Chapter Forty-Nine
Your Guide to an Effective Novel Synopsis
Summarize Your Story in a Compelling Way
Before you submit your novel to an agent or publisher, there are things you need to do. First and foremost, you must finish the work. If you contact an agent and she likes your idea, she will ask to see some or all of the manuscript. You don’t want to have to tell her it won’t be finished for another six months. If your novel is complete and polished, it’s time to write your query and synopsis. After that, you’re ready to test the agent and editor waters.
How you submit your novel package will depend on each agent or publisher’s specified submission guidelines. You’ll find that some want only a query letter; others request a query letter and the complete manuscript; some prefer a query letter plus three sample chapters and a synopsis; and still others request a query letter, a few sample chapters, an outline, and a synopsis. All want an SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) with adequate postage, unless they request an electronic submission. To determine what you need to submit, visit the agent’s or publisher’s website for guidelines, or consult a current edition of a market resource such as Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, Writer’s Market, or Guide to Literary Agents. These sources have submission specifications that come straight from the editors and agents, telling you just what to send, how to send it, and when to anticipate a response.
Be prepared to send at least a query letter, a synopsis, and three consecutive sample chapters. These are the most important—and most requested—parts of your novel package. You may not need to send them all in the same submission package, but you probably will need to use each of them at one time or another, so prepare everything before you start submitting. Here, we’ll focus on what writers often find the most difficult component of their novel submission package: the synopsis.
DEFINING THE SYNOPSIS
The synopsis supplies key information about your novel (plot, theme, characterization, setting), while also showing how these coalesce to form the big picture. It quickly tells what your novel is about without making the editor or agent read the novel in its entirety.
There are no hard-and-fast rules about the synopsis. In fact, there’s conflicting advice about the typical length of a synopsis. Most editors and agents agree, though: The shorter, the better.
When writing your synopsis, focus on the essential parts of your story, and try not to include sections of dialogue unless you think they’re absolutely necessary. (It’s okay to inject a few strong quotes from your characters, but keep them brief.) Finally, even though the synopsis is only a condensed version of your novel, it must seem complete.
Keep events in the same order as they happen in the novel (but don’t break them down into individual chapters). Remember that your synopsis should have a beginning, a middle, and an ending (yes, you must tell how the novel ends to round out your synopsis).
That’s what’s required of a synopsis: You need to be concise, compelling, and complete, all at the same time.
CRAFTING TWO SYNOPSES
Because there is no definitive length to a synopsis, it’s recommended you have two versions: a long synopsis and a short synopsis.
In past years, there used to be a fairly universal system regarding synopses. For every thirty-five or so pages of your manuscript, you would have one page of synopsis explanation, up to a maximum of eight pages. So if your book was 245 pages, double-spaced, your synopsis would be approximately seven pages. This was fairly standard and allowed writers a decent amount of space to explain their story. You should write a synopsis following these guidelines first. This will be your long synopsis.
The problem is that during the past several years, agents have started to get busier and busier, and now they want to hear your story now-now-now. Many agents today request synopses of no more than two pages. Some even say one page, but two pages is generally acceptable. To be ready to submit to these agents, you’ll also need to draft a new, more concise synopsis—the short synopsis.
So once you’ve written both, which do you submit? If you think your short synopsis is tight and effective, always use that. However, if you think the long synopsis is actually more effective, then you will sometimes submit one and sometimes submit the other. If an agent requests two pages max, send only the short one. If she says simply, “Send a synopsis,” and you feel your longer synopsis is superior, submit the long one. If you’re writing plot-heavy fiction, such as thrillers and mysteries, you might really benefit from submitting a longer, more thorough synopsis.
Your best bet on knowing what to submit is to follow the guidelines of the agency or publisher in question.
FORMATTING YOUR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION
Some editors or agents might ask you to submit your synopsis via e-mail. The editor or agent can provide you with specific formatting guidelines indicating how she wants it sent and the type of files she prefers.
If an agent or editor does request an electronic submission, keep the following four points in mind:
- Follow the same formatting specs you would for a paper synopsis submission.
- When sending your synopsis via e-mail, put the name of your novel in the subject line (but don’t use all caps—it’s just obnoxious).
- Send the synopsis as an attachment to your e-mail unless the editor or agent requests otherwise.
- Include a cover letter in the body of your e-mail. Your cover page and table of contents should go in the file along with the synopsis.
Your Essential Synopsis Checklist
Formatting Specs
- Use a 1-inch margin on all sides; justify the left margin only.
- Put your name and contact information on the top-left corner of the first page.
- Type the novel’s genre, word count, and the word Synopsis in the top-right corner of the first page.
- Don’t number the first page.
- Put the novel’s title, centered and in all caps, about one-third of the way down the page.
- Begin the synopsis text four lines below the title.
- The text throughout the synopsis should be double-spaced (unless you plan to keep it to one or two pages, in which case single-spaced is okay).
- Use all caps the first time you introduce a character.
- After the first page, use a header on every page that contains your last name, your novel’s title in all caps, and the word “Synopsis,” like so: Name/TITLE/Synopsis.
- After the first page, number the pages in the top-right corner on the same line as the header.
- The first line of text on each page after the first page should be three lines below the header.
Other Dos and Don’ts
- Do keep in mind that this is a sales pitch. Make it a short, fast, and exciting read.
- Do establish a hook at the beginning of the synopsis. Introduce your lead character and set up a key conflict.
- Do remember to always introduce your most important character first.
- Do provide details about each of your central characters (age, gender, marital status, profession, etc.), but don’t do this for every character—only the primary ones.
- Do include the characters’ motivations and emotions.
- Do highlight pivotal plot points.
- Do reveal your novel’s ending.
- Don’t go into detail about what happens; just tell the reader what happens as concisely as you can.
- Don’t inject long sections of dialogue.
- Do write in the third person, present tense, even if your novel is written in a different point of view.
Chuck Sambuchino (chucksambuchino.com) is an editor, best-selling humor book author, and authority on how to get published. He works for Writer’s Digest Books and edits Guide to Literary Agents. His Guide to Literary Agents Blog (guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog)—all about agents, submissions, and platform—is one of the largest blogs in publishing. He is the author of the humor books How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack; Red Dog, Blue Dog; and When Clowns Attack. In addition, Chuck has also written three writing-related titles: Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript 3rd Edition, Create Your Writer Platform, and Get a Literary Agent.