When I was working on my first book, I had no idea what to name it. To get expert advice, I consulted with a top marketing and advertising specialist, and his response was simple:

Let the market decide the title for you.

So, that’s exactly what I did!

After reviewing the manuscript, analyzing similar books in the market, and considering my input, the specialist provided eight potential titles:

1. A Revolution in Strength: The Ultimate Strength Training Guide
2. Strength Training: Theory and Practice
3. Revolutionary Strength Training
4. A Professional’s Guide to Strength Training
5. The Power Book: The Ultimate Strength Training Strategy for Personal Trainers
6. The Definitive Book of Strength
7. The Elite Trainer: Strength Training for the Serious Professional
8. The Personal Trainer’s Guide to Strength Training

In early 2009, we sent a poll to our e-newsletter subscribers, asking them to vote for their top three choices. The results were eye-opening!

The Winning Title

Here’s how the voting broke down:

The clear winner was The Elite Trainer: Strength Training for the Serious Professional—a title that resonated with my audience.

Interestingly, my personal top picks ranked near the bottom of the poll! This reinforced a valuable lesson:

Authors are often blinded by their own biases. Whenever possible, let your audience decide!

What Sells a Book?

Two things ultimately sell a book:

1. The Title
2. The Cover

It’s often said that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but most people do! If the title and cover don’t grab attention within seconds, potential readers will likely pass—even if the content inside is excellent.

Once you secure a title, start working on the cover design. Get feedback from others before making a final decision.

Writing Your Own Book? Try This Approach!

If you’re a fitness professional looking to write a book, follow these steps:

1. Brainstorm multiple title options.
2. Poll your mailing list to determine the best choice.
3. Once you have a title, get a graphic designer to create several cover concepts.
4. Poll your audience again to pick the most appealing cover.

Instead of making the decision yourself, let others decide for you—after all, they’re the ones who will buy your book!

If you’re serious about writing and publishing a book in as little as three months, I cover the entire process in my webinar:

The Business of Personal Training: 20 Principles to Success

Here’s a sample clip from the presentation:

The Business of Personal Training: 20 Principles to Success [Webinar]

Discover the tools for success in The Business of Personal Training. Why settle for an average income? Learn how to quickly boost revenue and maximize your money-making potential with 20 key principles. The webinar is 210 minutes long and features a 545-slide PDF presentation along with additional resources.

$20.00

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