This is a reupload of a post from Instagram originally made in June of 2022 with some edits for improved clarity and accuracy. All ideas expressed are personal opinions based on my experience as a writer. Thanks for reading!
- Look to your story for important/recurring symbols/motifs/etc. Is there an object associated with the main character? Some key item the protagonist needs to attain?
- Consider using the protagonist’s name or title.
- Consider using the names of significant organizations within your story, if you have any!
- You can use the premise of your story as its title (see: Radio Apocalypse).
- Keep it short, impactful, and memorable.
- Brainstorm a list of potential ideas; write down anything and everything that comes to mind. You can narrow the list down later.
- Consider using significant locations within the story (town names, store names, and so on).
- Find book title generators online! You can tweak the results according to the content of your book.
- Look at titles within your genre and see what kind of general pattern they usually follow. Most titles will have some genre-appropriate keywords in them.
- Ask other people! Have your friends vote on titles and provide feedback.
- Finish the book before you give it an official title. Usually for me, I’ll slap some working title on the document as a placeholder. Often the placeholder title will stick. Even if it doesn’t, it’s a good place to start!
- Think about your book’s core themes and messages. What do you want your book to say? How can you incorporate that into a title?
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