What's In a Title?

I recently finished writing a new picture book story.  The details of the story came to me out of the blue, and I pretty much wrote the first draft in about twenty minutes (if only it could always be this easy!)

I spent some time editing it, and even had some trusty little ones do the proofreading (thanks M & G!). But when I started thinking about the title, I couldn't quite pick the right one.

First impressions are everything, and a title is a story's first chance to impress. It has to intrigue readers to pick up your book, or in my case, entice a publisher to put my ideas to print. It also needs to be memorable, so that when you're done reading, you'll remember it long after putting it down.

The trick to creating a great title is to reveal a little of what the story is about, letting your reader both anticipate and expect an engaging story. Even though it's popular to say that you can't judge a book by its cover, many do — myself included.

I can't deny that a good book involves an incredible plot with a captivating ending. But, in my opinion, the real secret to picking a great title is to make you want to pick up that book and start reading.