It’s time to finalize a title for my book so that I can move forward in some other areas – like acquiring a domain name, developing a website, deciding on a cover design, etc. The only problem is that I’m stuck, stuck, stuck. It became apparent last week, after getting some helpful advice from my cover designer, that the working title I’ve been using needs to be replaced with a more appropriate title. Here’s a great piece of advice she offered,

“…try imagining that you know nothing about your book at all. When you pick it up, what would the title and picture have to ‘say’ for you to know what it’s about and want to read it? Then start brainstorming with that as a base.”

So that’s what I’ve been trying to do. I’ve been praying a lot and also reflecting on some of the things Todd Hafer (the workshop presenter at last Friday’s Write it Right workshop) emphasized in his presentation. He is the one who created the book division of Hallmark and he said he receives 700 books/book proposals a month! The number one thing he looks for is a “hook.” He illustrated what he meant by explaining that since he deals a lot with gift books, what he looks for is a book that will cause someone to read the title and think, “This would be perfect for so-and-so!” Transferred to the book buyer looking at books for themselves, it might be along the lines of a title that would cause the potential buyer to think, “This is just what I need!”

The title must captivate while also accurately reflecting the tenor of the book. Somehow I feel like I’m expending more mental energy trying to come up with a title than I am writing the whole rest of the book!