Book 2 in the City of Fountains series, No Stone Unturned, is being launched on June 5, 2018. In preparation for its release I have been working on the beginning of book 3. With that comes giving it a title. I thought I had it. Then I started listening to a new audiobook.
I had a working title for book 3 then realized the book I was listening to (by a well-known author) had the same title. Now what? As I brainstorm for a new title I decided it might be helpful to think about how book titles and characters are named.
Let’s start with character names. It is no big secret that the characters in most fiction books are compositions of people the author knows. 
The personality of one friend or the snarky attitude of a store clerk may find its way into a piece of work. But how do you decide on character names?
One of the women in my writer’s group, Topsail Writers, brought this up at one of our meetings. I had not really given it a lot of thought as most of my novels take place in current day. The biggest challenge I had encountered up to that point was choosing names that rang true to the character I was creating. But, as my friend pointed out, the book is set in a different time? If the novel’s setting is 1903 England, choosing a name like Brooke, might not ring true. Some suggestions:
- Thanks to the Internet one can find names appropriate for just about any era.
- Buy a baby book. There are so many options to choose from. Plus, you can learn the meaning of the name(s) and find one that fits your character.
- Newspapers, magazines, books, etc.
How about titles? It should be something catchy; something that will make a potential reader pick it off the shelf. Some suggestions:
- Check your title to make sure it isn’t already being used.
- Think about the story – is there something that will give your reader a hint at the plot?
- If your novel is part of a series, then there needs to be something that ties them together. Perhaps it’s a play on words like James Patterson uses in the Alex Cross series. Or a numbering like Janet Evanovich does in her Stephanie Plum series.
While we are on the topic of titles, let’s talk book covers. I know people say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but we all do it. So, make sure you don’t scrimp on your cover art. Use a good designer and make sure it fits the image you had in your mind.
Finally – have fun and be creative!