Taglines...

Pull a few books off your shelves and look at them. Or check out USA Today on Wednesdays and Thursdays for the book ads.

Wait a minute -- are you in the US? I forgot to check.

I'm more familiar with taglines in films.

For example, the tagline for Alien (Aliens?) is: In space, no one can hear you scream.

They are often one or two sentences that encapsulate the essence of the movie/book.

chaostitan said:

I'm more familiar with taglines in films.

For example, the tagline for Alien (Aliens?) is: In space, no one can hear you scream.

They are often one or two sentences that encapsulate the essence of the movie/book.

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Yeah, a tagline meant to hook the reader, in an ad or on the cover of the book. Usually just one line, maybe two. If the cover has a step-back, there can be several lines on it.

At least, I think that's what Christine is talking about.

The Plutonium Blonde: He was the last P.I. on Earth, could he and his holographic assistant save the world from a nuclear-powered, genocidal exotic-dancing fembot?

You've got it all wrong, guys. A tagline is the thing you say when you need your partner to tag you out of the ring.

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Does your main character have an exceptionally good piece of dialogue? Perhaps you could adapt something someone says into the tagline.

Could that also be called a logline?

Saundra Julian said:

Could that also be called a logline?

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I dunno, I think "logline" is one of those terms that maybe came over from nonfiction or journalism or internet stuff not really related to fiction or novels.

I may be wrong about that, but it's the sense I get. I know no editor or agent has ever asked me for a "logline" as long as I've been in the business.

But plenty of agents and pubs are doing things differently these days, so when in doubt ask for clarification.

I sort of think tag lines are books, log lines are for movies though they could very well be the same thing.

Taglines are hooks. Loglines are summaries, like the movie listings in your TV schedule.

For the movie Speed--
Tagline: Get ready for rush hour.
Logline: An off-duty cop must save the passengers of a bus that has a bomb set to explode if it goes below 50 MPH.

Miss Congeniality--
Tagline: Unpolished. Unkempt. Unleashed. Undercover.
Logline: An FBI agent must go undercover in the Miss United States beauty pageant to prevent a group from bombing the event.

Assuming that your publisher is seeking a genuine tagline, consider the back covers of paperbacks. Many have a tagline, then a logline (or more).

From Almost Adam--
Tagline: Welcome to a world you may never escape... alive.
Logline: In a remote region of Kenya, American anthropologist Ken Lauder is about to make a discovery that will challenge everything we've ever believed about the missing link:a boy who should not exist... a race that defies all logic... a secret world that cannot be.

Lonesome Dove--
Tagline: What they lived, we dream...
Logline: ...Journey to the dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove, and meet the kinds of unforgettable characters we have come to expect... heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settlers.

Maryn, who got these examples from IMDb

Okay cool. That works for me.

Taglines are also referred to as 'shoutlines' when placed on the cover of a book. Well that's what my UK editor/agent call it...not sure if the same term is sued in the states.