What Makes a Good Subtitle (and how long should it be?)

By Susan Kendrick
Write To Your Market, Inc.

(NOTE: We got a call from a doctor in Los Angeles who found this post and called us for emergency help with her subtitle. She and her agent had been working on her title and subtitle for months, but then realized they had left out significant key words. The challenge was how to include them without making the subtitle too long. She found this post (on our original blog) by searching "book subtitle tips," and we're glad she did. We did an on-the-spot consultation that resulted in a subtitle she is now taking to publishers as part of her book proposal.)

We all agree that a great title is important for any book and willingly give it the attention it deserves. For many, however, the subtitle is often an afterthought, something quickly thrown together before moving onto back cover marketing copy and book cover design. Please don't do this to your book. Your subtitle is not just some front-cover formatting slot to fill. It is a critical piece of marketing real estate for creating your brand and selling your book.

The book title, Courageous Parents Confident Kids, was already in place by Dr. Amy Tiemann when she came to us for help with her subtitle and back cover copy. (She had already successfully published her first book using this same process with us.) What we developed for her this time is an example of how a longer title--or a title with longer words--often benefits from a short subtitle. This subtitle also has a tagline, sing-song quality that both clarifies the title and is highly memorable at the same time. In other words, it is an example of an ideal subtitle that along with the title creates a complete and compelling message. See more examples and subtitle tips below.

First, the Role of Your Subtitle

There are many important things your subtitle can do for your book:
__ Identify and draw in your target audience
__ Quickly differentiate your book in a crowded market
__ Clarify a major benefits of your book
__ Add definition to a provocative but possibly obscure title, like those in Malcolm Gladwell's
     bestselling series, which includes Blink, The Tipping Point, and Outliers.

Long or Short--Is There a Rule?

We get asked this a lot: "How long should my subtitle be?" The answer is--it depends. There are no hard and fast rules. Say what you need to say. Simply do it in as few words as possible to keep your ideas crisp, authoritative, and memorable. An example of a long subtitle is Rich Like Them: My Door-to-Door Search for the Secrets of Wealth in America's Richest Neighborhoods. That's a lot of words, and some long ones, but they work hard together to say what this book is about in a personal, refreshing way. While longer subtitles are the exception rather than the rule, it's helpful to see how they can work when handled skillfully.

Part of Tim Ferriss's successful book series brand, The 4-Hour Work Week, has a subtitle that contains a generous nine words and consists of three different elements. But, every word serves a specific purpose and also includes elements that help establish Ferriss's 4-Hour Work Week brand. Your subtitle can do the same for your book or book series.

This brings up a related point: If you are planning--or even considering the possibility--that your book will become a series, bring this to the title and subtitle discussion as well. You can build elements into the first subtitle that help you establish that series brand should you choose to add more books later. Additional books can address specific parts of your message or apply your expertise to related topics and therefore help you reach out to new markets.  

Depending on your book, your message, and your target audience, a range of subtitle lengths will serve your book well. The following book subtitle tips will help you think about your subtitle as a way to attract readers, potential clients, your industry, and the media to what you have to offer, without tangling them up in excess words or jargon.

Again, these are general tips. Creating the right subtitle for your book can break all the rules if done for the right reasons!

 

SUBTITLE TIPS:

Here are some tips to help you think about and recognize what will work for your book:

__ If your title is long, keep the subtitle short. And, if your title is short, you have
     more flexibility with the length of the subtitle.
 
__ Do not repeat in the subtitle words that you have already used in the title.
     If your subtitle repeats words in the title, it looks like you have already run out of
     things to say--not a good signal to send.

__ Practice economy of language. Four-letter words work just as well as 12-letter
     words. And, often the same thing can be said just as well if not better in seven words
     than 14.

__ Consider your target audience. This may go without saying, but books on investing,
     entrepreneurship, and leadership, for example, will all have a different feel as will books
     about improving your medical practice, or nurturing teens, or caring for elderly parents.

If you would like help with your book title and/or subtitle, or if you are simply ready for some feedback on your ideas, get in touch with us. Call us at 715-634-4120 or email info@writetoyourmarket.com.

Your Book Cover IS Your Brand

By Susan Kendrick
Write To Your Market, Inc.

Branding Experts Helping a Branding Expert

Creating the marketing message on your book cover--your book's front and back cover copywriting--should be a once-and-done function. You are not just creating "blurbs," you are choosing how to identify and communicate adn attrace people to your brand. Take a look at the book brand we developed for Brenda Bence, a world-reknown corporate branding expert (it just shows that even a branding expert needs some help from the outside). We created Brenda's three "How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo" book titles as a series for her. These book titles and more enable Brenda to continually expand her now well branded expertise to other niche markets through books that are adding value to her consulting practice.

Making the Leap to New Niche Markets--Whatever That Means for You

With more than 25 years experience within Fortune 100 multinational corporations--from Procter & Gamble and Bristol-Myers Squibb to Mattel and Pizza Hut--Brenda Bence has been responsible for marketing some of the world's biggest-selling consumer brands in nearly 50 countries across four continents.

Building a Brand That Grows Every Part of Your Business

Also a certified career coach, Brenda Bence has now married her passion for corporate branding and her passion for coaching to create a personal branding system. This system is based on the same methods she has developed and used to help her corporate clients grow powerhouse name brands.  In e ach book of her "How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo" series, Brenda translates these methods into ready-to-use techniques for professionals, job seekers, and even college grads. The result is a series of step-by-step guides she now uses to attract a whole host of new markets and potential new clients to her expertise.

In helping Brenda create this "How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo" book series and brand (yes, she actually had trademarked YOU™), we created complete front and back cover book marketing copy that draws people in and quickly develops loyal fans. Here is just one excerpt from the book back cover marketing copy we developed for Brenda's first book. It creates that all-important transition from Brenda as corporate branding expert to personal branding strategist:

"This groundbreaking book provides you with a start-to-finish system for defining, communicating, and taking control of your personal brand at work. Modeled after the world’s most successful big-brand marketing methods, How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo guides you step-by-step through proven corporate branding techniques never before adapted for personal use."

The rest of the book's back cover copy includes other critical
components that "seal the deal" for prospective readers/buyers:

- Captivating headline
- At-a-glance, buy-me-now bullet points
- An expert/author endorsement, which we created for source approval
- High-profile bio and lead generator
- A technique that drives traffic to Brenda's website that also includes a
  name-capture device on her website when visitors get there.

Each of these book cover components is part of Brenda's now "once-and-done" brand marketing strategy. It gives her a brand on which she (and we) continue to build. If, like Brenda, you'd like to transition your expertise into new areas, give us a call. It may be that you are just getting started or looking for a fresh start. Either way, getting your marketing message and positioning right early on helps you make the leap smoothly and successfully so that you, too, grow a powerful and profitable presense that just keeps growing. Email us at info@writetoyourmarket.com or call 715-634-4120.

Listen for Great Book Titles

Great Book Titles Ideas Are Everywhere
LISTEN for Phrases That Catch Your Ear!

By Susan Kendrick
Write To Your Market, Inc.

NOTE: This is an set of tips we orginally posted spring of last year on another of our blogs. It has been a favorite of ours and our readers, so here it is again, a timeless way to discover a great book title.

This past week I was listening to public radio while driving and captivated by the very energetic introduction to the next program, "Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders" hosted by Jean Feraca. The guest was an expert on grains, but not in the eat-these-they're-good-for-you way. Somewhere in her early adulthood as a journalist living on frozen pizza, she had rediscovered a moment in childhood when a small bag of sweetened Greek dessert had delighted and transported her during a very sad time.  And now this writer, journalist, and cook has contributed to Gourmet, Saveur, and Gastronomica, as well as Marie Claire, and Elle.

In the introduction to this guest and her celebration of grains as comfort food, desserts, and more, I heard phrases like "gorgeous grains" and "ancient grains for modern meals." Feraca spun a web of words so rich, I couldn't wait to hear if the guest had a book and which of these delicacies was the title.

The guest, of course, did not disappoint. Maria Speck was passionate, personal, joyful, and highly articulate about every nuance of her topic. And, yes, she is the author of Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & More.

Take-Aways You Can Use

The Reason I am posting this book title and radio interview here is because there are a couple of good take-aways. First, a good book title needs to clearly communicate your topic, but a great book title "sounds" good doing it. It rings. Ancient Grains for Modern Meals is a great example of three good book title strategies that make this title sound good:

(1) Rhyming--Ancient Grains

(2) Alliteration--Modern Meals

(3) Parallel Construction-- Ancient Grains is a simple,
     two-word descriptor that sets up another simple,
     but contrasting two word descriptor, Modern Meals

Now, granted, authors and publishers do not always and do not need to create book titles on such a dissected level. These types of book titles are usually equal parts intent and serendipity. So listen. Listen to how you talk about your topic. Get your friends and collegues involved. See what rises to the surface in conversation. A great book title is easy to say, hear, and remember. It says what is new and different about you and your book.

Listen to this broadcast for a good example of how great a book title can sound.

One More Thing That Works

The other thing I noticed while listening to the introduction to this interview was all of the other descriptors that came up and initially had me wondering which one was the title. Was it "Gorgeous Grains"? Was is "Ancient Grains for Modern Meals"? This is a good time to point out that any phrase that does not make the final cut as title, can still be used to great effect as a headline or sound bite about your book. In this case, I imagine that "Gorgeous Grains" could have been on the table at some point as a possible title.

So, as the saying goes ... "Listen and Learn." We are here every day working with experts, authors, consultants, and publishers, creating book titles, subtitles, branding, and marketing. Email us at info@writetoyourmarket.com or call 715-634-4120.

Are You an Expert in Search of a "Platform?"

Here's What to Include and How to Overlap,
to Make Each Piece of Your Marketing Do More for You

By Graham Van Dixhorn
Write To Your Market, Inc.

Regardless of your profession--business, health care, mental health, legal system, education, or personal development--you've probably heard that you need a "platform." Authors seeking a publisher, consultants seeking more and better clients, physicians seeking greater recognition for their expertise, or CEOs seeking greater visibility for themselves and their firms, all are scrutinized by their visible qualifications, reach, focus, and reputations. But what is a platform, and how do you build one?

Loosely defined, your platform consists of your brand and positioning, your presence and exposure both virtual and literal, your endorsements and affiliations, and your offerings, products, and services.

Okay, so a platform is what people see and interact with when they find you. Leaving aside for now the challenges of having people find you, how do you create a platform that reflects the depth and breadth of who you are and what you offer? Well, it starts with branding and positioning that is compelling, well-designed, and appealing to your target markets.

Who are you, what do you offer that's unique and different, why should people "buy" from you and not the next person, what are the benefits of your offerings to your target markets, these are the core questions answered by a great brand properly positioned. Many experts need help in this area, but for those who are already well-branded and positioned, what else supports the platform?

An easy way to keep it all organized in your mind is what we like to call the "Four Pillars" of marketing for experts.

• Products, Services, Offerings--this is the stuff you offer, or sell, along with the print versions (if any) of your marketing and advertising.
• Speaking--these are public or private appearances at which you share your unique insights, solutions, and, hopefully, products, services and offerings!
• Web--this is your website, obviously, but also importantly blogs, webinars, and social media.
• Media--this is broadcast programming and print publications.

You've probably noticed that there's a lot of overlap on these items. And, the most successful experts coordinate multiple areas for efficiency and greater exposure. For example, you might book a speaking gig and a radio interview on the same day in the same city, having already been written up in the area newspaper and having blogged about it and flagged it on your website, all of which you did to promote your book or your services. Your website is given when you speak, during your radio interview, and in the newspaper article. Oh, and you plugged your upcoming webinar every chance you got.

Platforms don't just happen. They're built on a foundation of great branding and marketing. If you'd like to learn more about how to build your platform, email us at info@writetoyourmarket.com or call 715-634-4120.

Reach Multiple Markets with One Book Cover

By Susan Kendrick
Write To Your Market, Inc.

Your nonfiction book cover is a conversation with a potential buyer that makes them say, “Yes, that’s it! This book is just the solution I’ve been looking for.” Whether that solution focuses on health, medicine, leadership, funding your retirement, raising thoughtful kids, or making a career change, your expertise shines. But, who else could benefit from your approach. And, where are your own interests taking you?

What we find with many author experts is that while the books they are writing are a culmination of their existing expertise, their sphere of influence and interest is already growing into other areas and markets, even while they are writing those books.

So, what to do with all that other expertise and the fact that you know you can help even more kinds of people, in a variety of situations, and that your own passion are already leading you in those directions?

Build that flexibility and growth right into your book cover. Note that doing so is about more than what should already be included in your back cover bio--that you speak, consult, etc. Somewhere else in your copy, without getting “salesy,” mention the other ways you can and want to help. Advertise for more of what you can and want to do.

Here’s an example of one way to do this, from the book back cover copy we developed for our client, Joe Keller, author of “Single Effort: How to Live Smarter, Date Better, and be Awesomely Happy”:

“Heartfelt, funny, and always practical, Single Effort is a must-read for single guys everywhere. It’s also perfect for anyone (male or female, single or not) in search of unique dating and lifestyle ideas for a more fulfilling life.”

Did you hear that? We let readers know that Joe Keller, while an expert on the single guy, is also a trusted resource on taking dating to a new level as a way to enhance your whole life, not just one phase in the dating journey. Think of the doors this opens for Joe and how he is now positioned as an expert on a range of related topics. Now, think about how you could do the same with your expertise and passion, growing it into areas that interest you and where you can reach out to more people in more markets.

You grow by publishing a book, and then you keep growing. Make sure your book cover helps take you there and develops a loyal, enthusiastic following and profitable business in the process. To help you get your ideas to market faster and more successfully, find out how we can help. Call Susan Kendrick and Graham Van Dixhorn at 715-634-4120, or email info@writetoyourmarket.com about writing a book to build your business.