Once in a while, an author and/or publisher come up with the perfect title for a Christian book.
Not just something which explains the contents, but the perfect title. No wasted words. It just leaves you speechless.
The best title ever (in my humble opinion) was Joel Osteen’s bestseller, Your Best Life Now.
It’s perfect.
It’s not about someone else, it’s about you. It doesn’t promise a “better life,” it promises a “Best Life.” And there is no waiting around for it because it happens “Now.”
The book sold millions and now you know why. It started with the perfect title.
In second place is Kevin Leman’s parenting title, Have A New Kid By Friday.
If this isn’t the best promise for parents everywhere, I can’t think of one better. Every word would resonate with a harried parent.
There is even a sequel, Have A New Husband By Friday, which would make me nervous if I saw my wife reading it.
Honorable mention in the non-fiction category goes to The Purpose Driven Life and Jesus Calling. Awesome titles.
In the fiction category, This Present Darkness and Left Behind are pretty powerful contestants for the top award, but nothing has toppled Joel Osteen’s title for sheer promise-power.
Finding the right title for a book can be easy or complicated. Depending on factors such as marketing or author preference, it can be a tug of war between different agendas.
But sometimes, ideas for book titles flow like a river.
Here are some other titles, which might trigger an idea for your book. Sometimes the creative process starts with a title and works backward to the written pages. This is my hope today.
So here you go:
Non-Fiction Titles to Inspire Christian writers
Nothing is Your Fault
Knowing God Without Studying the Bible or Going to Church
Not Thy Will, But Mine!
No Time at all Devotions
The Sixty-Four Year Bible: Reading the Bible one verse per day
Memorize the Five Shortest Verses in the Bible
Don’t Change a Thing: You are Perfect Now
On The Fly Bible Studies: No Prep Discipleship
Have a New Pastor By Sunday
You’ve Done Enough: Saying no to ministry service
You Know Enough: Saying no to small group studies
You’ve Had Enough: Steering Clear of annoying ministry people
I Am a Semi-Regular Church Attender…Sort of
Christ Returns on __(Insert Date)___
They Were Right, Millennials ARE Special
Shut the Eye With the Log In It: Finding Sin in Others
Suggestions for novels:
The Boils of Egypt
King Eglon and the Dagger of Truth
The NSA Tracks You to Alpharetta, Georgia (extendable series, to any town or locale)
Godzilla Comes to Shipshewana: Pitchforks Weren’t Enough to Stop Him
The Poison Chili of Cincinnati: Five-Way? No-Way
There you go, the publishing world awaits.
Publishing is a Global Business
HAH! Had to laugh at King Eglon and the Dagger of Truth. One of the nastiest Old Testament stories. After hearing it read as a little kid, I had to look it up just a couple years ago just to make sure I hadn’t imagined it.
80% of the time I send my older boys to tell their brothers a story, I overhear Ehud’s exploits being dramatized in the next room with the triumphant finale, “And the dirt came out!”
Boys.
I love, love, love “You’ve Done Enough: saying no to ministry service.”
Thanks for the laugh, Dan. 🙂
While choosing a title is an important step for writers, I sometimes am disappointed by the content of the book.
Love your tongue-in-cheek. Thanks for starting my day with a giggle – er, guffaw.
To your title, “Christ Returns on _____” I would add the following: and other absurd things Christians say. No disrespect intended here but I have (as we all likely have) been hurt deeply by things spewed from other Christians. Wouldn’t be a bad idea at all!
You forgot “Have a New Agent By Friday!”
Whoa there pardner…these titles are intended for entertainment purposes only. Any connection to real life is purely coincidental.
Besides, I don’t enjoy the “horror” book category.
Usually my creative process starts with a title, the idea for a book title flow from the inside out, then i begin to draft and develop it. I write because of the writing…
Some of these are riotously funny. I’ll bet the after-dinner conversations around your table are often drowning in laughter.
Thanks for the laugh! Speaks for the power of humor. (There’s a non-fiction title for you – The Power of Humor: Why Christians shouldn’t use it.)
Hilarious!
Thanks for bringing a little sunshine to my day.
These titles are great, Dan. That one about Eglon would sure grab my attention if I wanted a book for a 5th grade boy.
I always enjoyed Karen’s calls for sharing first lines. Maybe you can start calling for titles that inspire us to chuckle or think. My first novel’s title is Forgiven, but maybe I should write a companion nonfiction: Unforgiven and Content to Stay That Way.
There you go…certainly don’t want to do a title which makes people feel bad about themselves!
Carol,
A writer/editor friend recently challenged her Facebook Friends to change just one letter of a book title, and that was really fun. I tried to find it to share some of the best ones with you, but was unsuccessful. I contributed For Whom the Bell Rolls, and The Old Man and the Flea. I was having a Hemingway kind of day, and others’ contributions were much better. It would be too easy to get in trouble messing around like that with Christian book titles, I suspect, but Dan’s On The Fly Bible Studies: No Prep Discipleship would work equally well as On the Sly Bible Studies…, wouldn’t it? ;-D.
Mr. Balow, might I suggest “God Is Teachable!”
Thank you for a good laugh today!
Haha. Makes me wonder what book titles you came up with that didn’t make the blog. I wish I could hear your laugh to go with the humor.
Great titles!
Loved it! And then there’s “Become a Best-Selling Author in 30 Days”
(with no training or experience!)
John, I think that one has already been written. 😉
The greatest command is to love God and the second is like it; love your neighbor as yourself. The Osteen’s sadden me because their philosophy is the opposite of those commands.
Hilarious. I’ve been thinking about “Change the World in 3 Easy Steps” and “Unleashing the Ahab within You.”
Absolutely hysterical! I had to laugh out loud with the 64 Year Bible.
Thanks for the giggles.
My favourite title lately – Broken Crayons Still Color by Shelley Hitz.
It is really interesting that you explained “Your Best Life Now” is such a great title because it implies that it is not about someone else and you don’t need to wait. I try not to judge a book by its cover—or its title—but I agree it is important. When looking for Christian books, titles can be the reason why you might choose to buy one over another.