What’s in a title? Plenty, it seems. “A good title is the title of a successful book,” so said American novelist and screenwriter, Raymond Chandler. The title of a book has the power to make a reader stop and give the book more than a passing glance. A good title will immediately stimulate by creating initial curiosity, interest or elicit an emotional response. In the case of non-fiction, good titles convey information – who the book is for and what it will do for them – and will also inspire action (or at least convey the impression of being “non-passive”).

The following are examples of some good book titles:

1. Why Do Men Have Nipples? by Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg (and because inquiring minds want to know, it’s because guys start out as females while in the womb).

2. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.

3. Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti.

4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (nothing like a twist on an old classic!).

5. You Suck: A Love Story by Christopher Moore.

What these titles lack in literary prose, they make up for in impact because they create the requisite curiosity and interest and they certainly elicit a response – whatever that response may be, depending on the individual reader. The titles above also have something else in common: they’re quirky and they stand out. This is the most important element in a book title because books are not only an author’s product, but are also a very important marketing tool. Just ask Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich, who’ve both cleverly used the titles of their books to build literary empires.

Sue Grafton is the author of the immensely popular “alphabet series” – detective novels featuring the private investigator, Kinsey Millhone. The title of each novel in the series is derived from the letters of the alphabet such as “A” is for Alibi; “B” is for Burglar; and “C” is for Corpse, etc. Grafton’s novels have been published in 28 countries and in 26 languages. Prior to becoming a full-time writer of books, Grafton wrote screenplays for made-for-television movies which apparently left her with mixed feelings about her experience with Hollywood; so much so that she has allegedly refused to sell the film and television rights to her books.

Janet Evanovich is the author of the highly prolific “number series” – novels that feature lingerie-buyer-turned-barely-competent-bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. The titles of her novels in the series all include numbers such as “One for the Money”, “Two for the Dough” and “Three to Get Deadly”, etc. Evanovich’s novels consistently top the New York Times and Amazon bestseller lists. These hugely popular books have turned into big business for this author, having built a thriving company which reputedly employs her husband, her son, her daughter and her son-in-law.

By choosing titles for each of their books that begin with either a letter of the alphabet or a number, these writers have capitalized on an important marketing tool – the promise of a series of books with a built-in readership waiting hungrily for each new offering. In other words, when a book title begins with the letter “A”, it’s safe to presume there will be a “B” and a “C” and so on…So, the next time someone asks you, “What’s in a title?”, one word says it all. Plenty!