Finding the perfect book title is one of the most important marketing decisions you’ll ever make for your book. Do it right and you’ll attract readers from just a glance. Do it wrong and your books will stay on their shelves.
Now, good titles aren’t a guarantee of your book doing well. But they do make your potential readers curious and at least check it out.
Fiction books tend to have shorter titles, averaging 2-3 words, while non-fiction books tend to average 5 words or less. Non-fiction books also tend to have subtitles, further lengthening the word count.
Long Book Titles
For the purpose of this list, I’ve decided to check out books that are unusually long compared to the average. I’ve also decided to not consider subtitles. Why? Because then we’ll have one to two-word titles with long subtitles in the list.
That’s hardly fair for all the authors who went their way to make obscenely long titles. Check them out below!
1. The historical development of the Heart i.e. from its formation from…. by Vityala Yethindra
The historical development of the Heart i.e. from its formation from…. is the current Guinness World Record holder of the longest title of a book. The full title consists of a total of 3, 777 words or 26,021 characters.
The book mainly details the history of the heart and the scientists who contributed to the study of cardiology. From the heart’s development from invertebrates to vertebrates, you’ll find out everything there is to know about one of the body’s most important organs.
2. No Matter How Much You Promise to Cook or Pay the Rent You Blew It Cauze Bill Bailey Ain’t Never Coming Home Again by Edgardo Vega Yunque
Yunque’s jazz drama is all about half-Puerto Rican and half-Irish Vidamía Farrell’s search for a father she’s never met. Her quest takes her to Manhattan where Bill Farrel, her father, now lives with his second family.
Once a gifted jazz pianist, Bill has now cut himself off from a world he once loved—a world Vidamia plans to reintroduce him to.
3. And to My Nephew Albert I Leave the Island What I Won Off Fatty Hagan in a Poker Game by David Forrest
Albert is given an island as his inheritance. But the island, Foul Rock, is small with barely anything on it. Except for the gorgeous Victoria, of course, who seems to be in a constant search for a tan. Their blooming romance is interrupted when both the USA and the Soviet Union become interested in Albert’s little piece of land.
Hilarious and poignant, this is a classic satire of the Cold War and how it affects the lives of people living within warring sides.
4. The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders Who was born in Newgate, and during a life of continu’d Variety for Threescore Years, besides her Childhood, was Twelve Years a Whore, five times a Wife (whereof once to her brother) Twelve Years a Thief, Eight Years a Transported Felon in Virginia, at last grew Rich, liv’d Honest and died a Penitent by Daniel Defoe
Molly Flanders leads an eventful life. Birthed by a felon, raised by a foster parent until adolescence, and taken as a servant in a household where both brothers love her, Molly is then married to the younger son— who dies after a mere 5 years. She begins a career of conning men into marriage so they provide for her as she constantly looks for financial security. That’s until she meets a man who is himself a con artist.
Daniel Defoe’s novel is a curious case of a whirlwind in the form of a woman who does anything and everything that she can to survive.
5. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation by M.T Anderson
Young Octavian, son to an African princess, has everything he needs. The best education, excellent mentors, full meals every day, and a posh home. But soon he learns that he is, in fact, a slave involved in a velvet-gloved experiment on whether Africans are inferior to Europeans. And everyone wants him to fail.
This historical fiction juxtaposes the acts of people fighting for the liberty that will shape America while men of color get dragged into a conflict for freedom that they’ll never taste.
6. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
Allan Karlsson is about to celebrate his 100th birthday, and his retirement home is planning a party. But Allan’s not interested, so he climbs out a window and disappears. Planning to go as far as his money takes him, he suddenly finds himself holding a suitcase full of money with drug dealers and police on his trail.
Jonasson takes you into an adventure that’s quirky and whimsical to the point of uniqueness as you learn more about his seemingly normal soon-to-be centenarian.
7. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
Ava Lavender is in all ways a normal girl— except for the wings on her back, that is. Wanting to fit in and discover more about herself, she ventures into the wider world.
But she’s not prepared for both the bad and good things happening in our world. She’s got a lot of things to face, from people who see her as an angel, to people who want her for all sorts of twisted things.
8. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Christopher John Francis Boone is a 15-year-old “mathematician with behavioral difficulties.” He relates to animals better than people. He dislikes physical contact. And he detests the color yellow.
When Wellington, a neighborhood dog, is found dead, Christopher finds himself the prime suspect. But when he decides to investigate the case, he unearths a whole other conspiracy that involves his late mother.
9. 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth by Matthew Inman
No, the title’s not intended to be taken literally, rest assured. Inman’s illustrated book is a collection of hilariously absurd stories that poke fun of almost everything. From peeing like a champ to teaching you why bacon is better than true love, this book’s a perfect read when you need some pick-me-ups.
10. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Aristotle and Dante are two Mexican-American teenagers with nothing in common, but their journeys of self-discovery bring them together into a special friendship. They get into all sorts of trouble only teenagers can find themselves in as they deal with teenage angst and self-exploration.
This story is a tender exploration of identity reminding readers that love, whether romantic or familial, must be without shame. Sáenz treats his characters with much care, giving them space and slowly letting them discover their places in the world.
11. By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart
In the late 1930s, Canadian poet Elizabeth Smart picked up a book of poetry and fell in love with its author, the British poet George Barker. This cult classic is a chronicle of Smart’s experiences and emotions during their 18-year long affair that resulted in four children and was subject to much publicity and speculation during her time.
12. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
Tsukuru Tazaki views himself as uninteresting and empty. He’s the only one in his group of friends without a color in his last name. Then they abruptly cut him off the group with no explanation.
Now grown, Tazaki journeys all over Japan and beyond to mend relationships, figure out the mystery of his exclusion, and finally move on from the feeling of loss he has carried for years.
This is a book celebrating humanity’s complexities and how friendship and love shapes the majority of our lives.
13. The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
Nathan has the brilliance only a child can possess. He decides to swap his dad for two goldfish named Sawney and Beaney. But mom has found out and now he and his little sister need to go from friend to friend, house to house, to trade back their dad.
Neil Gaiman’s brilliant prose coupled with Dave McKean’s striking illustrations transforms a simple story into a ridiculous but still utterly believable narrative that will make you guffaw out loud.
14. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
15-year-old Virginia feels like the odd one out in her family, especially when compared to her perfect brother. Her best friend’s also moved away, leaving her alone to figure out her awkward relationship with a boy. So she decides to change.
When the relationships within her family begin to fray, Virginia finds that being true to herself might be the only way out of this mess.
15. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente
12-year-old September is a normal girl living a normal life. When her father goes to war and her mother goes to work, she soon finds herself invited to a fantastical land full of wonder.
September’s the only one who can retrieve a talisman that can save the lives of every denizen of Fairyland. But can she succeed? She’s only 12, after all.
How Long Is Too Long for a Book Title?
As a rule of thumb, the shorter a title, the better. They’re easier to format into the book cover, not to mention easier to read and more memorable to the reader.
But why do some authors (like the ones above) go for extra long titles? Some good guesses are because they want to be unique or because there’s some special meaning to them. No one knows but the author themselves.
There are no hard rules when it comes to creating your book titles; sometimes authors just go with what they feel. However, if you’re looking for more tips, check out our post on how to choose a bestselling book title, or try these free book title generators for some inspiration.
What book did you read that had the longest title? Share it in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- 12 Funny Book Titles That Will Grab Your Attention
- Book Title Generators: Tools for Coming Up With New Title Ideas
- 19 Famous Book Covers and the Stories Behind Them
- 5 Tips to Create an Attractive Book Cover
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
