A short instructional video transcript by Brian Tracy outlining a six-step process for choosing effective book titles. Tracy emphasizes targeting your niche/genre, brainstorming (mindstorming), balancing information with intrigue, using emotional/elite words, creating a strong hook, differentiating via search, and testing title ideas with audiences. The clip ends with a call-to-action to download a worksheet and invite viewer comments.
Hello, I'm Brian Tracy and today I want to talk to you about how to find the best title for your book. A successful book title should tell people what the book is about while also adding intrigue. Have you ever picked up a book because you were captivated by the title? Well, did you know that effect was intentional and it can be replicated. You see, best selling authors spent countless hours choosing a great title for their book. It's an important step of the book writing process and will have a huge impact on the success of the book launch. The best book titles will speak to their target audience while stirring emotions, hooking their interests and informing the readers of what they can expect. They stick in the minds of potential readers, making them one of the most important elements in book marketing. Fortunately, there is an easy way to dissect the elements of successful book titles and replicate them in your own work. That's why today I'm going to share with you my most successful tips for writing the best title for your book. First, you'll need to target your niche, your audience. Who are you writing for, and what is your genre? Genre is the biggest factor in determining a good title because the genre tells you what your audience wants. You want to come up with a title that matches the genre, partly to attract potential buyers and partly to set up and meet expectations. And expectations are very important. For example, not many fiction lovers want to read a book called how the Canyon Became Grand, a more compelling line down the great unknown, journey of discovery and tragedy through the Grand Canyon. Similarly, a financial book will do better if it addresses a consumer's need in the title, such as your 2022 guide to saving on taxes, rather than a lofty, ambiguous name like the Debt Eraser formula. The second tip to writing your very best book is to brainstorm. Think about the genre, major events, and the takeaway from your book and set your mind free to brainstorm possible titles, long and short, good and bad. Don't make any premature judgments. Just start writing down ideas. This is called brainstorming, or what I call mindstorming, which is one person pumping ideas, whereas brainstorming is where a group of people pumps out ideas. Look at the titles of other books on the bestsellers list in your same niche. Then create a title that is more emotionally charged. And this is really important. If there's no emotion in the title, then people will just pass it by. Be sure to add elements that make readers curious enough to pick up your book and open the COVID Make titles memorable, easy to say, and searchable. Equally important is to use elite words that are descriptive and persuasive and trigger a positive or negative emotional reaction. Words that make people feel scared, safe, encouraged, angry, curious, uncomfortable or hopeful are examples of emotionally charged elite words that can make an effective book title. Dedicate lots of time to this brainstorming exercise. It can make all the difference between success and failure. Once you have a good list of titles, try to choose three or four or five that hit on the most important points that I've mentioned. The third tip for your best book title is to inform and yet intrigue. A successful book title should tell people what the book is about while also adding intrigue. Give away enough of what your book is about, but not too much. One way to do this is to offer a compelling solution to something such as the seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The book itself was average, but the title made it a worldwide bestseller. This title both informs the topic and promises to give the reader the inside scoop on productive people's lives. You can also sum up your book in a few short words that encapsulate the theme of your book, but piques curiosity like the slight edge. Another great way to captivate your readers is to structure the story title in such a way that it eludes to a great work of literature. Lines of famous Shakespearean plays, quotes from religious scripture, and phrases from other well known pieces often have the effect of drawing in potential buyers and making them curious about what it's about. My fourth tip for how to find the best title for your book is to hook your audience. Nothing gets someone to pick up a book or click on an ebook better or faster than a compelling hook in your title. A good hook can add an air of mystery that causes people to read past the COVID A hook can come in many forms, such as making an unusual claim, working a joke into the title, or giving something seemingly valuable for free in the title. The next tip is to differentiate your title. Ensure there isn't something already out there with your ideas. An easy way to do this is by simply putting your book title idea into the search bar on Amazon or Google and see what pops up. You want to differentiate your book title from from the competition to make sure you stand out as well as garner authenticity with your audience. My sixth and final tip for creating the best title for your book is to test your ideas. What is its potential? Imagine people referencing it and talking about your book title with colleagues. Does it sound right? Does it sound interesting? Ask your friends and followers on social platforms their opinions as well. Many authors create focus groups on social media to get input and feedback for book content and titles, share your title ideas, and let potential readers help you to land the best, most intriguing and most compelling title for your book. It may be tough to make your final selection, but by going through this six step process, the title you finally choose to use for your book will have a much better chance of making it to the best sellers list. You can use my Step by Step worksheet in choose youe Book Title in four Easy Steps. Click the link below to access it and get started now. I'd love to hear from you. So my question today is what are some tips that have worked well for you in finding the best title for your book? Or what additional questions do you have about the book writing process? Leave a comment below and I'll be sure to follow up with you. If you enjoyed this video and feel it was valuable in teaching you about how to find the best title for your book, subscribe to my channel like this video and share this video with your friends. Don't forget to click the button on the screen for a free gift. Thanks again for watching.
