How to Make Your Book Title a �Promise�

Got a Non-Fiction Book? Tell Your Reader What�s In It for Them!

GE. We bring good things to life.Not a promise in a strict sense, but in way, the feeling it evoked was.Burger King. Have it your way.One Path And 101 Pointers For Discovering Fresh IdeasIf you like your Swiss Steak a bit spiecier, try this one. You will need:

• round or chuck steak, (tenderize the steak first),
• 15 ounce can of tomato sauce,
• 1 large onion sliced,
• 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and
• 8 ounces of your favorite picante sauce or salsa.

Now, someone can look at the title and know instantly what the book is about and the benefits they�ll get from reading it.What do they all have in common? They�re promises. They tell you what you can count on. Same with a brand. Think Dove soap. Tiffany�s. Volvo. IBM. Any doubt as to the promise in those brands? Keep this in mind as you create your book title.If you�re writing non-fiction, your title and subtitle are as crucially important as a great-looking cover. And in many respects, a title is similar to a corporate tagline, something I have a good bit of experience through my commercial writing career. Let�s look at some famous taglines:UNSTUCK! Kick Down Those Roadblocks and Finish Your Novel Now!Serve with salad and (baked) potatoes.For the first recipe you will need the following ingredients:

• a covered baking dish,
• 2 pounds of steak,
• salt, pepper,
• garlic powder,
• 1 onion sliced,
• 4 ounce can of drained mushrooms, and
• 1 15 ounce can of tomato sauce.

Writing Your Novel: A Quick and Easy Guide to Getting It DoneKnow what the #1 best-selling trade paperback of 2002 was, according to Publishers Weekly? A cookbook! And one that sold 1.8 million copies. Title: The Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: Feasting With Your Slow Cooker. (Authors: Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good). Now is that a promise or what?by Peter BowermanWell, when I told him his title needed work, he wasn�t exactly overjoyed. I must confess, I felt a bit like the parent telling his daughter that, despite the fact that the wedding is two weeks away, invitations sent, and caterer, florist, photographer and band paid for, I thought her intended betrothed is a loser and it�s not too late to call it off. Here was a book � a really good, interesting, valuable and yes, creative book � purporting to help people be more creative, and its title simply wasn�t.*************The first step is to cut your steak into serving sizes, season the steaks with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.If you decide to try to prepare one on your stove top use any of the recipes that you find, just cook on the stove top and check often.Again, a promise. And while she liked it, she initially resisted it, more out of attachment and inertia. But, she quickly realized that she needed to think of her buyer, and came to love it as she saw that it truly captured her heartfelt mission for the book.NOTE: the following suggestions apply to non-fiction works.Can�t land a publisher? Do it yourself, and make a living from it! Check out a free report on self-publishing at www.wellfedsp.com, home of author Peter Bowerman�s award-winning 2007 release, The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living.(Adapted from The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living, by Peter Bowerman. Fanove, 2007. www.wellfedsp.com).These Swiss steak recipes call for them to be baked in the oven, but you can also prepare them in the above mentioned ways.ZING! Five Steps & 101 Tips for Creativity on CommandAnother Case StudyThe Color Book: A Book of Ideas to Inspire Young ArtistsIn another case, I was hired to mentor a new self-publishing author, an ad industry veteran who�d written book on creativity. While he wanted to tap my expertise on a variety of nuts and bolts issues, in his mind, his cover artwork (and photography) was paid for and nailed down, along with, of course, his title, too:He took my advice, revisited the idea, he and I and a bunch of his friends (via email) brainstormed a bunch of jazzier titles, and here�s what he ended up with:Speaking of Creativity�Place the steak in the baking dish, add the onion on top and then pour in the remainder of the ingredients. Bake at 250 degrees for around 20 minutes.My thinking? For starters, her title made sense to her, given what she knew about the concept, none of which was self-evident to a buyer. Just as importantly, it was potentially confusing; it could mean a lot of things (i.e. color swatches, history of color, etc.). Finally, it didn�t explain what the book was and didn�t begin to really do justice to the book�s mission. I suggested something I felt was more descriptive of that mission:You will not find many recipes that tell you how you to cook Swiss steak on top of the stove, but it can be done.Some time back, I got an email from an ebook author who wanted a blurb for his upcoming book on writing. I couldn�t help but notice that his title seemed a bit weak. The book was about getting past the obstacles that most fiction writers encounter on the way to finishing their books. The original title was:Her rationale: color and choice of color were fundamental to a child�s artistic development (and the book was so colorful). I questioned the main title, even though she hadn�t asked me to critique it, and in fact, considered it set in stone.The Field Guide to Creativity:You can always add just a bit more tomato sauce or even a small amount of water if needed.

Can�t land a publisher? Do it yourself, and make a living from it! Check out a free report on self-publishing at www.wellfedsp.com, home of author Peter Bowerman�s award-winning 2007 release, The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living.

Author: Peter Bowerman