What is a logline and how do you write one?

Short answer: Ismita Hussain’s advice: A logline is a one-sentence or single-clause hook that captures the heart of the plot. Write it by reducing the central premise to that compact form; it can also weave in comp titles.

Answered by Ismita Hussain, Senior Literary Agent, Great Dog Literary.

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The agent’s answer

Ismita defines the logline as a short, one-sentence or single-clause hook that gets to the heart of the plot, and notes it can also weave in your comps. She shares three real loglines from books she has represented, including Ibis, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, and Sympathy for Wild Girls, to show how a logline can capture what a book is about while situating it against comparable titles.

In Ismita’s words

A log line is a short sentence or clause that gets to the heart of the plot. It can also weave in your comps.
Ismita Hussain, 25:08

Source: Query Letters 101.