If you’re anything like me, coming up with a title for a story may be a little challenging. But it’s vital. As stated in the article Coming Up With the Perfect Title for Your Novel on NYBookEditors.com:
“Your novel’s title is your siren call, luring readers to your story despite any obstacles in their way.”
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.
What Makes a Good Title?
Before we can write the best title for a love story, we need to know what makes a title good. The following list comes in part from an article called How to Come Up With the Best Title for Your Book on the Masterclass website):
It’s 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?
It’s 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.
It’s 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.
Tips on Coming Up With the Best Title for a Love Story
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.
If you would like to learn about how to write a love story, take a look at the article How to Write a Love Story by Polly Watt on the Fictionary blog.
References and Further Reading
https://authority.pub/love-story-book-title/
https://blog.reedsy.com/book-title-generator/romance/
https://www.imagineforest.com/blog/romance-title-generator/
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-come-up-with-the-best-book-title
https://nybookeditors.com/2017/02/coming-perfect-title-novel/
https://scribemedia.com/how-to-title-book/
Article Written by Sherry Leclerc
Sherry Leclerc is a Fictionary Certified StoryCoach editor, Fictionary content creator, Writer’s Digest certified copy editor, and independent author. She is a member of Editor’s Canada, the Canadian Authors Association (CAA), and The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi).
Sherry holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature and a B.Ed. She is the sole proprietor of Ternias Publishing, through which she offers various editorial services. She also has a YouTube channel where she has a vlog about writing and editing, titled The Mythic Quill. You can find it on Youtube .
Sherry currently lives in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. You can contact her at [email protected] or [email protected]
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