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Sunday, June 17, 2012

Loglines and Taglines and Slogans, Oh My!

Whether you call them loglines or taglines, they are those short phrases or snappy sentences on the front of a book or a movie cover that pull you in.  A marketing slogan, if you will.

For instance, the movie logline from one of my all-time fave flicks One for the Money, based on Janet Evanovich's book of the same name, reads:  "She's looking for a few not-so-good men."

And here's an example of a book tagline from Ruth Harris's Zuri.   I love everything about her cover:  the artwork, the primitive symbols used, the brownish-black landscape features (good offset for the bright splashes of color elsewhere).  And her tagline:  "Africa.  An Orphan.  A Love Story."

Great use of alliteration.  Also note the escalating word count within each phrase.  First was a solo proper noun.  Followed by a two-word phrase coupling an indefinite article with a generic but emotional noun.  The final phrase is three words long.  Again, an emotional theme, noun, genre. In fact, there are emotions tied to the word Africa.  Go, Ruth!

While Ruth Harris can boast "NY Times bestselling author," I cannot.  Not yet.  Believe me, when I can, I will.  Happily.  Loudly.  Often.

Another possibility for our covers are short reviews.  That's great for the authors who can get them before release.  From my limited reading on the subject, I find the process too time-intensive (on their part and mine).  At this point in my Indie career, I have to opt-out of a lot of good things to maintain focus on the number one thing.  My writing.

Since I first saw the Zuri cover, my radar has been on loglines/taglines.  Now that is something I can do.  It may take a couple hours brainstorming, alone or with my CPs, but it's doable.  To me, it is some of the best marketing we authors can employ.  And costs nothing but our time and imagination.

So I started collecting really great ones that I saw.  As benchmarks to reach.  Serendipity struck when Lynn Crain, a member of one of my online author communities, posted her message about her free promo site for loglines/taglines.  My debut novel, Good Ole Boys, is slated for a June 30 appearance there.  Thank you, Lynn!

Interested?

Here's her contact info and the details needed for your book's submissions.  Make sure each novel has its own separate email.  Note only two per author a month will be posted.  Also, this online collection is for sharing, not critiquing.

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Hi Everyone!

The Log Line Blog is back and stronger than ever! This blog is only for the log line of your book. You know, the one that sells your book for you. One of the most famous log lines in history is: In space, no one can hear you scream. Now tell me you don't know what movie that's from and I'll tell you, you've been living under a rock for the last thirty years or so. A great log line will make your book memorable. Please share yours with us on this blog!

Ideally, your log line should be one sentence of twenty-five (25) words or less. Sometimes it might take more sentences and should NEVER be more than five(5) short sentences maximum but within the 25 word limit. Submit any more to be posted than 25 words and they will be deleted unread. To submit your log line(s) please email them directly to
theloglineblog@ gmail.com with the subject line, My Log Line(s). Please include your purchase information (up to 3 links in a tiny URL format of your own choosing) for the published book and cover art (large format please) as it will be posted with your log line(s). Don’t forget your author website for inclusion as well. Also, please include three tags for tagging purposes for search engine optimization as we do social media to maximize your exposure.

Here is the format needed for your submission:

Title (20 pt Georgia)

Secondary Title i.e. Book 1 of ABC series (13 pt Georgia)

Author: Your Name (14 pt Georgia)

Publisher: My Publisher (15 pt Georgia)

Genre/Length: My Genre/Length of Piece

My buy links #1(13 pt Georgia)

My Buy Link #2(13 pt Georgia)

My Buy Link #3(13 pt Georgia)

Author Website (13 pt Georgia)

Availability (16 pt Georgia)

Log Line(s) (16 pt Georgia)(25 words or less)

Each log line MUST be in their own individual email, so please, don’t submit all your log lines in one big email as it makes scheduling a bear. Only two per author per month will be posted. If you submit more than two, they will be scheduled in the next available slot of the following month. Also, if your purchase URLs aren’t tiny and the book cover not large, I will email you asking for a correction once. If you don’t know what I mean, ask and I’ll help but I just don’t have the time to do it for you. Thanks for your understanding on this as it is not my job to hound you to do it correctly. I’m not your mother and I don’t want to come across as a nag either.

Now it doesn’t matter if your book is a new release or one that you’ve had out there for a long time. Older books sell too and showing off that log line also shows editors and publishers alike you have what it takes. Log lines aren’t easy and it can take years of practice to perfect the skill. This blog is to help everyone perfect that skill. Occasionally, I will post helpful hints and lessons that other people have shared with me over the years. I will also include a list of classes to help authors perfect log lines as this is one of your major selling points when marketing your work.

To see an example of a selling log line, please go to www.theloglineblog. blogspot. com, look at the post for November 12, 2011 and you’ll find one that sold the Blue Moon Magic series. This particular book won awards and the series got the four authors an agent, lots of recognition and we’ve sold thousands of books in part because of the catchy log line. Yes, I know, my one moment of brilliance.. .LOL!

Please note that this is not a forum for critical essay on the log lines. This blog is to share those logs lines. Comments intended to disparage the log line of a published book will not be tolerated. Comments on suggestions for improvement next time are encouraged.

Come on, check us out and find new authors in the process! This is a wonderful opportunity that allows authors to showcase their log lines and us, as readers, to share our thoughts with them while finding more books to read.

We are now filling our schedule for summer and have lots of openings. They do fill up fast, so get your log line in NOW!!

Thanks for sharing...and enjoy!

*Lynn Crain*
Experience the Magic
www.awriterinvienna .blogspot. com
www.lynncrain. blogspot. com
Follow me on twitter: @oddlynn3


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If you are a collector and newbie connoisseur of loglines/taglines like I've become, you may also enjoy this website:

http://scriptshadow.blogspot.com/2009/11/top-100-loglines-for-scriptshadow.html

It's the top 105 loglines from scripts.  Enjoy!


Denise Barker, author + freelance copy editor + blogger
Good Ole Boys, a love story at http://amzn.to/GoodOleBoys

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