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?