Sunday, May 2, 2010

Lets play tag...

So I decided to have a go at this tagline thing. Here are my attempts. So the question is would you read these books?

Sally's father hasn't been dead all these years after all. But where is he and why is it a secret? (Mid grade mystery thriller novel)

Poor Margaret can't stop sneezing. What's a cow with hay fever to do? (Picture Book)

Stella Rosa's brother says their Nana is really a monster in disguise. Is she really a were-nana? (Picture Book)

Its tough enough being a schoolboy in the 21st century but the dangers are much greater when Jack finds himself in Viking times. (mid grade adventure time-slip novel)

He survived life as a Viking the first time round but with his best friends life depending on it can Jack find his way home this time? (mid grade adventure time slip novel - sequel)


This one is more of a back cover blurb...

There's something special about the gingerbread biscuits Sam and Penny's mother has baked for them. They feel it when they eat them. The snow feels it when they play outside. And in the middle of the night the last gingerbread woman feels it too when she comes alive and peers through the window at the handsome snowman in the garden... (Picture book)

Some of the above are published, some aren't. I have other manuscripts as yet untagged and I will have a go at generating taglines/blurbs for those too. I found the temptation to end the taglines with a question interesting but I guess not so surprising. Funny too that the longest tag/blurb is for the shortest story. It's a good exercise to do although its one thing to use these in written form in a query letter but I'm not sure how I would deliver them in a face-to-face pitch. I'm not a salesperson and can't see myself ever having the kind of skills required to be one. I'm wondering if there are alternative techniques that I can utilize (maybe like mind control or something) to bend the agent/editor to my will. Its one thing to have a manuscript I believe in, but another thing entirely to demonstrate its fabulosity to someone else (especially someone with all the power and an entrenched rejection habit).

I had planned to blab a whole lot of other stuff today but the cold and the need to do the company tax (due friday) have numbed my brain and pushed a whole bunch of stuff out of my head. I'll add it in if it comes back to me otherwise see you next blog...happy tagging!

2 comments:

Old Kitty said...

Hi

One of my writing mini assignments was to use taglines to describe favourite films.

It was much harder than it looks and is a skill I'm yet to perfect!

My favourite one is the one about "Poor Margaret" the cow with hayfever! LOL! Poor thing!

Take care
x

Pen said...

My son read your viking story and enjoyed it. I haven't read it yet though.

I absolutely love your were-nana book.

I like the sound of your kids thriller. Intriguing.

I assume tagline = hook?

These are really hard to write (I think) but you've done a good job with these.