If you’re anything like me, coming up with a title for a story may be a little challenging. But it’s vital.
I usually have a working title while I’m writing, then take the time to nail down a good title later. Here are some tricks to help you name your love story.
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What Makes a Good Book Title?
Before we can write the best title for a love story, we need to know what makes a title good.
A Good Book Title Is Memorable
I remember an incident about fifteen years ago when someone asked me what my favorite movies were.
I had just watched one that I really loved that left an impact on me, but I wasn’t able to remember the name. Of course, he asked me how it could have been a favorite if I couldn’t even give the title.
I could picture my favorite scenes, I could remember my favorite pieces of dialogue, but I couldn’t remember the title, because it wasn’t memorable.
That title did not do justice to the story, and it was a great story. But that the title was not memorable meant that I couldn’t name it, look it up again to rewatch it (without asking around some), or recommend it to others.
And, of course, as writers, we do not want this same type of thing to happen to our books.
But what about a title makes it memorable?
A Good Book Title Is Unique
There are benefits to following trends in your specific sub-genre of romance or love story, which I will touch on more below. However, you also want it to be something unique, so that when readers hear the title, they know it refers to your book. And making it unique also helps make it memorable.
It might be a good idea to do an online search for your possible title choices as well, to make sure there are no other books out there with the same title that it could be easily mistaken for.
A Good Book Title Is Evocative
Craft the title so that it conjures imagery and emotions particular to your genre, sub-genre, and story. And like with a unique title, readers are more likely to remember evocative titles.
How to Come up with Love Story Titles
Look at other books in your genre and sub-genre
There are many sub-genres of love story/romance out there, each with their own unique characteristics. For example, a historical romance is going to have very different characteristics than a science-fiction romance. And these differences are often reflected in the titles.
Added to this, there are often trends in naming conventions within the sub-genres.
Since trends come and go, it’s a great idea to consider the bestselling books in your sub-genre once you’re ready to title your own. It can be tricky, though, to follow trends while also making it unique
The following examples are evocative of the sub-genre, are unique, and are memorable:
- A Wolf’s Unlikely Mate by Caroline S. Hillard (paranormal romance)
- Better off Wed by Portia MacIntosh (romantic comedy)
- Pucking Around by Emily Rath (sports romance and romantic comedy)
- Night Train to Marrakech by Dinah Jefferies (historical romance).
Consider your story and story setting
Are there elements of your story’s plot and setting that are memorable and unique and can be used in your title?
Consider your protagonist
What is special about your main character? Is there a particular struggle or obstacle that the lovers must overcome in order for their love story to happen? Is there any way to incorporate these into your title?
Make a list of possible titles
Instead of trying to settle for one right from the start, make a list of possible contenders for the title of a love story.
This will also give you the opportunity to ask for the opinions of beta readers and ARC reviewers. It also provides a great opportunity to engage with your readers. For example, you can narrow it down to two or three choices for the title, and then create a post on social media that you can then have your followers vote on, or you can put a poll in your author newsletter.
If all else fails, try a romance title generator
Reedsy has a book title generator you can set to a particular genre (like romance). There is also a romance title generator on the Imagine Forest website. There are probably many more than these out there as well.
One reason I’m not fond of using title generators is that they know nothing about your characters, the setting, the storyline, and so on.
So, they are highly unlikely to come up with a title that’s perfect for your novel.
However, if you find yourself stuck and out of inspiration, using a generator might provide you with ideas or inspiration which, with the help of the tips above, can help you choose the best title for a love story.
Romance Book Title Ideas
Now, lets look at some ideas for love story book titles. You can use these book titles as a springboard for your own book.
- Love in Bloom
- Whispers at Midnight
- Dancing Under the Moon
- Finding Light in Darkness
- Serenading My Heart
- Thank you Mr. Monolite
- Mist Giver
- The Time of the Ruby
- East of Carzen House
- Embracing the Past
- A Star-crossed Romance
- The Dangers of Destiny
- Two Magnets Inverted
- Echoes Across Eternity
- Pieces of the Puzzle