Taglines … We've all heard 'em (cue Booming Movie Voiceover Guy):
The longer you wait, the harder it gets. (The 40 Year Old Virgin)
Earth. It was fun while it lasted. (Armageddon)
Her life was in their hands. Now her toe is in the mail. (The Big Lebowski)
Snicker.
Why are we talking about taglines, you might ask? Well, as I'm coming into the home stretch of putting together my first self-published Mustang Ridge book (more on that coming very soon!), I'm faced with doing stuff that my publishers usually handle … like coming up with a tagline.
So, as one does, I enlisted some help--I gave my cover designer (and friend), Lena, a brief synopsis of the story, and asked for her suggestion. In doing so, however, I made a tactical error in forgetting that she once mocked up an Intrigue cover for me, entitled "The Shirtless Cowboy's Missing Cow," as a joke. (It was a very good cover, by the way. *fans self*) And so it shouldn't have come as any surprise when her first suggestion was:
She has issues … He has a truck.
Ha! Okay, so that's … accurate. Worse, it got stuck in my head. And nothing else I came up with sounded any better. So (second mistake) I asked my mom (who has read the story) what she thought. And she said:
"How about 'She has issues … He has a BIG truck'?"
Very helpful. Thanks, guys. Sigh.
But as I go back to the drawing board, I'd like to share a couple of taglines with you, courtesy of two new books by very good friends of mine (click on the covers for Amazon links):
A sexy singles auction that comes with the prize of a lifetime …
This is the debut novel from my GalPal, Gail, and it's a hoot! I've read it, loved it, and am prouder than punch to see it in the book-flesh! It'll be on the digital shelves on June 23, but is available for preorder now.
How to unravel your straight-laced lover ...
This sexy Blaze (paperback in stores, digital book launching today!) comes from my buddy Regina, and is the second in her 'Art of Seduction' series. I highly recommend both!
In the meantime …
(Doc Jess wanders off, muttering, "She has issues, he has a toolbelt?")
I don't even look at the tagline....I just look for your name :)
ReplyDeleteI'm totally saving this comment to pull out on the days when I feel like I can't write my way out of a paper bag. Thank you, TxJacey!
DeleteGuilty. Ha ;)
ReplyDeleteYeah. You sound repentant. NOT! :)
DeleteGuilty. Ha ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out, Jess. Wish I could claim to be the genius behind the tagline...but sadly, I'm not a marketing guru. I'm sure you'll come up with something brilliant. Of course, since I read Lena's I keep thinking, 'She has issue, he's Tonka tough." Not helpful, I know.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Sooo not helpful … And you're welcome! It's easy to pimp books I love :)
DeleteReader down! Reader down! I can't stop laughing!
ReplyDeleteI think that's awesome that you're going to self-publishing!!! What made you decide to take the leap away from traditional? I'm so excited for you!
Hee hee! Glad you enjoyed.
DeleteWell, it's more of a hop, as I've still got one more traditional book coming out (another Mustang Ridge in August), and this one fits right in the storyline. It's a little shorter than the others, though longer than a novella. Being a bit of a weird length, it was a good fit for self-pubbing. Also, it's *very* nice making my own deadlines this year, what with the new baby and all!