Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Good Recipe Book Title

Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Good Recipe Book TitleStep-by-Step Guide to Writing a Good Recipe Book TitleA catchy, selling book title sometimes erupts spontaneously from the mind of the author, the editor or someone in the publisherbeis marketing or sales department. More often, however, writing a book titlelike everything else about thoughtfully publishing a bookinvolves work.For the book publishing- and food-loving biopicJulie and Julia, about thebest-sellingcookbook authorJulia Child, screenwriter and director Nora Ephron wrote a wonderful scene about writing a book title involving a lot of brainstorming and then an Aha moment. Save for the invention of word processing the scene rings true as one method by whichbook editorsand authors think up their book titles.If youre in the process of titling a book, learn how to be your own book title generator. The following is a bit more structured method to help get your creative - and marketing - juices flowing. 01Determine What Ideas You Want Your Book Title to Get AcrossDetermine what ideas you want your book title to get across. Julia Child and her co-authors wanted to bring authentic French cooking to the American homemaker, who was likely to be unfamiliar with recipes or methods.Keeping in mind the books promise to readers, make a list of ideas of what youd like the title to convey, and the emotional response youd like target readers to have, and words that might suggest those ideas.For example, if youve written a simple story to help young children start reading, your list might includeEncourage readingMake the book sound appealing to reluctant readersLet the readers identify with the charactersReading isnt a choreReading can be funMake them want to readFunPrimerPlayRead?02Brainstorm Book Title IdeasGenerate a lot of book title ideas around the contents of the bookwords, phrases, fragments. Make your list as long as possible. Dont worry if the ideas are silly or weird dont limit yourself or judge your lis t at this point, just get them down on paper (maybe even on index cards, like Julia Child and Judith Jones did).To help you brainstorm your book title, you can use the help of an online book title generator as well as this fun method, which emulates what often happens in some book publishers packaging meetings.Gather some friends of friends to help (more neutral than actual friends bribing them with food and drink usually works). Share with the group the list of ideas and emotional responses you made in step 1 and tell them to go at it. Remember, no judgments In her memoir, My Life in France, Julia Child wrote that some of the brainstormed early ideas included French Magicians in the Kitchen, Method in Cuisine Madness, French Cooking from the American Supermarket, The Witchcraft of French Cooking, and Food-France-Fun.Heres a sampling of ideas for our early reading titleE-Z Reading with FriendsReading Can Be FunDick and Jane with Mother and Father, Spot and Puff... and Sally, tooSimp le Stories for Simple PeopleNot Long on Plot, But Boy, Youll Learn to ReadIf your book needs a subtitle, use the saatkorn method for brainstorming subtitles to complement your title selectionsDick and Jane and Friends A Simple Story for Young ReadersReading Can Be Fun The Dick and Jane Episodes03Refine Your Book TitleSome book title ideas will seem naturally better than others pare down your list of titles (along with appropriate subtitles, if applicable).The Adventures of Dick and JaneDick and Jane and FriendsReading Can Be Fun with Dick and JaneRead for FunEasy Reading with Dick, Jane, and Friends?04Research Your Books CompetitionIf youre very familiar with the market and competition for your book (and youd better well be), the most obvious competitive books are top of mind and too much research into other peoples work too early in the process can hinder your creative free flow.But after your brainstorming and narrowing, you should google your book title and look it up on Amazon.c om. Sometimes your most brilliant idea is... already out there. And, while you cant copyright a title, and you should be aware (and beware) of marketplace confusion.Is the coast clear for your top book title picks?Reading Can Be Fun with Dick and JaneThe Adventures of Dick and JaneEasy Reading with Dick, Jane, and Friends05Socialize and Solicit OpinionsSocialize your top choices for a book title get the opinions of others who you trust - readers in your genre, as well as your local booksellers and librarians, are good choices. Despite all your own book title work, showing the top contenders around might just spur an idea you hadnt yet thought of...How about just Fun with Dick and Jane?Writing good book titles is an art and a skill and hitting on the right title for a book is often an Aha moment. (In Julia Childs case, the winner was, of course, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.