We've all seen covers containing a subtitle, it's common practice to have one but it's certainly not a requirement. Many times authors will add a subtitle to give readers a bit more information about the book and they will often use it as their tagline when advertising the book. It can also be something that indicates a book's number in a series. Some books will have two subtitles, one that is informational and a second that gives the book's number.
A subtitle should always be smaller than the main title, even if just by a few points. It's a subordinate title, which means it is lower in rank than the book's main title. You subtitle should be around four to seven words, though I try to stay closer to the lower end of the scale. It is meant to give your readers a bit more information about the book. If you create a subtitle that is a small paragraph it will end up crammed somewhere on your cover where it can't be read because it's teeny or it will end up so big it takes away from your cover and becomes distracting. You always need to remember that readers may only see the tiny thumbnail in an eBook store, you want everything to be readable. You want your cover to attract their attention because they find it intriguing, not because they see it and go eww, what's that?
When I put out the second editions of my Merlin's Chosen series I made changes to most of the covers. The main thing I did was choose a new font. The title of the series, Merlin's Chosen, is now the main focus of the covers. I moved the series subtitle with the book number to the top of the covers where it can be easily found, each book also has an informational subtitle that remains below the series title.
This is the fourth book in the series (picked because it's my daughter's favorite lol)
None of my informational subtitles are longer than four words. A shorter subtitle is easier to fit on a cover and attracts readers attention better. We humans are general easily distracted, you want to grab your readers before they become distract by something else.
On this cover you can see the subtitle fits perfectly in the center of the wolf's forehead.
It's a short, simple subtitle and it tells you a lot about what the book is about in three words, as opposed to the next cover ...
The longer subtitle ruins the simple look of the cover. Your eyes want to focus only on that giant block of words at the top of the cover. Those extra words are unnecessary filler words. The original subtitle told readers enough. If you want to use a subtitle on your books then sit back and think hard about it before finalizing it. You want to intrigue readers without giving away too much. You always want to hold back enough to reel them in so they want to find out more about the book.
Let's take a look at a few subtitles.
"She haunts my dreams"
"They vanished in the night"
"Love's last chance at survival"
These subtitles are short and they are also intriguing. They make you want to find out more. You don't need to add extra descriptor words, these short subtitles are enough to make a reader interested in reading the book to find out what happens.
So what would make the above subtitles not very good? Let's take a look.
They vanished into the night after the party
Adding the words after the party is unnecessary. The reader doesn't need that information, the simple fact that people vanished is enough to make them interested. They'll want to know why and how. Those last three words kill the mysterious vibe of the subtitle. It could cause the reader to make assumptions about the book's content. You don't want that.
She haunts my dream and tries to speak to me
More useless words. The reader will discover that last bit of information when they read the book. The fact that a woman is haunting someone's dreams is enough to make them interested in finding our why she's haunting this person.
This could be love's last chance at survival
Yes, it very well could be, but the readers don't need those words. Useless filler words. The original subtitle was more interesting and drew you in better.
If you aren't certain how your subtitle is reading, ask others to look at it and get their opinions. Give them a list of options and see which one would make them want to pick up the book. Make yourself a little focus group and see what the readers are drawn to.
I know you don't want to keep hearing it but it bears repeating, your book is an entire package. If one element of that packaging is off, then potential customers might walk away. Everything must be cohesive and appealing to readers so they want to crack open the book and read your story. People are very visual, it won't matter how great your writing is if you can't get a reader past the "labeling" on your book.
Take your time to make your end result the best it can be. This work is your baby, you've labored hard on it. From conceiving the story, to outlining (or not), countless rounds of editing, to figuring out your cover design and blurb, it's difficult work that can takes years. You should do your best to show it off in a favorable light so readers are drawn to it.
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