The Secrets to the Best Self-Help Book Titles—and Title Ideas: Author Advice from a Book Coach
In a matter of a second or two, someone will determine whether or not your book is relevant to them and whether it’s worth their time or money.
It starts with the title and subtitle.
That is especially the case for self-help books.
A good self-help book title will attract the readers you want to help—the people who need your help.
In the crowded marketplace for nonfiction books, yours needs to stand out.
If you don’t have a decent book title, you’ll lose some of the right readers.
In this article, geared toward American nonfiction authors, and written by a nonfiction book coach, we look at how to come up with a title for a self-help book.
(If you’re a US-based author writing a nonfiction book, click the links to learn more about nonfiction book coaching, to get a book outline critique, or to get help planning and organizing your book with the GET STARTED book coaching package.)
The self-help book title tips and ideas in this author resource . . .
will help your book connect with your ideal readers and compel them to buy.
Fiction vs. Nonfiction titles
The purpose of a fiction book is to tell a great story that will entertain readers.
For a fiction book, a title answers the question, “Does this look like a good story?”
Most fiction titles are often poetic, metaphorical, cryptic, or creative.
For nonfiction books, it’s very different.
For nonfiction, and self-help in particular, a title needs to answer the question, “What will I get out of this?”
Nonfiction books are written to provide a solution, to help readers bring about a transformation, to educate.
(In some cases, nonfiction books are meant to tell a true story, and often there are stories in books that provide a solution, transformation, or education.)
The most important thing your self-help book title must do is this:
A self-help book title must offer a solution to a problem and promise a transformation.
Self-help books need to paint the solution, the desired transformation that people will achieve—what they can attain—if they read the book.
The same is true for how-to and business books, as well as for books in the dieting & fitness, cooking, and food & wine categories.
Most of the time, a book’s title needs to deliver on this simple (and boring) prompt: “I’m writing a book about ___(what)__ for __(who)__, so they can accomplish __(goal)___.” —Todd Brison
Readers want a victory, a transformation, a revelation.
But the transformation offered needs to be specific, desired, believable, attention-grabbing, and easy-to-understand.
Ask yourself: In basic terms, what problem am I helping readers solve? And/or What transformation does this book promise?
Book titles use colorful adjectives to grab the readers’ attention or strike a chord with their emotions or desires. If you’re writing a book in one of these genres, include “power words.” (More on that later.)
Self-Help Book Title and Subtitle Strategies
Your best bet is to use a witty, attention-grabbing title with a subtitle that tells your reader what the book has to offer the reader—a transformation, benefit, or system that solves a problem or provides a solution.
The purpose of the general title is to grab the reader’s interest and give them an at-a-glance idea of what your book is about.
The subtitle is then intended to tell the reader exactly what they will learn from your book, and/or how your book will solve their problems.
The title is the hook or the concept, what your book is about.
It is short. Catchy. Could be funny. Memorable.
This is often the central theme or feeling associated with the book, the general idea, a universal concept or emotion.
The title is the essence of your book.
Your title needs to capture the essence of your book.
It could be a quality, a visual image, a metaphor, a place, a quote, a concept.
Ask yourself: What is the essence of my book? Does my title capture the essence of my book?
The subtitle is the sell.
It indicates what readers will get from your book, meaning the actionable solutions your book offers in the case of a self-help book.
Your subtitle needs to signal what the reader will learn from the book—the solution provided.
In addition,
subtitles give additional information, context, and keywords for the reader.
Subtitles help readers discover the book in online searches, and, in some genres, lure the reader in through descriptive words or intrigue them.
In the case of self-help books, subtitles appeal to their desires or emotions and indicate that the book offers a solution to problems they are having.
In most (but not all) cases, a book needs a subtitle.
Your subtitle should include the keywords people will be searching for. It needs to speak to the content of the book while sparking readers’ curiosity.
If it’s promising a benefit or transformation, that benefit or transformation has got to be touched on here while seeming believable and by appealing directly to the reader’s curiosity and emotions.
Ask yourself: In showing how this book will help them, does my subtitle provide additional information, context, and keywords, while also appealing to people’s desires and emotions?
Your self-help book title must also indicate to readers, “This book is for you, and it’s what you’re looking for.”
Your book can’t be everything to everyone. Target a specific problem. A specific reader.
Use language that’s consistent with your book and your audience. You don’t want to include millennial slang if you were writing a book for Boomers, now, would you?
You don’t want your title to be funny if it’s a serious book about coping with loss and grief.
The title needs to match the tone of the book.
And the words chosen need to make sense.
Ask yourself: Is it clear who my book is for?
The best self-help book titles are shareable, searchable, and memorable.
Your title needs to be shareable.
Your title has to be easy to remember and tell others about.
Stay clear of obscure words and words that people may misspell and mispronounce.
Stay clear of long words, jargon, and buzzwords.
Stay clear of embarrassing or edgy words if the purpose is not to sound embarrassing or edgy.
Avoid vulgarity; it will turn off too many readers and many retailers don’t allow it.
Ask yourself: Is my title something that can comfortably be said and rewritten?
Your title needs to be searchable.
Your title needs to be easy to find in an online search.
A good title contains elements of what people would search for on Amazon, Google, or even YouTube. You want people to be able to find your book easily when they search for the information that is in it.
Do the research. Visit Amazon. Search Books. Search the Kindle Store. See what appears in the searches you try, and see what populates in the auto-fill.
You want a title that stands out, but you also want to get a sense of keywords that people are searching for and make sure that you’re using those keywords in your title and/or subtitle. Search Amazon. Search Google or YouTube. See what automatically populates in the search bar.
When you find out what keywords people are searching for, and when you consider what words and phrases you didn’t incorporate into your title and subtitle, save them for your book description.
Are you or will you be frequently publishing ebooks, or are you new to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)? If so, there are keyword planning tools—free and paid—that show you what people are searching for, so you can use those words in your title and subtitle and increase your chances of being found and bought.
Publisher Rocket is one of the paid tools.
Ask yourself: Does my title include words or terms people are searching for?
Your title needs to be somewhat unique.
You don’t want to seem like a copycat, nor do you want to blend into the crowd.
Search Amazon, Worldcat.org (a collection of thousands of library catalogs), or the Library of Congress catalog to make sure that your title hasn’t already been used before. If it has, change your title.
Books in Print (which may require a subscription but is freely accessible through some libraries) is another way to do this.
Likewise, do a Google search to make sure there’s nothing offensive or controversial about the title. Titles are not copyright-able, but you don’t want your title to be lost in the crowd.
Ask yourself: Is my title unique (enough)?
More considerations for writing the perfect self-help book title:
Your title needs to be short.
Short titles are better.
Short titles are easier to say, type, tweet, and remember.
Shorter titles and shorter words are easier to see on book cover thumbnails and display better on ebooks.
Title (if accompanied by a subtitle): 1 to 5 words.
Subtitle: 12 or fewer words, ideally.
Total (title and subtitle): 10 to 18 words.
Amazon will allow up to 200 characters (way too many). But book catalogs and ordering systems limit the number of characters available for titles. One such catalog, Books in Print, uses a 92-character field, meaning it will only show about 12 words.
If you want your title to look good and be memorable to book buyers—retailers and readers—make sure the title isn’t too long.
Ask yourself: Is my title short?
Your title needs to speak to your readers’ emotions or desires.
Are there words in your title or subtitle that will grab someone’s attention and elicit some sort of reaction or emotional response?
Does your title indicate that your book will give them what they want.
Use descriptive words rather than bland words.
Especially for self-help books, experiment with words that spark curiosity, emotion, desire, or intrigue.
Here are some “power words” to try to incorporate into your title (or subtitle):
Amazing, Authentic, Breakthrough, Cutting-Edge, Delightful, Discover, Dramatic, Easy, Epic, Essential, Exclusive, Fascinating, Fast, Guaranteed, Inspire, Instant, Lifelong, Lifetime, Love, New, Perfect, Power, Powerful, Practical, Proven, Quality, Quick, Results, Secret(s), Simple Surprise, Terrific, Tested, Today, Thriving, Transform, Ultimate, Uncommon, Unique, Value, Visionary, Wild
These words spark curiosity. They spark emotions. They make people care more. They make your book sound more credible.
They’ve got to feel that whatever you’re offering is going to be fast, easy, better, time-saving, money-saving, problem-solving, comprehensive, fun, feel-good, or feel-better.
Using http://thesaurus.com, you can find synonyms that are more emotionally engaging. Try words or phrases that say to the reader, “Here’s a reliable way to get your desired solution.”
Words or phrases like “Proven System,” “Fast,” “Best,” x Steps to,” “Easily,” may be appropriate for some nonfiction titles.
These words might also be appropriate for some titles: I, You, Who, What, When, Where, Why.
Ask yourself: Does my title/subtitle intrigue readers and/or play to their emotions or desires?
To write and publish a book that readers will rave about,
you need a plan that works.
For self-help and how-to books, choose your verb tenses carefully.
Using no verbs in the subtitle often implies that the book is going to be a comprehensive how-to resource or elaborates on the title.
Using present-tense verbs sounds like a call to action.
Using verbs ending in -ing can indicate an ongoing or continuing process.
Ask yourself: Do my verb tenses choices signal a helpful resource, a call to action, or a process?
Your title needs to be phrased in a positive manner.
Unless your book’s content is intentionally provocative or critical, readers will respond better to a positively-worded title. Your book needs to sell a solution rather than a problem.
Ask yourself: Is my book phrased in a positive manner? Does it suggest a positive outcome?
Your title needs to follow the rules.
Your title needs to comply with online retailers’ requirements.
Here are the Amazon rules for titles: No claims of bestseller status; no claims of deals or discounts for buying the book; no references to other books or trademarks; no reference to other authors; no advertisements.
Any of this stuff can go in the book description or logline.
(To see 10 tips for writing a great book description, click here.)
It needs to be fewer than 200 characters—ideally around half that.
Your title will need to appear on your book cover.
Ask yourself: Does this title meet online retailers’ requirements?
**Self-Help book title formulas / templates**
(use these to generate book title ideas)
Below are some formulas—some self-help book title templates:
Tell them (and show them in the book) “How to” do something they want to be able to do.
Tell them the book offers a transformation (or what they’ll have when they’re done reading). You can literally substitute “a” for “the” in the title.
Show what your book will empower them to do, or that it will empower them to do something big.
Give them a list or a step-by-step plan, and/or tell them how long it will take.
Tell them what to say or do.
Tell them you have (everything/what) they need to know to solve their problem.
Tell them they can be a pro/expert, or that they can achieve the same transformation you did.
Signal that you’re giving them the “best,” “ultimate,” or “total” resource, tips, or solution(s).
Show them you can solve their problem with a unique system, by coining a unique phrase to describe the system. Atomic Habits, The 20/20 Diet, The 5 Love Languages, The Wim Hof Method
Promise to help them achieve some basic human desire.
How to Choose a Title for Your Self-Help Book
Jot down some words that people will be searching for and that will resonate with readers.
Experiment with different titles and subtitles.
Come up with at least TEN possible titles (most likely with a subtitle).
A colon typically immediately follows a title, then a space, then the subtitle.
Titles are written in italics.
In American English, titles are written in Title Case capitalization. That means prepositions (about, with, for, etc.) are not capitalized.
If you are unsure how to capitalize, use the free Capitalize My Title tool.
Additional Recommendations for Self-Help Book Titles
Ask people. Test your self-help book title ideas out on your audience and on experts.
Remember the TV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Contestants could “ask the audience” to vote on which answer they believed to be correct. They weren’t always right. But they were still a helpful lifeline more often than not.
Ask prospective readers for their ideas.
Does it excite them? Intrigue them? Speak to their needs?
If they were looking for a book like that, would the title grab their interest?
Poll your target audience. It matters most what your target audience thinks.
So ask the people who you’d like to read your book if the title appeals to them. “Does this title make you want to read the book?” “Would this title sway you to buy the book?”
Remember, your book has to stand out from the rest, and a great title that “lands” with its intended audience is a great way to do that.
Ask people to vote on their favorite title option by posting a poll on social media. Get feedback in a relevant Facebook group.
Ask other authors what they think.
Do you know a librarian or a bookstore employee? Their insight might be helpful. They’ll be the people recommending your book to readers, and there are many self-help books that cross their counters.
Again, what the target audience thinks is most important.
Ask yourself: What are people saying—especially my ideal readers—about the title I’ve chosen?
Don’t use a self-help book title generator
There are title generators out there, but they’re primarily geared toward fiction books and blog posts.
DO NOT try to create or perfect your title using any AI tools out there.
In my experience, it doesn’t work well for nonfiction, and it’s not worth your time or effort.
Ask yourself: Have I avoided AI when coming up with a title for my self-help book?
Be open to changing your title. You’re the expert on the subject. But you’re not necessarily the expert on the title.
If you find that your book is not sharable and searchable, that it isn’t unique enough, or that it’s not getting the positive reaction you’re looking for, be open to changing it.
Your title needs to be the best you’ve got.
Ask yourself: Am I open to changing the title before publication? Your answer should be “Yes.”
Can a book title be changed after it’s published?
Self-published ebook authors can change their titles if the original title misses the mark. It’s possible on Amazon KDP to upload a new version of the book, but revised print editions will require a new ISBN.
Traditional publishers may insist on changing the title of a manuscript they acquire for publication—before they publish it.
Citing data, experience, brand, and gut feeling, a traditional publisher might nix your original title in favor of something they think will sell more and work better. You’ll likely have little say in the matter.
They know the marketplace better than you, and their expertise likely means something.
Traditionally published titles are not changed once they’re released, with the exception of adding words to indicate a book is a second or revised edition.
In summary, the best self-help book titles . . .
promise a solution or transformation within the pages
have a title that captures the essence of the book and a subtitle that “sells” the book
signal who the book is for
are shareable, searchable, and unique (created with what people are Googling—or searching for on Amazon—in mind and accurately reflect what the book is about, what it offers, and to whom)
are short
use “power words” to spark emotion, curiosity, and desire
use verb tenses deliberately
are phrased in a positive manner to make people excited about reading
follow online book retailers’ rules
typically follow one of the formulas offered above
are tested out on potential readers (and others)
aren’t created using an AI title generator
may be changed before publication if they aren’t hitting the mark
The best titles sell your book, help people find it, and make them want to have it.
Closing thoughts on self-help book titles
Selecting a title takes time, but it’s time well spent.
Be patient, put in the effort, and give your book the winning title it deserves.
Use the formulas and examples provided above, run it through the questions on the checklist, and get outside opinions (that matter), and you’ve got yourself a winning title for your self-help book.
If you follow the tips I’ve given you, you should be well on your way to having a great title.
You got this!