Choosing your book title means choosing your first impression. It must attract attention, ignite curiosity, and stay etched in the reader’s mind long after they’ve put the book down.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Do I Italicize Book Titles?” When writing or publishing, you’re not alone. This guide will help you master the rules while also improving your title-writing skills.
Whether you are writing a fantasy novel or a fiction story that moves hearts or a nonfiction that builds authority, your title is your first impression and one of the biggest marketing tools in 2025.
Today, we’ll explore a few simple grammar rules that make a book title effective. We’ll share practical steps to help you create one that stands out, connects with your audience, and perfectly represents your story’s essence.
The 4 Attributes of a Good Book Title
A good title should have all of these attributes:
#1. Attention Grabbing
This should be pretty obvious because there are hundreds of things pulling on people’s attention, and you need a title that stands out. One bad word in a title can make it useless for readers.
There are many ways to grab attention; you can be provocative, controversial, exciting, or make a promise. The point is, your title should make people stop and pay attention to it.
What Bestselling Authors Say About Attention
Here is what #1 bestselling author Tim Ferriss says about titles:
“The 4-Hour Workweek also bothered some people and was ridiculed by others, which I took as a positive indicator. It’s not accidental that Jay Leno parodied the book on-air…the title lends itself to it, and that was by design. You can’t have strong positive responses without strong negative responses, and beware, above all, the lukewarm reception from all. ‘Oh, that’s nice. I think it’s pretty good,’ is a death sentence.“
#2. Memorable
This is not the same thing as grabbing attention (even though many people think it is). It’s much easier to get a reaction out of someone and then be forgotten than it is to get a reaction and be memorable.
Why Memorability Matters
Let’s say a book title is not only the main and important thing a reader hears about your book. It’s the one piece of information that leads them back to it.
If your book is shared by a friend or maybe shared by your family member, and they literally can’t go find it online, that’s where “Do I Italicize Book Titles” becomes relevant because formatting also helps visibility and recall.
Expert Insight
Bestselling author Scott Berkun says it well:
“Often the title is all a potential buyer ever gets to see, and if they can draw interest, the book crosses its first of many hurdles in the improbable struggle of getting noticed. But titles only help so much. Most people hear about books the same way they hear about new bands. Or new people to meet. A friend or trusted source tells them it was good and it was called so and so…the title at that point serves as a moniker. It’s the thing you need to remember to get the thing you want to get and a little more.“
#3. Easy to Say
This is closely tied to being understandable, but not the exact same thing. Using obscure or hard-to-pronounce words can kill your title’s potential.
The Psychology of Simplicity
Tongue twisters and complex phrases reduce engagement and word-of-mouth sharing. People are more likely to talk about and remember titles that are easy to say.
This is tied to a concept called cognitive fluency; people prefer words they can easily understand and pronounce. In short: don’t sacrifice clarity for cleverness.
The same applies to formatting; keep your book titles italicized consistently to help readability and visual flow.
#4. Not Embarrassing or Problematic to Say Aloud
It’s a basic fact of human psychology, people don’t like to feel stupid or awkward.
If a title sounds weird, offensive, or confusing when said out loud, readers won’t share it, even if they loved the book.
Think About Word of Mouth
Ask yourself: Does this title make someone look smart or silly when they say it to friends?
The worst titles are those that make readers uncomfortable to mention publicly.
Example of a Bad Title
If your title were something like “Why Racism Is Great,” no one would ever recommend it, no matter how well written it is, because it forces people to justify even saying the title.
Social context matters. How your title sounds aloud can decide whether it’s shared or silently ignored.
Specific Steps to Find the Perfect Book Title
Here are a few steps to find the perfect book title:
Step 1: Get Clarity on Your Book Goals
Obviously, your book goals (building authority, raising your visibility, etc.) will determine what type of title you pick. If you want to build a brand out of your non-fiction book, your title options are much different than those if you want to publish a memoir with a whimsical title.
Let’s examine all the functions your book title can serve and the places it could potentially be used before we walk you through the precise process of thinking up title ideas:
Functions a Book Title can Serve
- To sell the book to readers in some way
- Establish the author’s authority on a subject
- Be a hook for the author to get media visibility
- Branding for a company or author or conference, or course materials
- Advertise/market the book
- Used in speeches, slides, or other in-person activities
- Used in reviews, blog posts, articles, etc.
- Something the author has to say in all their press appearances
- Become a defining part of an author’s future bio
- Decorate the cover
- Identify the Amazon/B&N listing
- Start a line of books
- Used on t-shirts, flyers, or other promotional material
The point is simple: understand how your title works in context. The same goes for grammar and design choices, such as when to keep book titles italicized across platforms. If you want to polish your writing beyond title formatting, this guide clearly explains the difference between proofreading and editing.
Example:
If your goal is to build a brand, you need to make sure your book title is your brand. Dave Asprey’s first diet book is called The Bulletproof Diet, because that’s his brand: Bulletproof. The book is about selling everything around the book, not just the book itself.
If your goal is authority in your field, make sure the book title will sound authoritative to those you are trying to speak to. Whimsical doesn’t work in serious academic fields, whereas serious doesn’t work in comedic fields.
If your goal is to get media attention and raise your visibility, make sure the book title will appeal to the media and make them want to cover you.
Step 2: Brainstorm Several Potential Titles
This step is simple: Spend at least a few days writing down every single title idea you can think of.
Telling someone to brainstorm is like telling someone to “be creative.” That being said, we will list every possible way we know of to find a good book title, complete with examples (remember, these techniques are not just for your main title; they will be the basis for your subtitles as well).
These are just some best practices for coming up with title ideas:
#1. Use clever or noteworthy phrases from the book:
This is very common in fiction and can work well with novels. It also works well with non-fiction books where the concept of the book can be summed up quickly or with one phrase.
Examples:
- The Black Swan
- Lecturing Birds on Flying
- I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
#2. Make a promise of a benefit:
Some of the best titles promise to help readers achieve a desired goal or get some wanted benefit. They specifically call out to an end result that people want:
Examples:
- How to Win Friends and Influence People
- Getting Things Done
- Think and Grow Rich
#3. Be simple and direct:
Some of the very best titles are just basic statements about what the book is. There is nothing wrong with this; it can work well, especially for strictly instructional books.
Examples:
- Getting Past No
- Steve Jobs
- The Power of Habit
#4. Target an audience:
As we told you, people use titles to judge if the book is for them. Part of helping people understand this can be directly targeting them in your title. You can target specific audiences by naming them or by describing their characteristics. This works especially well if you have a series of books, and then do versions targeted to specific niches.
Examples:
- What to Expect When You’re Expecting
- Physics for Future Presidents
Step 3: Make Sure this Title is Not Already Popular
No, you cannot copyright titles. Technically, you can call your book “To Kill A Mockingbird” or “The Lord Of The Rings” or even “The Holy Bible.”
That being said, copying a popular book makes it very hard for your book to stand out and pretty much guarantees a lot of negative reviews from people who are not getting the book they expected to get.
Step 4: Pick Your Favorites & Test Them
So at this point, you should have a long list of title ideas. If you don’t, go back and keep brainstorming until you have at least 10–20. Once that is done, you can move on to the next step: testing your titles.
We cannot emphasize how important this next step is. Everyone has opinions on book titles. Most of those opinions are stupid and wrong. Even people who get PAID to come up with book titles (editors, publishers, etc.) are usually very bad at it.
Final Thoughts
Your book title is more than a label; it’s your first conversation with the reader. It’s what makes someone stop scrolling, lean closer, and think, “I need to read that.” A good title carries emotion, clarity, and confidence. It doesn’t try too hard, yet it lingers.
Take your time with it. Test it. Say it out loud. See how it feels. Because when you find the one that truly fits your story, you’ll know, it just clicks. And that’s when your book stops being an idea and starts becoming unforgettable.
Ready to publish your story with confidence? Partner with Vanguard Ghostwriting for expert editing, design, and book marketing services that turn your ideas into powerful, market-ready manuscripts. Connect with us today!
FAQs
1. Do I italicize book titles in writing?
Yes, most style guides recommend italicizing book titles in formal writing, including novels, essays, and articles, to make them easily identifiable and grammatically correct.
2. Are book titles italicized in all writing styles?
Not always. APA, MLA, and Chicago styles use italics, but some online platforms or informal writings prefer quotation marks depending on formatting limitations.
3. Why is italicizing book titles important?
Italicizing book titles maintains clarity and professionalism. It helps readers instantly recognize published works and distinguishes them from other forms of text or shorter works.
4. Should subtitles of books also be italicized?
Yes, subtitles should be italicized as part of the full book title. For example, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones.
5. What if I can’t italicize text online?
If your platform doesn’t support italics, use quotation marks around book titles instead. For instance, “To Kill a Mockingbird” works perfectly in plain-text environments.
