When it comes to titling your book, you only have two choices: name it yourself or get some help.
But the latter doesn't mean someone else is naming your fantasy book for you. Stay with us!
If you already have a book title, congratulations! You’ve completed one of the most important steps in the book development process. If you landed on this post and don’t have a name yet, spending hours trying to come up with one probably doesn’t sound very appealing.
While some authors start with a title and then write their book, others name their book after the story unfolds. Wherever you are in the process, this article is for you!
Below we'll look at how to get ideas for naming your fantasy book or entire fantasy book series using our book title generator.
This guide to a fantasy book name generator covers a lot:
First, understand the elements of a great fantasy book name
So, how do you develop a catchy name for your fantasy book? It’s simple when you have a head start.
Out of all of the many book genres, fantasy possibly offers the most creative freedom. Since it's not typically based in reality, almost anything goes. You’ll often find an element of the supernatural, a generous helping of mythical creatures, and/or the paranormal tucked into the folds of the story somewhere.
This also means the sky's the limit when it comes to creating the perfect name for your book. BUT – you don't want to get too creative with the title.
There are a few authors who can get away with ambiguous titles like Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, or Harry Potter by J. K. Rowland, where the name doesn’t immediately give away the genre. But for the safety net folk, or those who are more partial to clearly defined genre titles, figuring out what is germane to the genre and audience expectations is a great starting point for creating book titles that get noticed.
Fantasy book names follow a formula. They should create some intrigue about the story and/or characters. And they are often supported by an equally alluring book cover design.
Fortunately, our fantasy book name generator comes with genre knowledge coded into its “DNA.” So giving it a few prompts is all it takes to put you on the road to generating great fantasy book titles.
Don’t forget the subgenre themes
The fantasy genre is vast and deep, so trying to appeal to every fantasy book reader is a slippery slope into “No-Reader” Land.
This is true for your story and for your book’s title. Leaning into the tropes and themes of a book’s subgenre when developing your title will help you create one that is specific to your reader.
The EditorialDepartment.com website offers the following subgenres and examples:
- Comic fantasy (e.g., Robert Asprin’s Myth series, Piers Anthony’s Xanth series, and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series)
- Contemporary fantasy (e.g., J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series, and Christopher Moore’s Bloodsucking Fiends)
- Dark fantasy (e.g., Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles)
- Epic or “High” fantasy (e.g., J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Terry Brooks’ Shannara series, George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, and Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time)
- Fantasy of manners (mannerpunk) (e.g., Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint and Teresa Edgerton’s The Queen’s Necklace.)
- Historical fantasy (e.g., Guy Gavriel Kay’s The Sarantine Mosaic, Robin McKinley’s Beauty and Rose Daughter, and Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.)
- Sword and Sorcery (e.g., Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series)
There are many more subgenres, and the number keeps growing. Knowing where your book fits into the fantasy stratosphere combined with our name generator will put you on the path to finding the perfect book title in no time.
Learn how to use the fantasy book name generator
Using our free fantasy book title generator is intuitive and easy. You can use the fillable form here, or you can keep reading to follow a couple simple steps to get started.
Step 1: Enter your genre in the generator
Go here and click on “What is the Book Genre?” to get started. For your fantasy book, select Fiction in the dropdown menu and go to the next step.
Step 2: Add your book description
If you have a book description, type it into the generator in the next section to get your first title suggestions. You may find this a good exercise in writing a clear book description that accurately describes your story.
As an example, I typed in the following:
“A young girl learns that her family’s bakery is serving up more than cakes and cookies. In this coming-of-age novel, she discovers that hidden magic is the most dangerous of all.“
Not exactly what I wanted, so I tried again.
I revised the description to include the subgenre and more details from the story:
In this contemporary fantasy novel, a 16-year-old girl learns that her family’s neighborhood bakery is serving up more than cakes and cookies. In this coming-of-age novel about family, love, and deception, she discovers that hidden magic is the most dangerous kind of all.
Here's the second version with a subtitle:
Step 3: Create a title without a book description
If you don’t have a description, the fantasy book name generator can walk you through the naming process. Click “No” when asked if you have a description and answer the questions that follow.
Then click “generate.”
I used the details from my fictitious fantasy novel description above.
Here's the first title.
And the second.
Now it's your turn to give it a try. Remember that it's a tool to inspire ideas.
Based on the output above, I preferred the titles generated without a description. Just like with all AI tools, what you feed it, determines what you'll get back in return.
Here's the generator again – just in case you need it:
Get examples of fantasy book titles done right
Below are some examples of fantasy book titles that echo the stories their books hold. I’ve included a blurb/description for context.
What do you think? Does each title capture the essence of the book’s story?
The Thousand Fold Thought by R.Scott Baker
Bakker’s Eärwa is a world scarred by an apocalyptic past, evoking a time both two thousand years past and two thousand years into the future. As untold thousands gather for a crusade, two men and two women are ensnared by a mysterious traveler, Anasûrimbor Kellhus—part warrior, part philosopher, part sorcerous, charismatic presence—from lands long thought dead. The Darkness That Comes Before is a history of this great holy war, and like all histories, the survivors write its conclusion.
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins…
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father’s gruff stableman. He is treated as an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz’s blood runs the magic Skill—and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family.
As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom…
The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic … forever.
Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.
Takeaways
Interesting fact: When writing this article, I searched Amazon’s Best Sellers in Fantasy Top 100 list. The most popular words shared by many of the titles were:
- Magical
- Wing
- Serpent
- Night
- King
- Court
- Witch
- Ruin
- Book
- Prince/princess
- Secrets
- Throne
Every good book title (no matter the genre) should spark curiosity in the reader. Since the name of your book is an extension of your story, elements like character(s), tone, plot, location, and time in history should be considered.
Fans of fantasy fiction look for these hints in book titles.
As a tool, the fantasy book name generator can spark new ideas and help point you in directions you may not have considered. The idea behind AI tools like this one (or perhaps an AI editor) is to allow it to support your creativity, never replace it.
You are brilliant, creative, and imaginative all on your own. Writing tools are just there to pull more of the good stuff out of you.
By the way, it's easy to look at the best fantasy romance books or someone else’s similar fantasy book title and try to do something similar by swapping out a few words or rearranging their order. But where’s the fun in that? A fantasy book name generator can shake things up and put you on the path to creating something uniquely your own.
Are you ready to take the next step in your author journey?
Have an idea for a fantasy book – or entire series – brewing in your mind? Are you comparing the different fantasy subgenres – like high fantasy vs low fantasy – and mulling around different title ideas for each? Are you asking yourself if it's a good book idea? Have you started writing but don't know how to finish your manuscript and successfully self-publish it? Do you dream of becoming a full-time fiction author?
Our team is here to talk! Book a free consultation today and get answers to your questions:
