Crafting the Perfect Logline for Your Writing Project
By Mary Kole
Mary Kole is a former literary agent, freelance editor, writing teacher, author of Writing Irresistible Kidlit, and IP developer for major publishers, with over a decade in the publishing industry.
Whether you’re a writer seeking publication or a published author looking to promote your work, you need to have a logline in your back pocket. A logline is a 30-second speech about your project that you can use to introduce yourself and grab the attention of editors, literary agents, and other important industry professionals. You can also show off your logline to readers and interested parties who will invariably ask, “What’s your book about?” You can look polished and confident by rattling off your tight and rehearsed logline. All of that clarity and professionalism is easy to achieve with a little elbow grease. Crafting an effective logline takes time and practice, and you’ve come to the right place.
Know the Audience for Your Logline
When crafting your logline, it’s important to tailor it specifically to your audience. What kind of writer or story would the specific agent or publisher you’re approaching be interested in? What genres usually do they represent or publish? Is there a particular area of interest that you can focus on when you present your idea?
It is best to make your logline as specific as possible. If you’re trying to market your dystopian novel, but the publisher only produces thriller books, it’s unlikely they’ll take an interest. Not only should you identify the target audience for your book, but you should take the time to make sure that the people you plan on pitching to will be receptive. Especially if you’re paying for a conference critique or sit-down session with someone. The last thing you want is to psych yourself up and deliver a logline to someone who was never going to say “yes” to begin with.
That’s a waste of everyone’s time, and your money. Sure, you can practice your logline on industry professionals, but you’d be wasting a chance to connect with someone who would actually be interested.
Highlight What Makes Your Logline Unique
What sets you apart from other writers? What awards have you earned or accomplishments can you demonstrate? Is there anything special about your writing or your slant on a particular story or trope that makes it different? It's important to emphasize what makes you unique in your logline. That way, when people hear it, they know exactly why they should be interested in working with you.
The same can be said for your project. What genre does it fit into? How is the story unique and captivating? Are you able to capture the essence of your premise and make it sound appealing? Are the novel's conflict and stakes clear, or is there a certain engaging aspect about your protagonist that will draw readers in?
If you’re writing nonfiction, are you certain there is an audience interested in what you have to offer? Do you have an attractive author platform or is there an otherwise notable feature to your career that shows agents and publishers that you’ll be able to market your book effectively? All these elements are important when crafting a good elevator pitch.
Logline Practice Makes Perfect
Once you have a strong foundation for your logline, it’s time to start rehearsing. Rehearse delivering the speech in front of a group of people until it feels natural. You never know when an occasion will arise that allows you to deliver the perfect elevator pitch so practice as much as possible! Don’t forget to be confident in what you say but still friendly and approachable. And as strange as it sounds, don’t just deliver your logline as if you’re in a vacuum. Pitching is often seen as a one-way street, but you should leave some room for the agent, editor, or pitch recipient to ask questions otherwise engage with you, should they want to know more. This will give you a sense of how your logline is landing.
Conclude the Logline With A Call To Action
To finish your logline, ask the agent, editor, or movie executive if they want to know more or whether you can send a writing sample. Make sure to check how they’d like to see your submission (they will generally refer you to the submission guidelines on their website, but not always). You can bring business cards and hard copies of your work, but don’t feel bad if your offerings are refused. No one wants extra luggage to drag home from a writer’s conference.
Crafting and practicing an effective logline is still beneficial to any writer’s process, even if you don’t intend to use it right away. If you are able to describe your book in a few sentences and talk about it confidently, then you know you have a focused idea and pitch. If you're having trouble summarizing your story, this could be indicative of a writing issue or a story issue, rather than a logline issue.
With these pointers in mind, go out there and create the ideal logline for your story. Keep this important skill tucked away until you need it.
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