What to Title Your Business Book (5 of 7)
If Your Business Book Hits the 1st 3 Cs…
#4: Be Clever
"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass."
- Anton Chekov
You can write a clever title—if your audience and/or problem is signaled, if you offer a compelling reason to read the book, and if it's easy to remember. Then and only then is it okay to use a cute or clever title that impresses the locals.
Clever titles are great. They win not just attention and interest but add a bit of intrigue to the book—that is, they amplify what you accomplished in the first three Cs. The Warren Buffet Way makes the list. Without referring to investing or financial planning in any way, the author cleverly alludes to it while piquing the reader's interest. ("I'd love to invest like the Oracle of Omaha!")
Dave Ramsey's EntreLeadership accomplishes this in one fell swoop. With a clever combination of “entrepreneurship" and "leadership," Dave identifies the who and what (entrepreneurs who need help being effective leaders). Moreover, he also deserves kudos for having an intriguing title.
Brilliant.
Other authors have coined their own words in their respective titles to hit the cleverness factor, too. Locavesting is a smart title, combining locavore plus "investing." For anyone familiar with the go local theme, it instantly says that it's about investing in your local economy. Rework gets high marks for being succinct while also signaling its subject (rethinking how we work).
Freakonomics works, too, as my mind makes the leap from "freak" to "Frankenstein." Combine that image with economics and you'll hook a geek like me every time.
Clever turns of phrase work well, too. The Wizard of Ads gets high points for identifying its contents (marketing) while calling Dorothy and Toto to mind. The War of Art is a neat twist on the well-known Art of War while at the same time giving you a clue that it's about the struggles of being an artist. While Eat That Frog ranks low on the self-identification factor, it is a clear winner in the hard-to-forget category. The Small-Mart Revolution, a book on small businesses facing off against big box retailers, is a great play off Wal-Mart, identifying its contents and associating it with the world's biggest business.
Then again, some titles are so spot-on that they are clever. Your Marketing Sucks. may be one of the best business titles ever: clear, compelling, succinct, and intriguing. Then, too, we must consider The 4-Hour Workweek again. Its premise alone is enough to make the cut.
