Last week in our Self Publishing series we talked about the Book Cover, the first (and oftentimes only) chance for a book to make an impression on a potential reader

But what happens after the cover catches the reader’s attention?

Jilly’s post on Monday about the Dreaded Synopsis got me to thinking about some of the other elements you need in order hold a reader’s attention, once you’ve caught it

Loglines, taglines, high-concept – these are all tools that can help you position (and market) your story to your audience.  Although we are looking at this through the lens of self-publishing, they are important regardless of the publishing path you choose.

Logline

“A logline is a brief (usually one-sentence) summary the central conflict of the story, often providing both a synopsis of the plot and an emotional hook to stimulate interest.”

Well that sounds easy, right?

Kidding.

Distilling hundreds of pages of story down to a sentence or two is a very tricky proposition.  To do so, you need to really know your story – who your characters are, what their goals are, and what is getting in their way.  You need to be able to take everything you know about your story and distill it down to the bare bones.  With a logline, you’re not attempting to tell your story, you’re attempting to sell it to a potential reader.

 “A young man and woman from different social classes fall in love aboard an ill-fated voyage at sea.” ~ Titanic

One screenwriting site I came across said that “a logline is the DNA of your story.  If you can’t make it work it may be because your story doesn’t work.”  Harsh, perhaps, but if you can’t get the basic idea of your story across to a reader, how can you expect to interest them enough to open the book and start reading?

Here are some fun sample loglines I came across in my research today:

“An alcoholic ex-superhero searches for his daughter after she is kidnapped by his demented, jealous former sidekick.”

“To save his reputation a secretly celibate frat-boy must sleep with 15 women by the end-of-semester party.”

Okay, they may not be stories I’d want to read, but they clearly tell who the protagonists are, what their goals are, and what the stakes are.

Here are a couple more examples that really would (did) catch and hold my attention:

“Minerva Dobbs knows how to work the odds.  Calvin Morrisey always plays to win.  But when they face off, neither one is prepared because when real life meets true love, all bets are off.” Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

“Three determined young ladies vow to give three of London’s worst rakes their comeuppance—but when these rogues turn the tables, who truly learns a lesson in love?” ~ The Rake, Suzanne Enoch

If you’re looking to try out a logline of your own, you can post it on Logline It!  and get feedback from complete strangers.  Who wouldn’t want that?  Or you could just post it below in the comments.

Tagline

“a catchphrase or slogan, especially as used in advertising”

While a logline gives the basic idea of what a story is about, a tagline is more of a marketing hook.  It gives a feel for the story, and evokes an emotion, rather than providing details.  Think of the kind of catchphrase you would see on a movie poster or in smaller print on the cover of a book – that’s a tagline.

 “In space, no one can hear you scream” ~ Alien

 “Don’t go near the water” ~ Jaws

 “Collide with destiny.” ~ Titanic

 “A daring ruse leads to love” ~ An Arranged Marriage by Jo Beverley

You can also create a tagline for your author persona, which you would then use on your social media sites, as part of your email signature, and on promotional materials.  In this case, the tagline would be a catchphrase or slogan that differentiates your from other writers.  It should be memorable but flexible enough that it still fits as you continue to grow as a writer.

 “Get in bed with Delilah.  Everyone else has.” ~ Delilah Devlin

 “Romance novels with big, beautiful heroines” ~ Pat Ballard

 “The Grandmaster of Adventure” ~ Clive Cussler

 “Grown-up love stories, because we’re never too old for a little sexy romance.” ~ Nan Reinhardt

“Love and laughter on every page” ~ Karen Hawkins

Concept

The most distilled version of your story is the basic concept.  By using familiar ideas/characters/etc., it identifies what other stories yours is similar to, while still providing a differentiator.  Defining your concept can be particularly useful when trying to decide how to position your book in the marketplace.

A recent Hallmark movie that I saw could be summed up with the following concept statement:

“Pride & Prejudice meets the Kennel Club” ~ Unleashing Mr. Darcy

For my own story, The Traitor, the concept was “A melancholy Regency Cary Grant meets Jo March.”  Okay, needs work, but hopefully you get the idea.

Back Cover Copy

The last thing I want to touch on today is the book’s back cover copy; the blurb on the back that gets a reader interested enough to open the book and start reading.  In the comments of Monday’s post Jennifer Windrow stressed the importance of incorporating the story and style promises in your opening paragraphs, to catch and hook your reader.  You want your back cover copy (or brief online description where you are selling your book) to do the same thing.

Scanning the books on my shelves the back cover blurbs typically (indirectly) answer the following questions:

Is the story light or heavy?

Who is the protagonist (and antagonist, if that is not a secret)

What type of story is this (mystery, paranormal, vampire, romance, etc.)?

What is the time period (contemporary, historical, futuristic)?

Some hint about the conflict

Of course some of the books had no back cover copy at all, but those were typically well established authors who used their author photo to capture attention, rather than a blurb about their story.

An example of a back cover that I thought did a very good job of catching my attention and getting me interested enough to start reading was Rachel Gibson’s See Jane Score.  It’s a little long, but I liked the way it progressed from the introduction to the title reiteration at the end.

This is Jane.

A little subdued.  A little stubborn.  A little tired of going out on blind dates with men who drive vans with sofas in the back, Jane Alcott is living the Single Girl existence in the big city.  She is also leading a double life.  By day, she’s a reporter covering the raucous Seattle Chinooks hockey team-especially their notorious goalie Luc Martineau.  By night, she’s a writer, secretly creating the scandalous adventures of “Honey Pie” . . .the magazine series that has all the men talking.

See Jane Spar

Luc has made his feelings about parasite reporters—and Jane—perfectly clear.  But if he thinks he’s going to make her life miserable, he’d better think again.

See Jane Attract

For as long as he can remember, Luc has been single-minded about his career.  The last thing he needs is a smart-mouthed, pain-in-the-backside reporter digging into his past and getting in his way.  But once the little reporter sheds her black and gray clothes in favour of a sexy red dress, Luc sees that there is more to Jane than originally meets the eye.

Maybe it’s time to take a risk.  Maybe it’s time to live out fantasies.  Maybe it’s time to . . .

See Jane Score

Next week we’ll be turning our attention to what’s inside the book.

For now, do you have a logline, tagline, or concept for any of your stories or any good examples from other stories/authors?  Feel free to share in the comments.