
Do you like writing and are you able to create your own stories? If so, surely on more than one occasion you have asked yourself what title can I give my story or book. Sometimes the title seems to only come to mind, but at other times it is not easy to find the right one.
Those first words, which appear on the cover of a story, are the author’s first contact with the reader and are of utmost importance. If you want to start writing a book and you want to know how to choose a title for a book, short story or novelTake note because at OneHOWTO we give you the keys to get a title with a ‘hook’ and some ideas that can serve as inspiration.
How to choose the name of a book – Tips
The objective of the title is, above all, capture the attention of those who read it and awaken the desire to discover the story that the story hides. Getting it depends on different factors and the first of them that you should consider is the literary genre from the book. With this in mind, some practical tips to know how to make a good title are:
- The title is the first clue on the subject of the book and should have a line and style similar to the content set. A mystery book asks for a title that is intriguing, a love book has to give off romanticism and, for example, a funny or humorous book should get the first smile when reading it.
- Help yourself with keywords. They cannot be missing in a title that captures the reader and you can identify them because they are the ones that give identity and strength to the story. For example, words like: magic, dreams, legend, princess, or adventure are good to include in titles for children and young people, others like: romance, deception, betrayal, soul, or others can be key in a title for a story of love. Crime, secret, curse … these are the perfect words to give strength to a mystery or horror novel. You know, you look for the ‘keywords’ of your story and include them in the title.
- The extension is also important and, in this sense, always short titles are preferable, because they are more impressive and easy to remember. Sometimes a word or two may be enough. The name of the protagonist, as Vladimir Nabokov does in Lolita, or the place where the action takes place, such as Winter in Lisbon by Antonio Muñoz Molina, they can be good ideas. This does not mean that you cannot make a long title, but if you choose this option, you should make the title ingenious and that the words always contribute without boring.
- The contrasts and word games They are another good resource that can provide you with title ideas. Loneliness in company, the ignorance of the wise man or the cold under the sun are possible imaginary titles that explain this idea of contrasts in which to inspire you.
The process of writing a story or a book is arduous, and many times we may feel that we do not have enough inspiration to complete it. Here are some tips so you know how to get inspired to write.

Names for children’s books
You have endless options for children’s book titles capable of awakening the interest and curiosity of the little ones. You can create it around the name of your protagonist, as Lewis Carroll did with his world famous Alice in Wonderland, pose an enigma in the title itself, give a clue about the moral that your story contains, invite you to travel to wonderful imaginary worlds, or give life and personality to animals or objects.
Do you want some examples of possible titles for children’s books? Perhaps these will inspire you and you can adapt them to the content of your story:
- The dog that did not know how to bark
- The magic scooter
- Luisa and the enchanted labyrinth
- When the forest speaks
- The secret hiding place of the unicorn
- The train that reached the stars
- Where is the captain hiding …?

Names for love books
Some proper names have already become classic love stories, as is the case with Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, but if you are looking for a name for a love book remember that among the infallible words that can help you get a good title you have: passion (The Turkish Passion, Antonio Gala), desire, soul, love, couple, farewell, meeting (Love in times of anger, Gabriel Garcia Marquez).
In addition, you can combine them with others that evoke landscapes, cities, a certain time of year, as well as include in your title the touch that best suits the text: sensual, romantic, nostalgic. As suggestions we leave you some title ideas for love novels:
- An unexpected meeting in Madrid (or any other city)
- Discover true love
- Just you and me
- The coldest winter without you
- The awakening of passion
- Leave everything for love
- The desire to love forever
- I will never leave you
- Love story on the lake
- Passion on the island
- Revenge after betrayal
- Blind Date

Names for autobiographical books
Have you decided to tell your own story or an episode in your life that you consider important? In this case, it is not enough to just headline by putting your own name, but you need to arouse interest with a phrase that invites you to meet, for example, you can include in the title some detail of your personality or your own life, such as:
- My life in a hostile city
- The difficult road traveled
- My best years traveling the world
- Maria (or any other name): Story of a woman
- Fighting for my dreams
- How I came to be what I am
- Lights and shadows
Names for youth books
Always keeping in mind the specific theme of your story, the titles for young people’s books will help capture the attention of the youngest readers by including words that invite action and adventure, especially in the company of good friends. It is advisable to use a simple and direct style. In addition, whenever appropriate, including a concept about new technologies or other topics of special interest to young people is also a good hook. Here are some suggestions that can serve as inspiration if you don’t know what to name a book.
- The greatest adventure ever told
- Hunt for the hacker
- The most dangerous game on the Net
- The watchers of Mars
- Youth in rebellion
- The secret that the schoolyard hid
- That first summer
Names for fantasy books
They must have enough impact to trap the reader in fantastic worlds that can go from the deep sea floor to the universe. The imagination has no limits and, in this case, the evocative power of the title. Word games, impossible realities, dream trips to the past or future or unreal beings that only exist in the mind can be the protagonists of a name for a fantasy book. As examples we leave you these suggestions:
- The goblin who escaped from the Shadow Realm
- Beyond the moon
- The glass city
- The enchanted garden where the music lived
- Eternity is not how you imagine
- Teleported
- What the solar storm brought
- The legend of the Blue Castle
We invite you to visit our article How to write a fantasy book to learn more tips and advice.

Names for horror books
To get it right when choosing a good title for a mystery book, you should focus on the most powerful elements of your story. It may be a mysterious place, a person who hides a secret or something that scares and intrigues in equal parts, such as spirits or paranormal events. According to the plot, some proposals of names for horror novels in which to inspire you could be:
- The shadows in the corner house
- The killer in the mirror
- The man with two faces
- The eighth dimension
- Dead end game
- The nameless grave
- The strange case of the detective who went crazy
- The grotto

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