Choosing a title for a book is tough. Choosing a subtitle is tough as well. Some authors will come up with the subtitle first, then the title. Others will do the opposite.

The order in how you choose a subtitle isn’t the issue; it’s choosing one that is…

Here’s the working subtitle I used on my manuscript.

40 Fun, Fabulous & Freeing Ways To Transform Your Relationship With God’s Money

Both my copywriter and editor didn’t like it. Something about the “fabulous” part just didn’t jive for them. They also pointed out that when mentioning “God’s money,” some may think the book will be on tithing.

I was stumped. How could I come up with a winning subtitle?

First, I looked at other devotionals. Some had subtitles, some did not. So, looking at other devotionals for a template on what to do gave me mixed results.

The Bible states that…

“Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.” Proverbs 19:20

Well, what better way to choose a winning subtitle than to ask the very people who would eventually buy the devotional!

I put together a survey, then I emailed the link to my list and posted it on my fanpage…

On the survey, I listed subtitles that I was considering. I even listed a few that came in from readers who purchased my previous book. I also offered an option called Other so people could suggest their own.

Here’s how the survey results broke down…

Seems like my copywriter and editor were right because the working subtitle scored REALLY low. The overwhelming choice was “Other.” So, I took a peek at what other subtitles people were suggesting.

The process was tough…

I loved some of the suggestions that came in, but of course, I couldn’t choose them all. I ended up creating a completely new subtitle based on multiple suggestions. Before I share the subtitle I eventually settled on, I want to go through the ones that did come in and why I ended up not choosing them.

Also, I trust that this will help you when you decide to publish your book. You can refer back to this post when you go through the difficult process of choosing a subtitle.

Doing It God’s Way
Reading the subtitle on its own, I have to ask “What is ‘it?'” Most likely, the reader will ask this question as well and may pass on buying the book because the subtitle is so vague.

Fun, Fabulous and Free Is Where God Wants You to Be in Your Finances
I loved the rhyming in this subtitle, but the word finance tends to be used by financial planners, of which I am not.

Pursuing God’s Guidance for Financial Freedom Devotionals
I liked this one, although I ended up not choosing it because this subtitle contained the “financial.” Plus the word pursuing sounds like a lot of work which may detract readers from purchasing a copy.

1 Kings 3:12 Behold, I have done according to thy words…
Subtitles need to deliver a promise and it should be quantifiable. A statement is not a good subtitle and despite how great the Bible is, a scripture doesn’t make a good subtitle either.

God is the Answer to all Money Infidelity in our Lives
I can see where this is going and I get the overall idea. But it’s missing the quantifier (40-days) plus the word infidelity is typically associated with marriage. If this were a book about marriage and money, I’d consider using the word infidelity.

40 Ways to Fulfill Your Financial Destiny
40 Practical Principles Towards Financial Freedom
40 Inspiring and Fun Ways to Be Financially Free
40 Days to Flow in Financial Favor

• Loved these subtitles. I didn’t go with these because the term “financial” or “financially” gives the impression that the reader will get investment advice on stocks, bonds or real estate. Because I’m not a financial planner, I want to be clear that the focus of this book is to help the reader clean up their money habits.
• Also, none of these mention God or the Bible, so I may get a few refund requests from non-Christians who may have felt duped into buying a book on financial freedom that’s littered with scriptures and references to God.

Any Subtitle With the Word Relationship In It
I have a clear stance that we cannot create a better relationship with money because money isn’t a person, nor should we treat it as such. Check out my report called 3 Lies Money Coaches Tell for more.

Here are subtitles I loved (I consider all these runner ups)…

• 40 Ways To Manage God’s Gift of Financial Abundance
• 7 Simple Ways to Let God Make You Money
• 40 Inspiring Ways to Develop Positive Habits Around Managing God’s Money
• 40 Fresh Insights to Empower God’s Money Managers
• 40 Days of Biblical Ways to Lift You Out of Your Money Pit
• A 40-Day Journey to Your Spiritual & Financial Overflow

At the end of the day, I wanted to ensure that the subtitle…

• Makes a promise that can be achieved
• Is measurable and specific
• Identifies the time in which the breakthrough can happen
• Plus, helps the reader understand that God is at the center of it all

So, here’s the subtitle I selected…

40 Inspiring Ways to Seek God’s Guidance in Transforming Your Money Habits

What say you?

Post your reaction and comments below.