CHAPTER TITLES? FOR OR AGAINST?

On Facebook ...

Gae Polisher asked: 

"Chapter Titles or Simply Numbers?"

Look at the tiger above.  What is his story?

The image is striking but tells little about what is going on in his head or around him.

But if you are like me, you wonder about his story.






If you can get your reader interested in what happens in the next chapter, 

you are on your way to crafting a real page-turner.

Page turners create word of mouth which helps sell books.



In my first Victor Standish novel, one chapter is entitled: 

"First Meetings and Last Rites." 
  It details Victor's first meeting with the ghoul, Alice Wentworth, in a midnight graveyard.




In the above novel, the chapter which highlights Victor's quick thinking is entitled, 

"Open Graves and Job Opportunities." 

I use chapter titles because of my own reading history.


1) CHAPTER TITLES  ATTRACTED MY ATTENTION  WHEN DECIDING TO BUY A BOOK
Most readers, even on Amazon, are browsers before they buy.

The first few chapter titles will give the reader 

an inkling if your story sounds intriguing enough to buy.



2) TITLES FOCUSED THE OVER-ALL TONE  OF THE BOOK FOR ME
Chapter titles which were clever, funny, or intriguing 

hinted at those elements being all through the meat of the story.

Baited hooks catch more fish.



 3) CHAPTER TITLES SKETCHED  IN THE STORY WORLD  OF THE NOVEL  I WAS CONSIDERING BUYING.
The chapter titles hinted at the world the characters found themselves in.  
They evoked the spirit of those characters. 
They whispered of the dangers and adventures awaiting them ... 
and me if I chose to buy the book.

QUESTION:
On flipping through my book above, what would intrigue you more?
Chapter 3
or
Chapter 3:  Wasn't Nobody Coming To Save Us


MOST NO LONGER USE  CHAPTER TITLES
DO YOU?
WOULD YOU CONSIDER  USING THEM NOW?