Want to Write a Hit eBook? Think of a Good Title and the Work’s Half Done

Some of you know that I’ve been an eBook Publisher for the past 14 years, and have had over $1M in lifetime sales in ebooks.

What I know about the eBook Publishing industry is confirmed by the traditional Book Publishing industry: that 50% of book sales come from the title alone. That means us If a bookstore goer likes a book title, then the book is half sold.

In my manifesto about selling ebooks online, “Write a Best-Selling Ebook,” I talk about 5 ways to choose a good title here are some of them:

1) Urgency- I try to ask my clients and/or readers to create "urgency" in their titles, since urgency sells books. It helps if you choose an ebook topic that is inherently urgent, i.e. preventing diabetes, fixing credit. For these topics, the buyer is already feeling an "urgency" in their need to either cure their diabetes or fix their credit.

Sometimes you can create urgency in a book title. For example, I might tell you I have book on “Tips for Knitting a Cool Hat.” You might think that’s just great. But if I tell you I have a book called “How To Knit Your First Hat in One Night,” that might create a more vivid picture of your success, and it might create more demand, and even urgency, to buy your book, even when the need wasn't so urgent in the first place.

2) Propositions make the best titles - people don't buy books, they buy propositions. The proposition tells them that they are going to win if they buy your book. I love the title of the new Marci Shimoff book “Love for No Reason.” It is a book about how to find unconditional love in your life. If it was just called “Unconditional Love,” the title might not create as much urgency to go out and get the book. Marci creates a great proposition out of her title, and it’s a knockout.

3) Use the hottest search engine terms in your title - I have a new ebook called “How to Give Yourself Psychic Readings in 3 Days.” I could have called it “Improve your Clairvoyance.” They both mean roughly the same thing.

However, 12,000 people type “Clairvoyance” into Google every month, but the term “Psychic Readings” gets 1,000,000 searches. So guess what term is getting included in this latest book? Psychic Readings.

It pays to do your homework to come up with a good title. Find out more in my manifesto about selling ebooks online, “Write a Best-Selling Ebook–right now it comes with a video on how to get your book on Kindle.

Remember, come up with a hot title and your ebook is 50% sold!

Noelani Rodriguez is a lecturer and leading voice on the subject of selling ebooks online.