Can I trademark or copyright my book title? Yes and No.

You can trademark your company name and if that is part of or your entire book title, then yes you have trademarked that name being used a book title. Use your symbol. But I’ve seen that it is better to assert the trademark on the copyright page and not have the ® symbol in the title because of how it may or may not impact search results on retailer pages. Ask the attorney who filed the trademark for you.
You can’t copyright the title of a book. The interior content, yes. The title: No. Now, some books get to the point where they are so big that you just don’t want to use that name. That’s a cool coffee table book of sunsets and night skies but don’t call it twilight. That book is way too popular. You’ve never gonna rank.

You can look up in a title has been trademarked in the US on the USPTO. I do know one author who titled her book, all good. Then a Canadian author reached out with a cease and desist because they trademarked that title in Canada, which she didn’t think the check. Paying to trademark something means the owner has to protect it for EVERY potential infringement. Sounds tiring. And expensive.

Can I use lyrics in my book title? – Yeah, kind of. When it is a common phrase that has been used in song lyrics. Yes. Also, be creative and make your own title.

OK, all that in mind. Who gets to pick the book title?

Self-Publishing – YOU! You pick it! It’s all on you! But you can ask for feedback on potential titles from developmental editors, from beta readers, from your bookish friends. Get feedback. Or don’t. But it’s on you to pick.

Traditional Publishing – Whether you are going the traditional route or not, I hope you stick around for this one because it changed the way I think about book titles.

In traditional publishing, the ultimate decision around the title is with… the editor. They bought the rights to the book. They know the market. They decide. You usually get a say. You can pitch alternatives if you don’t love the title they picked. But they get to pick.

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