How to come up with a title:
Jot down ideas related to your book, circle particular words that are significant such as the main character, a key theme or an object that is one of the main focuses of the novel. Try putting the words together in various combinations and see which sounds best.
Think of songs that are like your novel and you can use part of the lyric or the title of the song as the title of your novel.
Research other titles in that particular genre. See which titles work best and work out common themes and occurrences.
Test it by reading it out loud and ask your self the following questions. Does it sound catchy? Would it be a title you would want others to see? Does it link to the genre, theme or plot of the story?
Test it on Google by searching it. If lots of books and movies come up don't use it as your title. Test it by asking others what springs to mind when they read your title and see if what they come up with is relatable to your novel- This is called the relatable test.
Types of titles:
*The one word titles; avoid using generic titles because they are not eye catching such as "love" and are a bit blunt.
*The ten plus word titles, which leave you gasping for air. Not a good one to use for your book because your reader may pass out before they even open to the first page and will not be easily remembered.
*The statement titles; these are a statement, question or quote. If you use this make it unique and interesting.
*The... (and/with/or/of) titles. This works if the blanks are unique, interesting and creative. Or if the two things clash together. For example "The nerd and her armed rifle".
*Formula titles, for example "The + adjective + noun".
*The phrases titles. These are like statement titles but, roll off the tongue easier.
General Title Tips:
*Don't give away your whole plot in your title.
*Don't use text talk in your title.
*Avoid putting your title in all caps.
*Make sure you use capital letters at the start of your title of if your title contains a place or name.
*Use a capital at the start of significant words for example 'Lord of the Rings'. Here you will see of and the do not have capitals at the beginning because they are not important words, they should only have capitals if they are at a start of a sentence.
15 ways of coming up with a title and examples:
1) What your story is about-The Hunger Games, The Girl on the Train.
2) Fill in the blanks-I Know What You Did, It's in the Basement.
3) Mashups: Paranormal/sci-fi/classics- Robin Hood: Zombie Killers, Jane Eyre: The literacy classic with a blood sucking twist.
4) Allusion- The Fault in Our Stars, The Grapes of Wrath.
5) Imagery- Message in a Bottle, The Islands at the End of the World.
6) Contrasting ideas- Eyes Wide Shut, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.
7) Metaphors- Clockwork Orange, Catcher in the Rye.
8) Include your character's name- Looking for Alaska, The End of Alice.
9) Alliteration- The Wind in the Willow, Gone Girl.
10) When your story takes place- 1984, Forty Years in a Day.
11)Name it after your main character- Lola, Eleanor and Park.
12) Quirky titles- How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, What to Say When You Talk to Yourself.
13) Name it after where your story takes place- Station Eleven, The Lake.
14) Utterances- There You'll Find Me, I Was Told There'd Be Cake.
15) The one-word title- Passenger, When.
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