience, like teens, giving a good title is all the more important. Here are some tips you can follow to avoid generic titles:

Book Naming Tips	Examples
Consider Book Genre While Naming	The Hunger Games
Make it Search Engine Friendly	The Fault in Our Stars
Name it On a Phrase in the Book.	To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Name it On a Character	Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Name it Based on the Conflict	The Maze Runner

Other Strategies You Can Use for Naming Books:

Apart from these useful tips, here are some more strategies that may come off as useful while deciding on a name for your book:

1.      Consider Your Audience Opinion:

When deciding on a name during children’s book writing, one great way of deciding on a name is to use professionalism to your advantage. Consider two to three names using the tips above. Next, show those names to publishers, librarians, and booksellers for their opinion. As they have more experience with dealing with books than others, they can share valuable insight that you can integrate to come up with a more suitable name for your book.

2.      Use A/B Testing:

You could also consider using a poll to grasp the opinion of the public or your target audience. Audience polls through A/B testing can help get an idea of what titles are more likely to attract readers.

3.      Read the Title Out Loud:

If you aren’t sure if the title fits, try reading it aloud. Is it easily pronounceable? Do you find yourself getting tongue-tied or stuck when pronouncing it? Will you be comfortable repeating the title over and over while promoting your book? Taking all these factors into consideration will help develop a more appropriate title.

Final Note:

All in all, naming your book, although it may sound simple, is actually far more complex. It’s a crucial part of children’s book writing that helps get the right audience to your book. By using the tips provided, you are more than ready to create perfect titles for your book.

FAQs:

1.     How Do You Pick a Title for a Children’s Book?

The best way to pick a title during children’s book writing is:

• Consider professional opinion
• Use A/B Testing
• Read it Out Loud

2.     How Do You Develop a Book Title?

Here are some common ways of developing a book title for children’s books:

• Make a Humorous Title
• Use a Conflict
• Use Alliteration
• Rhyme your Titles
• Try Using a Single Word

3.     What is a Good Title for the Story?

A good title for a story is one that considers the book’s genre, piques the reader’s curiosity, and makes them want to pick the book.

4.     How to Write Your Own Book?

If you’re planning on writing a book, make sure you have a professional book editor on board to help you navigate all the complexities of book writing.