Tag Lines

psychotick

psychotick

Dangerously confused
Joined
Apr 8, 2011
Messages
2,140
Location
Rotorua, New Zealand
Hi,

Just an odd question - what are your opinions on tag lines on covers? You know the subsidiary lines under the title.

The reason I ask is that I've just got another short novel ready to go to the editor (I think she'll like it - it has that quality she looks for in all my work - fewer words!!!) And now I'm working on the cover.

The books called (at this stage) "The Dotard" And the bad guy - though he's not completely that - is an ageing wizard whose spells are misfiring badly. And I thought I'd chuck the tag line underneath "He's Doddering, Decrepit ... and Deadly!"

The line works with the image I'm looking at buying and the plot of the book. But I'm not sure whether people like or expect tag lines any more.

Thoughts?

Cheers, Greg.
 
Personally I think taglines are fun. And useful for social media type stuff, since they work as a 'teaser trailer' of sorts. But if a book doesn't have one, it really doesn't matter for me. So I'd say do what works best for you?
 
As long as they're not spoilers, I'm all for them if they look good as part of the design. One of the bottom corners could be an option if they don't work under the title.
 
Personally I'm against them, but only because most people have this weird urge to put an entire paragraph there.

If your tagline is about an antagonist, not the main character, I would avoid it.
 
Amelia Faulkner said:
Personally I'm against them, but only because most people have this weird urge to put an entire paragraph there.

If your tagline is about an antagonist, not the main character, I would avoid it.
Click to expand...

Hah. I somehow missed that. Yes, I'm expecting the tagline to be about the main character, not the antagonist. I'd be confused.

And surely the clue is in the name as to why it shouldn't be a whole paragraph!
 
Phyrebrat said:
Peat mentioned recently that my story had a great tag line but I'd not even thought about it as such; it just came out in the promo vid I did for it.

It's stayed with me. I'll use it because it sort of sums up the flavour of the story rather than the plot.

pH
Click to expand...

And that's what a tagline should be. A sentence that sums up the flavour of the story. Your one sentence pitch to catch people's interests. You stick it on the move poster, or the bottom of the front cover, or the top of the blurb... you don't need them, but I love them. They're fun, anything else apart.

Amelia Faulkner said:
You'd think that :D
Click to expand...

I try very hard not think right now. Its painful. But even I can comprehend that.
 
I keep coming up with tag lines, then feel honour bound to write the story. For example...

Every reality requires an architect, every blueprint contains a flaw.

Free to a good home!
 
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