Can I Use A Title That Has Already Been Published?
Got an editing question? Author Katie O’Sullivan has an answer!
If you have a question for Katie you can email her at katie.osullivan@yahoo.com
One of our CWO readers writes:
I’ve just self-published my sci fi novel, the second in my series, but then found out there are a dozen other books with my same title! Why didn’t I think of this before? What should I do?
If you’ve already gotten your ISBN number and published, I don’t think there’s anything you can do about this particular book. Take a deep breath and go with it.
Unless your cover matches another on the list, you should be able to differentiate yourself from the pack. Make sure to plug the cover as well as the title in all of your promotions!
However, we can all learn a little from your misstep.
Book titles aren’t like company names – they don’t have to be unique in the eyes of the law. On the other hand, we all want our books to stand out.
A quick Amazon.com title search in the book section will tell you if another author already used your title.
If you find it already listed (or listed more than once), you need to decide how attached you are to the title. And maybe think up an alternate title. (And then search that one as well.)
CWO Mail Bag
Katie O’Sullivan lives on Cape Cod, drinking way too much coffee and inventing new excuses not to dust.
Living next to the Atlantic influences everything she writes, from her YA series about mermaids to her contemporary romances for The Wild Rose Press.
A recovering English major, she earned her degree at Colgate University and now writes romance and adventure for young adults, and something steamier for the young at heart.
