Earlier today, we revealed the awesome cover for the UK release of WOOL, and I mentioned at the end of my post that the jacket was missing that extra little . . . something. It’s like a crisp suit that needs a splash of colour, one of those squares tucked into its breast pocket. And that splash of colour, dear readers, should come from you.
My peeps at Random House call these things “straplines.” They’re those short phrases that grace the cover of book jackets and film posters. THE HUNGER GAMES probably had something about the Odds Being in One’s Favour. The two examples my editor gave were JAWS 2 and ALIEN (apt, eh, with the Ridley Scott connection?) On the JAWS 2 poster, we have:
“Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.”
With ALIEN, it was:
“In space, no one can hear you scream.”
Man, that last one is killer. There’s a physics lesson, a sense of setting, and the promise of impending horror. Hard to top that one, but if anyone can it’s you people!
What I love about Century Publishing and Random House UK is that they value the method of WOOL’s success. They know it has a lot to do with you all. Normally, this task would fall to a marketing team. Not all of them would have read the entire book (much less loved it like you all). Random House wants to do something different. This is what I love about working with these people.
We are going to let you decide what the kick-ass phrase at the top of the book should be. Yeah, one of you will come up with the hook. Your words will be emblazoned on the cover. And get this: after Random House UK picks the winner, that person is going to receive a set of the unbelievably hot and impossible to get proof copies! (currently selling at charity auction for a ridiculously high price).
You’ve come up with awesome t-shirt ideas, great bumper stickers, incredible art, even fan fiction. I know you’ll come up with the perfect strapline for WOOL. Here’s what you need to know: It has to be under 15 words (test your work out in Word. It’ll tell you how many words you’re using). And it should fit in with the mood of the back copy, which will grace the rear of the book:
WHAT WOULD YOU DO
If the world outside was deadly,
And the air you breathed could kill.AND YOU LIVED IN A PLACE
Where every birth required a death
And the choices you made could save lives – or destroy them.THIS IS JULES’ STORY
THIS IS THE WORLD OF WOOL
Submit your entries in this forum thread. Let’s say no more than three entries per person. You can put them all in the same post and edit to your heart’s desire. At some point, we’ll collect what you’ve come up with and send them off to Random House. And someone will have some bragging rights and a cool set of proofs to call their own!
Best of luck to everyone!
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