I could have titled this episode “Don’t be cute”, but what would that tell you about what you were about to learn? Nothing. But what if I added a sub-title, “Straightforward, clear titles sell books — cute doesn’t.” Now you know what to expect from the material.

And that illustrates the purpose of the title/sub-title combination. Either one or both should make the subject clear to potential readers.

Here are some existing book titles that illustrate this principle:

H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle — by Brad Lomenick and Mark Burnett

Leadership is a key word, but let’s face it there are a gazillion books on leadership. The H3 is intriguing and makes it stand out. The three Hs in the subtitle make the book memorable.

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: what the most effective people do differently — by John C. Maxwell

The title speaks to the common complaint that “there’s no communication around here”, and the subtitle promises a solution to the problem.

Ultimate Golf Techniques: Improve Your Golf Game with the World’s Greatest Golfers — by Malcolm Campbell and Dave Cannon

The title tells you specifically what the reader will get from the book. The sub-title has two things going for it. “Improve your golf game” is a reader-centric keyword phrase that will get the book found, and the hint that you will be learning from the best is a bonus selling point.

Rare Steak, Red Wine, Hot Tango! — a Rollicking Memoir of Argentina — by Helen Wilkie. Yep, that’s me!

The title speaks to three things for which Argentina is famous, but would not be enough on their own to be universally clear. The sub-title says it’s a memoir, but it does more. Many memoirs of Argentina focus on the heavy political recent history of the country, so I added the word “rollicking” to suggest this one is more lighthearted. 

When you choose your title, bear in mind that it has to appeal to human readers and also alert the online bookstore algorithms through its use of appropriate keywords. The bottom line for titles is “Don’t be cute — be clear”. Your readers will thank you.