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| An author twenty years in the making! |
I've written about taglines before but this week we are having a special guest on Thursday who is talking blurbs.
If we talk about tag lines today and blurbs on Thursday you'll be a long stride closer to pitching your book to an agent or editor.
Great Taglines--these are from movies mostly but I was looking for movies based on books
.
When you can live forever what do you live for? Twilight
Let The Magic Begin. Harry
Potter
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
Animal Farm
Evil is inherent in the human mind, whatever innocence may cloak it...
Lord of the Flies
The end of the world is just the beginning…The Stand by Stephen King
SINISTER SHADOWS--BURNING LOVE Wuthering Heights
From the moment he first saw the stallion, he knew it would either destroy
him, or carry him where no one had ever been before...The Black Stallion
Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, was the law…the Call of the Wild
One Ring to Rule them all…Lord of the Rings
Pig Tales...Charlotte’s Web
Today let's see if we can get a tag line for your book and that will get us ready for The Blurb Queen
We’ve talked about 30 word pitches
or one sentence pitches—this is a blurb. Although a blurb can be longer, too. Depends what you want. I'll let The Blurb Queen work on that.
But a tagline is different. It's a hook.
A tagline is going for your emotions.
The idea is to sum up the tone…to
brand the book. And do it well enough that people will remember.
Let’s try out some
taglines for our own work. And if we want to revise and play with each others,
punch up the tagline of other commenters, let's have at it and see if we
can come up with lots of great taglines.
I don't know if this is exactly a tagline, but for The Boden Birthright, currently free FREE FREE on Amazon, I've been using this:
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| FREE EBOOK |
A Boston businessman on the run.
A frontier woman who wants the son and may have to take the city slicker father to get him.
A little boy who needs a home.
What do you think? Is that too long to be a tagline?
She wants the son, but the father is a package deal.
Ummm... The dangerous frontier is his chance to be safe.That's sorta cool.
Run from civilization to save his son.
(I feel like I'm almost on to it here, make the dangerous west the safe place)
A place of danger where he'll be safe.
1000 ways to die in the west...the only place he can live.
(except he's not really in deadly danger, he's just in danger of losing his son to his powerful, manipulative in-laws---yeesh most people can't even get their in-laws to babysit!!!!)
His family is safe only where it's most dangerous.
Frontier romance with a side of buckshot. (okay that means nothing but I kind of like it--and really do taglines really MEAN anything? A movie 65 million years in the making? What does that mean, huh?????)
Let's come up with taglines for your book. Mine, too. Toss out what you're thinking of and if you want, we can brainstorm it. And anyone with a better idea for my tagline please please please jump in!
~~~~~~~~~
The Boden Birthright is releasing TODAY. It's FREE in all ebook formats. Go grab a copy and get a glimpse of the upcoming Cimarron Legacy Series.
I have a SECOND book releasing today, too. Runaway Bride, from the novella collection With This Ring? A Novella Collection of Proposals Gone Awry.
Leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for an ecopy. Two drawings. Two winners!
Run from civilization to save his son.
(I feel like I'm almost on to it here, make the dangerous west the safe place)
A place of danger where he'll be safe.
1000 ways to die in the west...the only place he can live.
(except he's not really in deadly danger, he's just in danger of losing his son to his powerful, manipulative in-laws---yeesh most people can't even get their in-laws to babysit!!!!)
His family is safe only where it's most dangerous.
Frontier romance with a side of buckshot. (okay that means nothing but I kind of like it--and really do taglines really MEAN anything? A movie 65 million years in the making? What does that mean, huh?????)
Let's come up with taglines for your book. Mine, too. Toss out what you're thinking of and if you want, we can brainstorm it. And anyone with a better idea for my tagline please please please jump in!
~~~~~~~~~
The Boden Birthright is releasing TODAY. It's FREE in all ebook formats. Go grab a copy and get a glimpse of the upcoming Cimarron Legacy Series.
I have a SECOND book releasing today, too. Runaway Bride, from the novella collection With This Ring? A Novella Collection of Proposals Gone Awry.
Leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for an ecopy. Two drawings. Two winners!
The Boden Birthright
Chance doesn't want to work for anyone, but Frank Chastain's beautiful daughter Veronica gives him reason to delay buying his own holdings while he learns the ways of the west on the vast land grant known as the Cimarron Ranch.
For Veronica it's love at first sight--love that is--for precious little Cole Boden. But Chance almost lost his son before and won't risk it again.
If he can resist the gentle hand and sweet generosity of Veronica Chastain.
from With This Ring? Novella Collection
A Kincaid Brides and Trouble in Texas novella
Hired to help Carrie Halsey escape from a dangerous man intent on making her his wife, Big John Conroy never expected the job to interrupt his solitary Texas Ranger life. But now that he's promised to keep Carrie safe, he discovers he may just want to make a few more promises.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coming in June
New Western Romance Series from Bestselling Author Mary ConnealyWhen Cimarron ranch patriarch Chance Boden is caught in an avalanche, the quick actions of hired hand Heath Kincaid save him. Badly injured, Chance demands that his will be read and its conditions be enforced immediately.
Without anyone else to serve as a witness, Heath is pressed into reading the will. If Justin, Sadie, and Cole Boden don't live and work at home for the entire year, the ranch will go to their low-down cousin Mike.
Then Heath discovers the avalanche was a murder attempt, and more danger might follow. Deeply involved with the family, Heath's desire to protect Sadie goes far beyond friendship. The danger keeps them close together, and their feelings grow until being apart is the last thing on their minds.
~~~~~~~~~~
A Seeker Novella CollectionIncluding
His Mail Order Family
by Mary Connealy'The Husband Tree' characters ride again
Silas Harden, Jr. orders a mail order bride and after the vows are spoken, she 'surprises' him with her three little brothers.
The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable dramatic phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of an audio/visual product,[note 1] or to reinforce and strengthen the audience's memory of a literary product. Some taglines are successful enough to warrant inclusion in popular culture. Consulting companies which specialize in creating taglines may be hired to create a tagline for a brand or product.-Wikipedia.
ReplyDeleteA short pithy phrase or line to make people want to read your book. Well that short pithy phrase is enough to make me want to pull my hair out.
The Rosetti Curse by Tina Radcliffe.
A Romantic Comedy of Italian Proportions...
Ah! Now THAT'S a tagline, Tina.
ReplyDeleteThe Boden Birthright
A place of danger where his son will be safe.
Runaway home.
On the run from home to find home.
Grrrrr none of it's exciting.
Out of the Boston frying pan and into the New Mexico fire!
rattle snakes? burning heat? Hostile Indians? Better than his in-laws.
A prickly pear cactus stuck to his backside...described his in-laws pretty well.
No wait:
A prickly pear cactus stuck to his backside vs his in-laws.
He'd be picking thorns out of his butt, but still, no contest.
Hmmm.....
A prickly pear cactus stuck to his backside vs his Boston in-laws?
Hello New Mexico
Or
What are a few cactus spines between friends?
Ummmm...
A cactus for a footstool sounded like a big improvement over his in-laws
....
Grab the boy and run.
A runaway family for Chance Boden.
He ran away like a coward to save his son.
He ran like a coward to save his son.
I like the direction of grab the boy and run. It's intriguing. Brings a question to my mind, is he kidnapping a boy? What's going on?
DeleteI could try book #1 of the series.
ReplyDeleteNo Way Up
The little boy in The Boden Birthright novella?
This is his LITTLE SISTER'S STORY.
And Heath Kincaid is the hero.
The Kincaid Brides...there's one more Kincaid to go
Heath Kincaid's story
A Kincaid Brides novel away from that blasted cavern
Good morning, MARY! Up early here in Texas because of thunderstorms, again, but thankfully these are not as bad as last week's. Still, lightning and thunder mean no sleeping for this scaredy-cat. I'm glad I have Seekerville to head to.
ReplyDeleteFor my first (completed) book I've written a synopsis (that ended up more like a book) and a blurb (that ended up more like a synopsis) but I've never written a tagline. This is fun!
Here are two I came up with.
1.He vows to protect her, befriend her, and pray for her. What he will not do, is love her.
2. She discovers there’s a difference in praising God for a charmed life, and placing the pieces in His hands when a not-so-perfect life falls apart.
Any suggestions or thoughts?
Btw, loved "A prickly pear cactus stuck to his backside vs his Boston in-laws?
Hello New Mexico" Thanks for the laughs, and the book! I downloaded it and can't wait to read it!
Home from the pro-tennis circuit, now can he ace the one he let get away?>>Not sure that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteCan this modern-day photographer filter out hurt from the past and focus on the love of her life?
Hi Mary, both of these probably stink. He left her to join the pro tennis circuit. She's a photographer who is afraid to trust him a second time. It's been ten years, and now he's back.
Thanks for any help you all can give me!
I like the way you bring the tone of your story into these blurbs. I think you're on the right track.
DeleteI'm a little sleepy from the storms during the night...but I'll try:
ReplyDeleteOne decision and she lost it all.
Thanks for the book!
Hey, Jill! My hubby's in NC this week. I like your one line! It makes me want to read more.
ReplyDeleteHi Jackie! Thank you. :) What part of NC is your husband visiting?
ReplyDeleteAre those pithy tags on LI back covers taglines? The Bounty Hunter's Redemption's has this: Staking His Claim. The Inconvenient Match's is The Best of Enemies. Maybe these need to be fleshed out. Taglines are hard. What do you think, Mary? Are these taglines or titles for the blurb?
ReplyDeleteJanet
I went to a pitch class two years ago by Adrielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry. They're a husband and wife team who go around the country giving short pitch workshops in bookstores. It was an eye-opener and fun.
ReplyDeleteMy pitch for my Oregon Trail novel is, "Michael had once betrayed Caroline's trust in the worst possible way. Can she trust him to get her to the Oregon Country, and can he trust her and God for forgiveness?"
For my post World War I story: "Violet O'Connell found everything she needed among people who had lost everything."
The second one is more pithy.
An interesting post, MARY.
Kathy B.
I am pre-coffee in the hotel lobby in my jammies, so I have very little thought process at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI like Laura's take, and I'm going to shorten it: "He vowed to protect her. What he can't do is love her..."
Or...
"He took a chance at life. Can he take a chance on love?"
Or....
"What on earth is she thinking, dealing with a stinkin' cowboy and his messy-faced, drippy-nosed kid? That must be some kind of lonely goin' on, because the dirt-crusted cowboy is startin' to look good and the kid could grow on her... in time."
Sorry, that was just for fun!!!
I love Veronica's name. Veronica Chastain.
ELEGANT.
Love it.
This tagline is for a book titled The Firefighter's Match.
ReplyDeleteDoes she carry a torch for him or for the forest?
Good morning, Laura.
ReplyDeleteI like the protect her but not love her.
He's willing to give his life but not his heart
The man standing between her and trouble....is trouble.
Jackie!
ReplyDeleteI like the play on words with the photography.
The photographer falls for him and after that, everything's a blur.
She snaps his picture then trouble develops.
Jill that's good. It sort of sounds like 'One ring to rule them all'
ReplyDeleteRight? :)
Janet do you mean like the backs of the books, the blurb title?
ReplyDeleteI'm looking at Glynna's latest release here. It says A Season for Healing
Is that what you mean? Because those are pretty good.
Erica Vetsch's first LIH just landed in my hands this weekend when Erica and I and a few others went to the Wordsowers Conference in Omaha. The book is called 'His Prairie Sweetheart' and the blurb title is A Home for Her Heart
Kaybee the pitches are a little longer than a tagline. That's why I think my first 'tagline' on this blog post is probably NOT a tagline. But rather a pitch or even a blurb.
ReplyDeleteThis one could almost be a tagline though.
All she needed was there among people who had lost everything
Ack! Renee when you put it like that it starts to sound right.
ReplyDeleteThe boy is his son but his inlaws want to be in charge of him and as long as Chance is busy, and grieving and keeps his hands off, they'll all get along fine!
A man shouldn't have to kidnap his own son.
Good morning Ruthy. (I'm sure she's already written 10,000 words today and is now cooking something for small children!!!!)
ReplyDeleteMy heroine's name is Veronica Chastain because she's FRENCH.
Her father, the old man in this book, is a French-Canadian, fur trader, turned Mexican citizen with a land grand, turned American rancher.
Yeah, he was easy to write!!!!????
Renee! AAAAHHHH!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THIS!
Does she carry a torch for him or for the forest?
So she's POSSIBLY burning down the forest while he's fighting fires? OH THIS IS NOT JUST A GREAT TAGLINE, IT'S ALSO A PITCH AND A BLURB.
WOW, good luck with it!!!
What a GREAT post, Mare!!
ReplyDeleteI love most of your taglines, but I think ... and this is a shock, I know ... the shorter, the better. That said, I am completely intrigued by:
Grab the boy and run.
I managed to do short on my personal author tagline -- Passion with a Purpose, but unfortunately my book taglines are as long as my books ... The only one that's kind of short is from A Hope Undaunted (which is available for free download right now!), and that is:
What happens when the boy she loved to hate becomes the man she hates to love?
I'm not a Harry Potter fan, but I think "Let the magic begin" is pretty simple and genius.
Charlotte's Web "Pig Tails" is pretty good too!
SUPER CONGRATS on all the releases today, you little overachiever, you!! ;) I went to preorder The Boden Birthright and was informed by Amazon that I already had. :)
HUGS,
Julie
I will give it a try.
ReplyDeleteMy title is Dreama's Letters
Is she in too big a hurry to find a husband or should she wait on the Lord.
A brief summary of this story is?
She has been told she cannot be a missionary in Africa without a husband. She meets a man who pretends to be a Christian. She falls for his lies. Will she find out his deception in time?
MARY, thanks for the giggle this morning. RUTHY, you could write taglines and pick up a little extra income!
ReplyDeleteI'd rather write an entire novel than a blurb, but here's my attempts:
Chance had no choice. Grab his son and run.
Chance had no choice, but to grab his son and run.
Chance had no choice. Grab his son and run into danger. or...into the fire.
For Jackie:
He aced his career. Now can he focus on love?
She lost her ace once. Can she now focus on love?
I should have added I have never tried this.
ReplyDeleteThose are some good ones you shared, Mary!
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that the blurbs on the back of the Love Inspired books usually have a line right before that could be a tagline. Here are some examples:
The Doctor's Second Chance: The Bachelor's Baby.
The Guy Next Door: From Friend to...Fiancé?
Georgia Sweethearts: A Pattern for Love
Mary, thanks so much for your help!
ReplyDeleteRenee, you're cracking me up!
Barbara, thanks for jumping in to help!
Jill, he's in Durham this week!
I'm loving today's post. Thanks, Mary!
TINA: That's the best blurb ever! LOL
ReplyDeleteBack later...I need more coffee to kick-start my brain.
Fun post, Mary--and interesting to read the taglines for some well-known books!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had to put much effort into writing taglines since usually the publishers attach whatever they decide on. The one I worked hardest on was for Pearl of Great Price:
"An abandoned Arkansas lake resort holds the secrets of a young woman’s past . . . and her future."
A reunion, a stalker, and a class reunion--what's a woman to do?
ReplyDeleteWould that be considered a blurb for Hidden in Shadow? It's what I start the synopsis with.
TINA - I LOVED the Rosetti Curse and your tagline sums it up perfectly IMHO.
ReplyDeleteRENEE - I agree with Mary... that is a perfect tag that whets the imagination's appetite.
MARY - For yours, how about: The both love his son, just not each other. Something's gonna change.
My blurb for my romantic suspense: Illegal treasure hunters want her dead, the man she desires doesn't want her - period. She needs to change some minds.
No need for draw entry. Have the books. Love tag line stuff. THANKS MARY!!!!!
Thank you, MARY and RUTHY! As always, learning so much here.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary:
ReplyDeleteWhat a tease!
I zipped over to Amazon to download my preorder of "The Runaway Bride" only to find it is not being released today! : (
And I so much want to know if Big John's nickname is Duke and if he's kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip! Now I have to wait hours!
But then you've given us something creative to think about: taglines, loglines, branding, UPSs, positioning...they all seem to blur together!
Anyway, I just finished your "His Mail Order Family," in the novella collection, "Spring into Love," and I must say it has the best motivation for a woman to become a mail order bride that I may have ever read. It is also one of the most unpredictable plots I've read. The plot is as unpredictable as a ballerina with her tutu on fire!
But I digress. Creativity, that's the thing today? Right? A kind of 'what's my line'?
***
"She Can Run but She Can't Hide from Love."
Runaway Bride
"What Happens When a 'Too Good to be True' Mail Order Bride Delivers The Biggest Surprise of All?"
His Mail Order Family
"When The Edge of Forgiveness Lies in One's Own Heart!"
Rekindling the Widower's Heart
The Price of Victory: Winning Forgiveness, Redemption and a Forever Love!
The Price of Victory
"A Son's Shine Brightens the Prospects for Finding a Lasting Love."
The Boden Birthright
"Lives Are Born Again in Heaven's Own Baptism of Love."
Autumn Rains
Having the Courage to Give and Take a Second Chance."
The Lawman's Second Chance
"What 'Beauty and the Beast' Would Be Like in Real Life"
A Home of Her Own
And then here's a few of my own:
"A Universe blown Apart in a Cosmic Black Moment Creats a World Where No One Knows Who's Real and Who's Fictional!"
Characters in a Romance
"Where Justice is Sweeter and Revenge is More than Poetic"
When Characters Come Alive
"When Understanding Everything About Love and Romance Changes Nothing!"
Stranded in a Cabin With A Romance Writer!
"A Future Where Time Travel is a Disease and Doesn't Require Travel at all."
Conversations with the Time Traveler
Well, that's a Monday morning start!
Vince
Julie, you're right.
ReplyDeleteGrab the boy and run
That's pretty good. I get a gut reaction with that one!!!
VINCE, love this! You've worked so hard on it!!!
ReplyDeleteHow about:
What Happens When a 'Too Good to be True' Mail Order Bride Delivers The Biggest Surprise of All?" His Mail Order Family
Instead: Meeting your wife on your wedding day oughta be the biggest surprise.
I love, "Meeting your wife on your wedding day oughta be the biggest surprise."
ReplyDeleteBARBARA
ReplyDeleteChance had no choice. Grab his son and run into danger. or...into the fire.
You know these are all really good and it's amazing how HARD you can work trying to distill an entire book down to like FOUR WORDS!!!!!
I like 'Chance has no choice'. Very poetic, right?
Our of the frying pan of civilization into the fire of the wild west.
There's no safety anywhere, but Chance is tough enough to survive.
Hm....
Wilani you did pretty good for a first try!
ReplyDeleteIs she in too big a hurry to find a husband or should she wait on the Lord.
<<<< Marry in haste, repent in Africa>>>
She wants marriage...God says wait.
A brief summary of this story is?
She has been told she cannot be a missionary in Africa without a husband. She meets a man who pretends to be a Christian. She falls for his lies. Will she find out his deception in time?
Dreama's racing for the altar with the man of her nightmares.
Missy, where is that? I've got three LIs in front of me. Are you talking about the TITLE above the blurb?
ReplyDeleteBarbara I'm going for coffee, too, it's right in the kitchen for heaven's sakes.
ReplyDeleteMyra I like that and the resort and old secrets are so key to that book. Excellent.
ReplyDelete<<< GEORGIA EVANS!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! >>>>>>
ReplyDeleteI met Georgia this weekend!!!
Now all I can think is we should have talked more!!!!!!!!!
It was hard to find a moment!!!!!
It was so nice to meet you and I can't wait to get to your book. It sounds wonderful.
Your book HIDDEN IN SHADOWS sounds great, too!!!
DebH OOOOOOOH!
ReplyDeleteThey both love his son, just not each other!.....LOL I like this!!! Just this!
Okay I checked just now, the books I said are coming out today, come out TOMORROW!!!
ReplyDeleteThe plot is as unpredictable as a ballerina with her tutu on fire!
LOL okay love that. I wonder how I can write a book with THAT for a tagline.
Vince how about this for a tagline for you...
ReplyDelete"Where Justice is Sweet and Revenge is a dish served hot!"
When Characters Come Alive
And I got nothing... :) but that's ok because I'm just starting the fiction thing. Here's the 1st book: "??????? In TurnARound, Texas." Yeah, it needs work :)!
ReplyDeleteBut Thank You, MARY! I get the tagline thing now! And I actually had them for my nonfiction books (not on purpose, but I still had them!).
"Fierce Faith: A 40 Day Prayer"
Faith is knowing God tells the truth & acting like it!
"Fierce Faith 2.0: A 40 Day Prayer"
The Battle is Won in Prayer!
"Ferocious Faith: A 40 Day Prayer Battle"
All I am & all I have I give to You, Lord Jesus.
Mary, it was great seeing you at Wordsower's. I enjoyed your session.
ReplyDeleteI think what I have for my book is more a blurb than a tagline. I have a theme of a town being destroyed by a tornado, focusing particularly on a church. Then I have 3 sets of characters. I'm not sure if a tagline is just for the overall theme or would be for each of the characters too. I am going to try to shorten my blurbs and include everything:
When the residents of Middleton, Nebraska, see their town and beloved church destroyed by a tornado, can they pick up the pieces or will their lives be forever shattered too?
Can Rick and Beth Montgomery rebuild their already strained marriage even as they are rebuilding the town?
When Courtney Olson suffers a devastating loss, can she learn to make amends with her long estranged father?
After the loss of his beloved wife, Pastor William Webster has lost his confidence as a pastor. Can he overcome in order to lead his congregation as they rebuild their church?
These need a lot of work, but I hope it gives some idea about the book.
Now I'm wondering why I didn't go to Wordsower's. Oh yeah. Deadline. Wedding. Too much on my plate. ;)
ReplyDeleteTag lines are great. I love them when they're done well!
Let's see, "Hannah's Choice" was something about choosing between faith and family, and then my publisher came up with this: "When love and family conflict, will she listen to her head...or her heart?"
"Mattie's Pledge" (Sept 2016) could be "She made a promise as strong as his love for her."
Not sure what the tagline for "Naomi's Hope" (June 2917) might be.
It seems that to come up with a tagline (and a blurb), you need to know the very essence of your story. So I think I need to work a bit more on Naomi's Hope - I need to get inside the core of the book!
Jana, it's like the taglines wrote themselves!!!
ReplyDeleteThose are good ones.
Sandy it was great to see you.
ReplyDeleteThese that you listed are more like one-sentence pitches. And they're good ones.
When the residents of Middleton, Nebraska, see their town and beloved church destroyed by a tornado, can they pick up the pieces or will their lives be forever shattered too?
How about....
A tornado destroyed their town, will they let it destroy their lives?
Can Rick and Beth Montgomery rebuild their already strained marriage even as they are rebuilding the town?
When Courtney Olson suffers a devastating loss, can she learn to make amends with her long estranged father?
After the loss of his beloved wife, Pastor William Webster has lost his confidence as a pastor. Can he overcome in order to lead his congregation as they rebuild their church?
Sandy that doesn't deal with the individual books but it works for the series over all, maybe???
ReplyDeleteJan maybe next year. Sounds like you have some MAJORLY good excuses. :)
ReplyDeleteBlurbs are hard, IMHO!
ReplyDeleteI remember Michael Hauge (screenwriting guru) talk about "Legally Blonde." Although a title, it also is a tagline that sums up the story perfectly.
Hi Mary I'm in agreement with all who said they would write a novel easier than a tagline. sigh. I really don't like thinking of these. It gives me a headache.
ReplyDeleteLoved all the taglines so far though.
Now I have to go think of one for my wip.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOkay, here goes:
ReplyDeleteWill his secret destroy their love?
or
The secret destroying him, could destroy the one he's dared to love.
Vince You didn't disappoint me. I knew you'd come up with a bunch.
ReplyDeleteYou ought to start a I'LL WRITE YOUR BLURB OR TAGLINE BUSINESS.
I'd hire you in a nano minute. smile
MARY, yes, that's what I mean. I hereby give LIH credit for the taglines of my books. :-)
ReplyDeleteNice that you got Erica's book His Prairie Sweetheart. We never fear running out of books to read, do we?
JULIE, I thought I had Mary's book but like you, I went out to Amazon to check. :-)
Janet
MISSY, isn't it funny that we just now realized those titles of the blurbs were really taglines?
ReplyDeleteJanet
Debby, that reminded me of someone saying the movie 'Snakes on a Plane' is a title, a blurb, a tagline and a synopsis, all in four words. LOL
ReplyDeleteSandra that's good: Will his secret destroy their love?
ReplyDeleteOr : He has a secret that could destroy their love
Or : when the truth comes out, will their love survive.
I don't think mine are as good as yours. Nice!
Janet now remember to USE THE TAG LINES!!!
ReplyDelete:)
They're already there, right???
I'm going to look at my own books. Maybe they have taglines, too!!!
What a great Monday morning wake-up post! I'm with the crowd not fond of having to come up with pithy, clever one-liners!
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who was born to do this...she's a natural...like Vince...and Ruthy...and Tina...just spouts 'em out!! She's my go-to for brainstorming taglines and titles! Her cozy mystery book is called, "A Stitch in Crime." It's about a quilt show.. now, that's just clever!!
Love all the interaction and ideas! I'm totally drawing a blank...LOL
On the back of Calico Canyon--The Bride came T.O.D. Trouble on Delivery
ReplyDeleteOn Swept Away--He remembers almost everything...except getting married
The books all have tight, sassy sentences on the back but mostly they seem more like really well done one sentence pitches than taglines.
Those two qualify though.
January 2017 Release
ReplyDeleteRocky Mountain Cowboy.
Will the bionic cowboy finally get the girl?
I believe the key is to not overthink this.
Tina, I love: "I believe the key is to not overthink this."
ReplyDeleteExcept when I try your spot on advice, I simply find myself trying not to overthink it and then that just leads to me overthinking the overthinking part....:)
If I create the tagline before I write the story it seems to work better than if I write the story and then try to figure out a tagline.
You know, Megan, I agree with that.
ReplyDeleteOnce you write the story you tend to not see the big picture as clearly and your head is into the subplots and internal conflict.
Working on now: Temporary Cowboy
Two hearts accustomed to disappointment, praying for a love of a lifetime.
Hmm, good question, Mary. I need a lot of time to think up a tag line. Maybe one will come to me.
ReplyDeleteMary, I like your suggestion "A tornado destroyed their town, will they let it destroy their lives?"
ReplyDeleteThis is one book. The three sets of characters are in this book. Their storylines intersect. My series is going to be different disasters set in the same town.
Tina over think it? Now does thinking...sound like me? HUH?
ReplyDeleteHi Cara, if you want help WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!!!!!! (entertaining ourselves at your expense of course!)
ReplyDelete:D
Wow, Sandy, way to torture your town. This is an excellent quality in a writer!!!
ReplyDelete:)
LOLOL on all counts, Connealy.
ReplyDeleteMary,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! You know your taglines.
Thanks for the intro ... see you all on Thursday. Can't wait.
Cathryn Cade = The Blurb Queen.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you tracking the royals.
Hi Mary:
ReplyDeleteThe thing about writing taglines is that they always make sense and may even seem brilliant to the person who creates them. They may even make more sense when the creator has read the book. The problem is this: taglines are intended for readers who have not read the book!
It can be very hard to anticipate just how someone who has not read the book will interpet a given tagline when the author of the tagline has read the book. It's like unbreaking an egg.
For example: As for: "Meeting your wife on your wedding day oughta be the biggest surprise."
I didn't read into this the missing "for the first time" as in "Meeting your wife 'for the first time' on your wedding day oughta be the biggest surprise."
Also my natural inclination is to object: meeting your wife on your wedding day should not be a surprise!
I think you have had to have read the book for this formulation to be effective.
Then there is: "Where Justice is Sweet and Revenge is a dish served hot!"
Now this is fine except it lessens the power of the revenge in my mind as the Sicilian saying is, "Revenge is a dish best served cold."
I'm just providing these comments as examples to show how creating taglines requires one to be the reader and not the writer.
Nothing is as it seems, it seems, and even when it seems to be as it seems, it may still be nothing.
Vince
Loved this post, Mary! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is for one of my contemporary romances: If all the books she read had happy endings, why couldn't Kate have one in real life?
(Okay, probably too simple---but it's a start, LOL). ;)
Hugs, Patti Jo
Hi Cathryn! Always delighted to have royalty stop by!!! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Patti Jo. I like the happy endings but not for her idea.
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to play with.
Hi Mary:
ReplyDeleteYour post has been very helpful. I am mostly worried that my suggested taglines might not be that effective.
There is a paradox here: The person who creates the tagline has read the book and is thus not the best situated to judge the tagline's effectiveness as a help to those who have not read the book; however, those who have not read the book are also not best situated to judge if the tagline has adequately communicated what the book is about.
So here's the solution: the person who has read the book and writes the tagline needs to show that tagline to someone who reads romances but has not read the book in question. After reading the tagline, the reader should be asked to tell what he thinks the book is about. If the reader is way off, then the tagline fails, at least with that reader, and this is true even if the tagline is the most clever ever written. But if the reader describes what she thinks the book is about correctly to a "T", then the tagline is a success even if it is somewhat lackluster!
Of course, you still want the tagline to communicate a message that not only best describes the theme of the book but also creates a desire in the reader to buy the book.
Vince
P.S. In just over two hours I'll be able to download "Runaway Bride" and start reading it. 'Runaway Bride' and 'Magic Wedding Dress' are two of my favorite romance themes.
Just got back from an anniversary weekend with my husband so this is just an off the cuff answer before bed...
ReplyDeleteMoney wasn't all he counterfeited.
Mary, I liked the out of the Boston frying pan and into the New Mexico fire. I just felt it was humorous and I am always looking for a good laugh!
I love all the comments! I can't wait to look at them longer tomorrow. Have a good night, all!
Vince these are great insights. And......now it's even HARDER to do it well!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, though, sincerely, I see what you mean!
Crystal I hope you had a wonderful getaway! Thanks for finding time to stop in here!!! :)
ReplyDeleteWould you believe I'm working on my tag line today? My cover artist is waiting on it. The blurb: Seeking relief from her disastrous marriage to a college professor, Ashley is surprised by a roofer with stamina through Texas heat and life’s hard spots. Her path away from bitterness involves the family guard-pig and teaching the first grade class of the roofer’s son, based only on her experience teaching senior high school biology.
ReplyDeleteAs a wife betrayed and dumped by her husband, she could either lock herself away from further hurt or forgive and start over.
Was there a man alive worth the investment?
Tag attempts:
Her life plan detour takes her to Texas.
A detour in her life plan takes her to Texas.
A roof and a pig ----?
A roof and a pig: Just the treatment she needs for a broken heart.
A helpful granddaughter and a healing grandmother -----?
In need of healing herself, she retreats to help Grandmother.
This is TMI, but can anyone help?
My copy arrived on my Kindle, great cover!
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying all the fun comments.. tag lines ~ as a
reader I now see how important they are to an author..
Lee...
ReplyDeletea man on the roof
a pig in the back yard
a lonely ache in her heart
Hmmmmmmm
There's a man on the roof and the pig won't let him down. (old joke remember?)
When pigs fly, they can become roofers.
Leaking roofs and breaking hearts
ReplyDeleteThe pig in the back yard and the guy on the roof were both in love with her.
ReplyDeleteIt was a harder choice than it oughta be.
Yeah, congrats Mary! I saw your email earlier this week!
ReplyDeleteI'm really curious to what "magic wedding dress" is, Vince. =)
I think taglines are perfect to use in social media posts --especially if it's Twitter or something that limits the number of characters you can use!