Now, here's the harder part. Naming it.

Lots of readers are captured by the title of the book. I'll try and dissect my own book titles, as they're in different categories, to show you how they best suit the book and genre they are in.

Why Wattpad Drives Me Crazy!
- it's an informal rant book, so using colloquial language in the title already indicates the light-heartedness of the book.
- it's a phrase lots of wattpader's can relate to. It's in first person (because of "me"), and so the readers knows it's personal.
- it's straight to the point. There's no reading the blurb to try and find what this one's about!

Finding Love
- "love" already suggests romance.
- the fact that "finding" is in present tense continuous suggests that whoever is looking for this "love" hasn't yet found it. It suggests a journey. Which is what the story is about.
- two words, and very simple ones. It gives it a more thought-provoking effect.

Lastly, Survivor's Guide to the Wattpad Jungle
- the extended metaphorical use of Wattpad being a jungle is quite comical
- it automatically appeals to any reader that is struggling with the site.
- it sounds very formal, yet the aforementioned extended metaphor suggests some sort of laid-back atmosphere.

I didn't really think about all of that when I named them, but in retrospect, I think they're very good titles.

Now, back to you. Here's things that good book titles do:

- they're punny. Yes, I mean "punny". A "pun" is a word play on a certain word, such that it has a double meaning.

- they play on clichés (common phrases) or other well-known idioms, expressions etc: Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella), A Brew to Kill, Roast Mortem (11-book mystery series by Cleo Coyle)

These series by Cleo Coyle capture humour in the play of words on the title. The books are set in a coffee shop, and so the references to coffee - "brew", "roast" - are very smart. Also, as it is a mystery series, there are hints of death - for obvious reasons in the first, (it's also a play on "A View to A Kill, which is a James Bond film). Then, the original phrase in the second is post Mortem, which is an examination on a dead body, so Roast Moretem is pretty smart, huh! You see where I'm heading with this?

- they play with your tongue. Be it a tongue twister, or alliteration or whatever it is, some gerat book titles have a bit of fun when it comes to saying them out loud. Famous Five, Secret Seven (Enid Blyton).

- good titles also give the reader an idea on what the book is about: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (J.K Rowling), the Adventures of Huckeleberry Finn (Mark Twain).

- But they still manage to keep an element of mystery to it: Twilight (Stephenie Meyer).

- they can be famous quotes or references, such as from songs.

- they use images

A couple of do's:
- make it relate to the genre - a serious murder story shouldn't have a funny title; a funny romance story shouldn't have such a serious title.
- be original
- be precise. It should be able to capture the whole book in a few words
- be smart. Readers like references they are familiar with, which is why books with clever song references or puns tend to capture their attention (I would definitely read a book called Grate Expectations).

A couple of don'ts:
- don't make it too long (6+ words is a bit much)
- don't copy other titles you've seen on Wattpad
- don't put in too much punctuation (if it's a relatively long title)

- don't be so cliché. Titles like Forever and The Bad Boy Loves Me have been overused on Wattpad. Try and be original when it comes to naming your stuff!

If you're having difficulties, try brainstorming with your friends. Write down a list of words (adjectives, verbs, nouns, names) and/or phrases related to your story, and toss them in a hat. Pick them out and try and combine them. For example, if your story is about a boy called Sam and his friend called Eric, and they're trying to get to the North Pole, your hat could contain words like:

Sam

Eric

North

Adventure

Snow

Cold

North Pole

Breeze

And so on. Then, say you pick out "North Pole" and "Adventure". How about North Pole Adventure? I'm sure you can think of much better words than me! So get going. You'll be naming your books in no time.

:D

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