Forum: Author Hangout

Title Case

Switch Blayde 🚫

Ever hear the term "title case?" I was googling if book titles on the book cover should be in all caps and kept getting results for "title case." It's how to write the title of a book (not necessarily on the book cover).

It varies somewhat from style guide to style guide, but it's primarily to capitalize the first and last word in the title, all nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives, don't capitalize articles (unless they're the first word of course because of the first rule), and sometimes don't capitalize conjunctions and sometimes do, depending on the conjunction.

I think I was automatically doing what the title case says to do. Well, I may have not capitalized all conjunctions. Or maybe it was all small words. I never gave it any thought. I just did it automatically.

I never did get my answer on book covers. When I look at them on Amazon, almost all of them have all the words in the title capitalized. Not just the first letter in the word, but the entire word. In my current novel, the title is four words: an article, proper noun, preposition, proper noun. I capitalized all the letters in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th words. But the 3rd word is all lower case. It just looks better that way.

Any thoughts on how to write book titles on the book cover?

Replies: The Outsider samuelmichaels Crumbly Writer awnlee jawking akarge Dicrostonyx

The Outsider 🚫
Updated:

@Switch Blayde

I usually used an online site, one where I can select a style guide (usually AP) which can convert/check what I type in... I can't remember which one now, but "Google is your friend..." (usually)

samuelmichaels 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Yes, I am familiar with the term. Most books use Title Case on the cover, a few use Sentence Case (first word and proper nouns capitalized), and a fairly large majority use all upper case on the cover (as you mentioned).

Crumbly Writer 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Title case is when the first letter of each word of the title is capitalized, other than words like "of", "in" or "by", etc. which really screw with your mind when writing titles.

So you NEVER capitalize Titles, just the first letter of the more significant words. But once you've followed it for a while, it becomes second nature, as I also use the same standard for each individual Chapter or Section Title. Still, it is a long-accepted publishing standard across the (publishing) industry. Yet as independent authors, there's no need to follow the publisher's standards (an No, the AP doesn't emphasize that standard, as the whole point of the AP is to NOT format ANY text, as that's what the publishers assign to their own in-house experts (non-trusting author submissions).

Replies: Michael Loucks Bondi Beach

Michael Loucks 🚫
Updated:

@Crumbly Writer

So you NEVER capitalize Titles

Mainstream publishers beg to differ on book covers. I can't post images here, but just take a gander at any other major bookseller, and check mainstream publishers' offerings.

On Barnes & Noble's homepage, 5 of the 6 'OUR JULY Picks' are all uppercase. 'Bestsellers' are similar. And so is the pre-order of THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

So, not 'never'; in fact, 'almost always', at least on book covers.

Bondi Beach 🚫
Updated:

@Crumbly Writer

Yet as independent authors, there's no need to follow the publisher's standards

True, but another word for not following standard practice is, "amateur." And unfortunately too frequently it shows, especially in cover design, title and interior layouts.

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Switch Blayde

I was googling if book titles on the book cover should be in all caps

I'm confused.

I've just perused a pile of secondhand books. In just over half, the titles are in all capitals eg 'THIS IS THE TITLE'. Where the title isn't in all capitals, there are two titles containing all lower-case 'to' and 'for'. The remaining titles start each word with a capital letter, but don't contain any candidates for words that might have started with a lower case letter.

Which of those would qualify as Title Case?

AJ

Replies: Switch Blayde Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@awnlee jawking

Which of those would qualify as Title Case?

Title case is a format for titles that has nothing to do with book covers which is what I was googling about. I never heard the term so I started this thread. I used to think you capitalized (the first letter of a word, not the entire word) of all words except short words. But title case has specific rules. I found this:

Capitalize the first word, last word, and all major words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and some conjunctions) in titles. Articles aren't capitalized unless they're the first word.

Title case is used when writing the title of a work, like books, movies, TV shows, and articles. It's also used for headings, subheadings, and titles within a work, especially in styles like MLA and Chicago. Additionally, when referencing the title of a work within your writing, use title case.

So it has nothing to do with the book cover title, unless the cover designer decides to use title case. I found that the titles on most book covers are all caps (entire word in capitals). Saying that, the title of my newest novel is all caps EXCEPT a small word that is in all lower case. It simply looks better.

Switch Blayde 🚫
Updated:

@awnlee jawking

Book cover on Amazon:

THE DAY
OF THE
JACKAL

with the "OF THE" in a smaller font. But the description to the right of the cover is:

The Day of the Jackal

which is title case.

On Amazon, the book cover is:

A
MAN
FOR
ALL
SEASONS

but in the description next to the book cover it is:

A Man for All Seasons

which is title case

EDITED: Corrected typo. Changed "ALL" to "All" in the title case example for future readers of this post.

Replies: awnlee jawking awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Switch Blayde

A Man for ALL Seasons

Is 'ALL' really in all capitals or was that a typo?

Thanks for the explanation, I think I get it.

AJ

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@awnlee jawking

Is 'ALL' really in all capitals or was that a typo?

typo

awnlee jawking 🚫
Updated:

@Switch Blayde

I looked inside the book covers of my book pile. Where it was possible to tell (eg not single word titles), almost all used title case. A couple continued to capitalise every letter in every word of the title, but they were non-fiction (if that makes any difference).

AJ

Replies: Crumbly Writer

Crumbly Writer 🚫

@awnlee jawking

Title case is typcially used for the book's title on the Copyright page, or as akarge notes, on the Title Page (the first page inside the book with any text).

Though, while many publishers prefer simplistic cover designs mostly designated by a predominate colors, if you use more detailed cover art, then Title Case helps eliminate obscuring significant portions of the artwork, otherwise known as the covers 'whitespace', as with large massive print runs, a major portion of the cover is likely to get lopped off.

The same is true with titles on cover's spine, short title all caps, yet if the cover's too narrow, you switch to title case, as typically the first thing a purchaser sees IS the spine, so it's only once they pull it from the shelf that anyone sees the cover title.

Replies: Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach 🚫
Updated:

@Crumbly Writer

Title case is typcially used for the book's title on the Copyright page, or as akarge notes, on the Title Page (the first page inside the book with any text).

Vying for the pedantic title here.

The main title page, which may or may not be the first page of text, is the recto page with the complete title and author name, plus commonly the publisher at the bottom. Copyright notice and related material (publisher, author info, ISBN, notice that the author supports kittens, etc., etc.) is on the verso (the reverse of the title page).

It is common to find a half-title page, recto, with title only, sometimes after a page that is blank but for the publisher's logo ETA before the main tile page. It's also common to find pages of blurbs or lists of other works by the author before you even get to the half-title, or the main title page. My granddaughter's "The Bad Guys" book has a half-title and full title pages, copyright on the verso of the full title page.

(Finally, in formal layouts, there is often a second half-title page after all that stuff and before the TOC or Chapter 1.)

Replies: Crumbly Writer

Crumbly Writer 🚫

@Bondi Beach

Don't forget the legal disclaimer on the copyright page (I wrote my own, borrowing others I've seen published).

And yeah, half-title pages are fairly common, yet I assumed that's the publisher's choice, as the full form seems more common overall. If I had to guess, I'd say it's likely a non-fiction vs. fiction or a fiction vs. non-fiction publisher difference.

Way back when I first started, I checked how everyone did it, before deciding which preferred, then kept reusing the same format to ensure it remained consistent, so my readers would know what to expect. Though with eBooks, I set them up so the opening page defaults to the start of the story, so they won't need to wade through all of that crap. Still, many readers prefer that front/back-matter stuff.

akarge 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Not trying to correct anyone here, but I think this is relevant.

Where Title Case is used in a book is generally on the title page, itself.

Dicrostonyx 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Some word processors use the term title case, or at least they used to.

Also, for anyone interested, there's a cute little tool at https://convertcase.net/ that will easily convert text to a variety of styles, including title case.

Replies: Crumbly Writer

Crumbly Writer 🚫

@Dicrostonyx

M$ Word also has that, though you have to know how to find it, as it ain't obvious!

Michael Loucks 🚫

Sorry, you are correct, yet not in regard to 'Title Case', as each publisher has their own standard usages which dictates what they'll use. Yet title case is a specific defined usage.

Once again, you cannot refrain from trying to twist what I wrote so you can claim some kind of superiority.

I expressly pointed out one thing you wrote that was wrong, and did not take any other positions.

I know what 'title' case is and I use it.

Replies: Crumbly Writer

Crumbly Writer 🚫

@Michael Loucks

Understood, yet you were attacking me for my usage, so it's hard to tel which words or phrases you're harping on.

It's NOT about superiority, I just tend to be more pedantic, due to a medical condition, so EXCUSE me for focusing on details. I really don't have much choice in the matter, it's simply the way that GOD, or whoever, made me. Yet we keep butting heads over the same thing, over and over again, which again, is WHY I won't use my actual name on this Forum, because here EVERYTHING is personal!

And yes, autism runs in the family, which is WHY I am the way I am. So next time, ask GOD why he inflicted this on me, as I haven't a clue, nor am I particularly fond of it myself.

Replies: Michael Loucks

Michael Loucks 🚫

@Crumbly Writer

Understood, yet you were attacking me for my usage, so it's hard to tel which words or phrases you're harping on.

No, Sir; I was correcting you. If you feel correction is an attack, you're going to be terminally offended.

It's NOT about superiority, I just tend to be more pedantic,

If there is anyone more pedantic than I am, I've yet to meet him or her. But pedanticism means correcting an error, not twisting words to try to score points.

because here EVERYTHING is personal!

And we find the source of the problem. If you take it all personally, you're going to drive yourself nuts.

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Forum: Author Hangout

Title Case

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