Tagline, Anyone?

Do you read the taglines on the covers of some novels? Taglines are those catchy little phrases that smell of marketing. They often tease or tantalize and give a taste of what the novel promises. Sometimes they announce that the author or the book is a bestseller. Other times taglines distill the novel into a few well-chosen words that enhance a title by adding a bit more information about the story behind the cover. I took a stroll through one of my favorite bookstores the other day and found a few choice taglines.

Consider this one for The Help, which is a quote from NPR.org: “This could be one of the most important pieces of fiction since To Kill a Mockingbird…lf you read only one book…let this be it.”

Then there is this snippet for a book titled X-Isle: “In a drowned world, everybody wants to get to the island.”

And this one for The Nine Lives of Chole King: “Even curiosity can’t kill her.”

Another tagline crafted to work with the title is on the cover of Divergent: “One Choice Can Transform You.”

Did these lines entice you? I ended up buying a copy of The Nine Lives of Chole King. Taglines seem to work best when they are relevant, succinct, with a zippy hint of something. Think elevator pitch on steroids. Such a well-done tagline under a title in a manuscript might even catch the attention of an agent, or editor, or both.

What do you think about taglines? Has a tagline ever snagged your attention? If you are a writer, could you write a tagline for your work in progress?

Advice and Ex-President Zombies

Doling out advice can be a lot like handing out Halloween candy. I came to this conclusion this past weekend, at a killer Halloween party. There, an ex-president zombie discovered that I was not just a black cat, but also an author of middle-grade novels. He asked me how he could best transform his ideas for children’s stories into best-selling books. Good question, right? Still, that zombie sort of caught me off guard. Maybe

because I was having tail issues (it’s not easy impersonating a cat), or maybe because I didn’t expect the undead to be into kid lit. Foolish.

As I wrestled with my wayward tail, I offered advice the way I hand out Halloween Candy. I suggested that Mr. Zombie President check out The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, I pointed out that going to conferences is an excellent way to break into the business of writing books for children, and I recommended Gail Carson Levine’s Writing Magic as well as Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies, by Deborah Halverson. Since my zombie friend gobbled these suggestions (What else would a zombie do?), I rambled on about novels and picture books he might read. By the time he ambled off, he seemed grateful (as grateful as a zombie and ex-president can be).

The next morning, while downing a couple mini Milky Way bars with candy corn chasers for breakfast (which do not fall under the dairy and veggie sections of the food pyramid... please don't judge), I wondered if I gave out the best advice.

What do you think? What would you have said or suggested to our ex-president zombie friend?

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?