3 Secrets to a Bestselling Book Title

Learn how you can come up with
a bestselling book title that your readers will buy.

Do you have a book title for your book--even though you haven’t written it yet?

I often meet people who say, “I want to write a book. What do you think about this title?”

I smiled politely and said, “Hmm… Too early to know.”
In our proven system, our authors choose book titles they’re confident will sell. Our proprietary process starts with brainstorming more than 100 titles and more than 20 subtitles. Then we narrow down from there.

So by the time our books are published, our authors are sure their audiences will like and buy their titles.

Our process is too long to share here, but I can give you these tips.

3 Secrets to bestselling book title:

1. Evocative

Bestselling book titles fire up the imagination.

These examples from our authors do that.

The Clarity Effect: Simple Leadership Principles to Create a Culture of Purpose, Passion, and Performance, by Debra Van Cleve.
Turnkey Revolution: How to Passively Build Your Real Estate Portfolio for More Income, Freedom, and Peace of Mind, by Chris Clothier.
Tell Your Story Before They Do: A guide to winning the battle of you versus you, by Nate Howard.

2. Topical

Bestselling titles also tell the reader what the book topic might be.

Here are some examples from our authors.

Happy Me, Happy We: Six steps to know yourself so you know what you want in a relationship, by Sarah Ruggera.
Jump Off the Mood Swing: A Sane Woman's Guide to Her Crazy Hormones, by Dr. Brendan McCarthy.
The Insider’s Guide to Private Lending: How to Earn Safe and Consistent Returns in Any Real Estate Market, by Jeff Levin.

3. Audience Tested

Bestselling titles have often been tested with ideal readers.

When Timothy Ferris was getting ready to publish his first book, he tested potential titles through Google Ads. The title with the most clicks? The 4-Hour Work Week.

In our proven process, we also have our authors test their audiences. Ideal readers are the best judges.

With one of our authors, John Beaudry, a landscape design expert, we came up with more than 200 possible titles. The title he loved most was Grounded.

But when John tested his ideal audience, their overwhelming favorite was Garden Sanctuary. He took the feedback. That book title is now the name of his business and movement, Garden Sanctuary: Designing for Comfort, Wholeness and Connection.

Of course, not all bestselling titles fit these guidelines. And many other factors go into choosing a winning title. But this is a good start.

Would you like coaching on your book title?

Click here.

We’ve helped dozens of authors with our proven process to choose winning book titles.

by Helen Chang, ABM Editorial Director

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