Blurbs, Excerpts, Taglines and Loglines OH MY!

A blurb is a summary for a short story or book both fiction and nonfiction that should tempt a reader into wanting to purchase and read the book/eBook. Blurbs reveal the goal of the protagonist (or hero and heroine for a romance), why he/she wants what he/she wants, and the conflict that stops him/her from having it. This is called GMC (Goal, Motivation and Conflict.) For romance, the blurb usually has one paragraph for the heroine and one for the hero, even if the story is only in one of their point-of-views.

TIP #1: Read several blurbs for books you like to get an idea of what you could write for yours. 

TIP #2: Have a few people read you blurb and offer an opinion on it. You should ask someone who has read your story and someone who hasn’t to see if your blurb is satisfactory and tempting for both.

An excerpt is an alluring scene taken directly from the story. It’s usually one page long. For romance, the excerpt should be a romantic passage between your hero and heroine. For erotic, the excerpt should be steamy. For a suspense story, the excerpt should be thrilling. Search your manuscript for a scene that really conveys what your story is about, without giving away the ending, and select about one page from that scene to serve as your excerpt.
Image from PixaBay
A tagline is defined as a single sentence that describes a story. Just like everything else this is meant to entice, but with the fewest words possible, like a catch phrase. It can be a statement or a question. Taglines can be found on book covers.
Examples of taglines:
Don’t go into the water! – JawsOne ring to rule them all. – Lord of the Rings
A logline is defined as another type of summary but is longer than a tagline (can be up to three sentences) and includes more information such as who the story is about and the problem/conflict.

FYI: You don't have to follow these rules though. My loglines are usually a single sentence, and my taglines, if I use one, are roughly 5-7 words long.

Here are my loglines:
Hurricane Crimes: During a hurricane, Beth Kennedy finds herself trapped with a man who might be a murderer.
30 Seconds: When a woman finds herself in the middle of a war between a police force and a Mob, 30 SECONDS is a long time.
Witch of Death: Murder isn’t always committed with magick, unless a witch is involved.
Ghost of Death: Dead men may not talk, but dead girls do.

SHARE: Your favorite tagline and/or logline for one of your books.

QUESTION: Do you have a favorite tag/logline for a book or movie?


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