The Perfect Book Title Formula
Category differentiator times a subtitle that says exactly what the reader gets
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 87%
Cole formalizes a title formula from analyzing Ali's Feel-Good Productivity: the main title should define a categorical difference within a large market, not claim the whole market. 'Slow Productivity' and 'Feel-Good Productivity' work because they carve a sub-category off 'productivity' rather than competing to be all of it. The magic is being specific and broad simultaneously, everyone wants to be productive and to feel good, so you niche down without ruling anyone out. The subtitle then does the second job: telling the reader exactly what they'll get ('How to Do More of What Matters to You'). Without both the category differentiator and a clear outcome subtitle, a book doesn't move. A reliable generator is pairing two words that usually don't belong together (feel-good + discipline), creating instant dissonance and intrigue. Because the title dictates the content, start with it and spend disproportionate time workshopping it.
Origin
Cole reverse-engineered the formula while dissecting how 'Feel-Good Productivity' landed after 5,000 tested titles, and teaches title-first writing in Ship 30 for 30. Extracted from Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal.
Core principles
- 01A great main title defines a category, not just a topic
- 02Be specific and broad at the same time so you niche down without ruling people out
- 03The subtitle must state the concrete outcome the reader gets
- 04Put two words that shouldn't share a room together to create magic
How to run it
- 1
Define a category, not the topic
Make the main title a categorical difference within a big market rather than a claim on the whole market.
Pro tip Cal Newport isn't 'productivity'; he's 'slow productivity'.
Watch out Overly broad titles like 'Limitless' give readers nothing to hold on to.
- 2
Be specific and broad at once
Find a phrase narrow enough to be distinct yet broad enough that almost everyone wants it.
Pro tip 'Feel-Good Productivity' niches down without niching down because everyone wants both.
- 3
Write an outcome subtitle
The subtitle must tell the reader exactly what they will learn to do.
Pro tip 'How to Do More of What Matters to You' signals a how-to and the payoff at once.
Watch out Category differentiator without a clear outcome subtitle still fails to sell.
- 4
Start from the title
Let the finished title dictate the content, and spend a disproportionate amount of time workshopping it.
Pro tip Look for two words that shouldn't be in the same room, like 'feel-good discipline'.
Watch out Retrofitting a title onto already-written content is a nightmare and weakens the through-line.
In the wild
Ali's book began as 'The Productivity Equation', which editors called boring and unsellable. Reduced to one idea, 'I just find a way to make everything fun', it became 'Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You'. The main title carves a sub-category off productivity while staying broadly desirable, and the subtitle names the outcome, exactly the formula Cole describes.
→ A New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller after 5,000 tested titles.
Common mistakes
Going too broad
Titles like 'Limitless: Become Your Best Self' are so wide the reader has nothing concrete to grab.
Writing content before the title
Starting with content and retrofitting a title forces messy 'literary sleight of hand' and a weak through-line.
Is it for you?
Best for
Authors, course creators, and marketers naming a flagship product or book.
Not ideal for
Purely narrative fiction where category positioning isn't the buying trigger.
From the transcript
“your main title is actually a category of productivity”
“how can you make something both specific and Broad at the same time”
“if you start with the title the title is what dictates all of the content”
From the episode
How to Make $10k/Month as a Writer - Nicolas Cole
Nicolas Cole