Revealing My Bestselling Cookbook Title

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I have a winner in the selection of my bestselling cookbook title! But, before I reveal the winning title, I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank each and everyone who took the time to cast their vote and express their opinion on what they thought was a bestselling cookbook title.

I cannot overemphasize the importance of selecting a great title and, possibly a subtitle, for your cookbook. The title alone can make or break the success of your cookbook. So, don’t rush this step. Take your time to come up with 25, 50, even 100 different titles for your cookbook before you make your final decision. If after several weeks, one title doesn’t stand out from the rest, just pick one and refer to it as your working title. You can always change your mind later.

Here are 5 things your cookbook’s title needs to do:

• Instantly say what your cookbook is about.
• Pique the reader’s curiosity, emotions or imagination.
• States a benefit or makes a promise.
• Focuses on a specific audience or reader.
• Is memorable.

If your title misses one of these key points, you can still have a salable cookbook title. Miss 2 or more and you better go back to the drawing board.

If at all possible, have your intended audience help select the title for your cookbook. There are several ways to do this. My Interested in Helping Select a Bestselling Cookbook Title? post is just one way. While it will cost you some money, another way is to run a pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaign with Google Adwords or Yahoo Search Marketing. I’ll be discussing PPC and additional ways to select your cookbook’s title in later posts.

For now, I know you’re dying to know what the title of my cookbook is going to be. So, here are the top 3 responses:

Number 3: 20-Minute Breakfasts
There was a tie for second place…
Number 2: The Breakfast Cookbook (This was my favorite.)
Number 2: 50 Delicious and Easy Breakfasts
And, Number 1: The Joy of Breakfast

And, the most chosen subtitle was: Delicious Breakfasts that You Can Prepare in 20-Minutes or Less.

So, the complete title of my cookbook is: The Joy of Breakfast - Delicious Breakfasts that You Can Prepare in 20-Minutes or Less. Does it meet the 5 criteria I mentioned above? I think it does. Feel free to share your thoughts in a comment.