Recently, while visiting my 90-year-old mum, I found myself browsing her extensive collection of recipe books. Childhood memories wafted back as I leafed through 1970s cookbooks explaining how to bake brown bread (she was one of those hippy mums – I remember the bricks) and what were then exotic recipes for classic French and Middle Eastern fare. I could almost sniff the results.

But one unassuming paperback from the 1980s stood out. Written at a time when people were grappling with the new reality of microwaves (much like they are with air fryers today), it was a guide to the art and science of cooking with the white box.

Its title? Microwave Cookery: Properly Explained

The title was obvious enough, but something about the subtitle Properly Explained tickled me. It was the no-nonsense and all-encompassing nature of it, evoking an author with little time for niceties and a conviction in her own expertise. Someone who knew her stuff and wasn’t afraid to show it. Not for her the fripperies of other so-called microwave cookbooks – this was the real deal and you’d better believe it.

It got me thinking about the art of the subtitle.

A non-fiction book usually has a title and subtitle. The title’s job is to grab readers’ attention and get them interested in the book – think of it as the film star of the book cover world. The subtitle, on the other hand, is a workhorse: humbler and less glamorous but just as necessary.

The subtitle’s purposes are many:

• To tell people what the book is actually about – its subject. This is particularly important if the title is vague or abstract. Example: Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways To Be Persuasive.
• To convince readers the book will help or interest them by answering the question: ‘What’s in it for me?’ Example: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones.
• To aid discoverability through keywords. Example: Your Business Your Book: How To Plan, Write And Promote The Book That Puts You In The Spotlight.
• To define the target audience. Example: Investing Basics: A Beginner’s Guide to Building Wealth.
• To hint at the tone and style of the book – is it humorous, down to earth, academic, or something else? Example: Life: A Beginner’s Guide.

That’s a lot of heavy lifting for a handful of words. No wonder many authors tie themselves in knots coming up with the perfect subtitle – far more so than with the title, in my ghostwriting experience. How do you encapsulate your book’s topic, audience and essence in a (very) short sentence?

This is where some authors go wrong. Keen to put across the depth and breadth of their book’s range, they come up with a subtitle that covers too many things. If the topic is sales, it might go something like this: ‘How to open and close the deal while not being sleazy but meeting your targets’. That’s too long. Potential readers only give the title a quick glance and rarely spend more than a second on the subtitle – it has to be easy to absorb.

The best option? If inspiration fails, you could do a lot worse than use the following formula:

Catchy Title: Clear Promise + Target Reader + Outcome

Example: Present to Win: A Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs Who Want Their Ideas to Sell.

And if all else fails? Well, I reckon Properly Explained could be a great subtitle for pretty much any non-fiction book. Imagine how the classics would be transformed:

• How to Win Friends and Influence People: Properly Explained
• Thinking, Fast and Slow: Properly Explained
• Who Moved My Cheese? Properly Explained

When it comes down to it, all readers want is a proper explanation. Your book could be the one that gives it to them.

Ginny Carter is a bestselling ghostwriter of over 25 books, a book coach, and an award-winning author in her own right.