How to Write a Fabulous Book Title and Reach Your Audience

Are you musing over the title for your new book? Do you have a title in mind?

Writing a book title is a process, just like writing the book. If you have thought of a title, it might be the perfect one—or it might be just the first option.

Be sure to come up with several titles before you decide on what will go on the cover. When you have two or three ideas, present them to people whose opinion you value. Ask which one they prefer and why. Note down their replies. Ideally, the people you ask will be readers, and some should be readers of books like yours.

Here are five tips for writing a great book title. It should be

CATCHY. If it doesn’t grab people’s attention, they might pass over it while looking for their next book. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari has been a bestseller for years. The subtitle tells people what the book is about: A Brief History of Humankind. Vernon Sankey’s The Stairway to Happiness captures the imagination and may be just what the reader is looking for.
MEMORABLE. Wheels Up! by Jeanine Kitchell has just two words, and it’s a cinch to remember. Without remembering the title, no one can add it to their wish list or recommend it to friends and family.
INTRIGUING. People should be curious to know more. No One’s Business by Vadim Turcanu makes readers wonder what the author has to say. Everyone can relate to the title (and the memoir is fascinating).
RELEVANT. To get an inkling of the book’s subject, the title is a reader’s first clue. The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham and Meet Your True Self Through Meditation by Swami Shyam tell people exactly what the books are about. Another relevant title is Weight Training Without Injury by Fred Stellabotte and Rachel Straub.
EASY TO SAY. This one sounds simple, but it’s critical. If people struggle to speak the title aloud, they will be subtly repelled by it. John Gray’s second book, What Your Mother Couldn’t Tell You and Your Father Didn’t Know isn’t just hard to remember, but it’s also hard to say. It sold far fewer copies than his first book, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. Fans might love Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude and Other Commandments I Have Broken, but the title is hard to say and even harder to remember.
Think about how easy it is to say Kenneth Grahame’s title, The Wind in the Willows—the words roll off your tongue (like a breeze). Or Bill Bryson’s title: Shakespeare.

Your book title isn’t just a title. It’s instant free advertising. It’s a marketing tool for both fiction and nonfiction, including children’s books. Take the time to choose your title carefully. Make sure readers are moved by it and that they remember it.

After all, you are a writer—so write a good book title!

By Jill RonsleyPublishing, WritingComments Off

Wheels Up: A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival by Jeanine Kitchel

Jeanine Kitchel’s new book, Wheels Up: A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival, was released this summer, and reviewers have already given it a well-deserved 4.5 to 5 stars. Its high ratings have led to recognition by The New York Book Review, whose review is published in the Sept. 27, 2018 issue.

Wheels Up: A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival is Jeanine Kitchel’s debut novel. Living in Mexico for 15 years gave her insight into the country’s multi-faceted culture as well as a closer look at the powerful cartels. Wheels Up uses that insight to catapult Layla Navarro, niece of Mexico’s most notorious drug lord, El Patrón, to the top of the cartel after his recapture. This is a story of triumph against all odds and also one of personal transformation as Layla struggles to survive in one of the cruelest institutions the world has ever seen.

Layla always wanted to run the family business. But is she willing to kill for it? When her notorious drug lord uncle is recaptured, Layla Navarro catapults to the top of Mexico’s most powerful cartel. Groomed as his successor, Layla knows where the bodies are buried. But not all the enemies. To prove her mettle, she accepts an offer to move two tons of cocaine from Colombia to Cancun by jet. The deal goes sideways during a stopover in Guatemala when she unexpectedly uncovers a human trafficking ring. Plagued by self-doubt she must navigate the minefield of Mexican machismo, outsmart government officials, and fight off gangsters. Even worse, she realizes she’s now become a target for every rival cartel seeking to undermine her new standing. From her lush base in the tropics, she’s determined to retain her dominant position in Mexico’s criminal world—if she can stay alive.

Available at Amazon and other venues.

By Jill RonsleyBook Design, Published, PublishingComments Off

A New Look in 2019

We are always changing with the times. Today, with the technological revolution, changes happen at lightning speed. Not long ago people surfed the internet only on their computers. Phones were meant for making phone calls. Tablets didn’t exist.

Now people use smartphones for just about everything, from surfing the web to taking photos to studying online —and even to writing books. And so, it was time to redesign suneditwrite.com—to make it smartphone-friendly and accessible anytime, anywhere.

Here, in this blog, I’ll publish posts about writing, editing, book design and publishing. I will announce new books in different genres—exciting works of fiction, interesting nonfiction, useful reference materials or recommended books for children. I will offer writing tips. And I’ll share news and views on books, writing and publishing.

Expression is a gift to writers and readers. Writers, never stop writing!

By Jill RonsleyAnnouncementComments Off