How To Write a Proper Synopsis.

by W. Gail Manchur

President and CEO of ABS, Inc.

As a professional (published) editor and literary agent, I am constantly dismayed at the number of queries and submissions we receive which claim to include a synopsis... but which in fact, do not. We can find a cover letter. We can find what appears to be a marketing summary or a personal statement about why the author just HAD to write this book. But we can't find a synopsis. Why? Because, or so it seems, about 90 percent of the authors who send queries and submissions to us have absolutely no idea what a synopsis is or how to go about writing one.

And I find that particularly amazing (and distressing) because there are so many books, reference works, and web sites which can help someone learn just how to write that all-important synopsis. Don't those writers know how important a synopsis is? If they do know, why don't they do it right? If they don't know, why don't they try to find out? It is unbelievably frustrating and time-consuming to have to return query or submission packets and ask the author to please send a real synopsis. And it doesn't leave a very good impression with our staff.

Unfortunately, many submissions are immediately rejected by literary agents and publishers simply because the author could not, or would not, write a proper synopsis. The synopsis is one of the two most important items in a query or submissions packet (the cover letter is the other). It tells the agent or publisher or editor exactly what your manuscript is about. If it is well-written, the agent will use it to send to publishers. If poorly written, and the agent decides to offer you representation in spite of that, you will be asked to either rewrite it or pay a professional writer to do so. And since you, the author, want to be considered a professional writer, what does that say about you if you can't even write a proper synopsis?

Perhaps it would help to know what a synopsis IS NOT----

It is NOT a marketing piece. You should not use the synopsis to wax poetic about the potential of the book, the potential readership, or why it should be published. That information all belongs in your cover letter and nowhere else!

It is NOT a memoir about how you came to write the book, or why you believe it should have been written---and especially written by you.

It is NOT a statement about how your friends, neighbors, family members, old school chums, your local bus driver, the homeless guy on the corner, or the local librarian read it and just loved it. (Actually, that kind of statement doesn't belong anywhere in a query or submission packet!)

It is NOT a testimonial to your endurance and inspiration as a writer or to the muse that prodded you.

AND PERHAPS MOST OF ALL -

It is NOT an in-depth analysis of the manuscript or a comparison of how it meets a need of the reading public.

Let's see, now. What exactly IS a synopsis?

It is a brief (key word here---brief) précis of the manuscript. How brief? It should be about 250 to 500 words, or a maximum of two typewritten pages, double-spaced. If you can't get your synopsis in two pages or less, you are in trouble. I know, I know. It is difficult to condense a 150,000 word document down to three-tenths of one percent of the whole. Or if your manuscript is 75,000 words (more the average size), you need to reduce it to about seven-tenths of one percent of its volume, all the while maintaining the essentials of the story line. Whew! (Special note here--if you can't write your book in 70,000 to 100,000 words, it will be twice as hard to sell. A manuscript of 70,000 to 80,000 words from a new, unknown author is most popular with publishers. Save the huge word-heavy epics for when you can demand million dollar advances!)

AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHY YOU SHOULDN'T WASTE VALUABLE SPACE IN YOUR SYNOPSIS FOR MARKETING HYPERBOLE!

It is a smaller, more compact version of the entire manuscript, written in third-person narrative throughout. No dialogue, no detail.

It gives the complete story line (if fiction), including the beginning, the middle, and the end of the story. And don't "tease" the editor by only hinting at the end of the story. Tell them exactly how it ends. To do less is unprofessional and amateurish and extremely annoying to the editor!

Now, for a little more detail: What is a précis? The dictionary defines it as "a concise summary of essential points, statements, or facts." But bear in mind that the "concise summary" has everything to do with the book and its contents and nothing to do with your ideas for marketing that book.

If a précis, or synopsis, is properly written it will allow a reader to have a very clear idea of what the story is about (if it is fiction), or what is presented as fact and essential points (if it is nonfiction).

Think of a synopsis as a two-page, 500 word digest of your entire book. Resist the urge to put even so much as one brief paragraph or even a single sentence at the end about how wonderful the book is and how badly it is needed in the marketplace. Don't make the mistake of referring to "the book" or "the story" in the synopsis. Just tell the complete story itself, without embellishments. Toot your horn in the cover letter, or a separate page about the market analysis, not in the synopsis. And remember: it should be written in the third person narrative style! If you, even once, speak directly to the reader, you are no longer writing a synopsis. You are writing a marketing piece.

AND OF EXTREME IMPORTANCE!!!!

Have someone else (preferably someone with a degree of skill and knowledge of English grammar, sentence structure, and spelling) edit and proofread your entire query or submission packet, including the synopsis, chapter outline, author's biographical statement, and cover letter. Those items are the first things we read; and our initial, and perhaps most important, impression of you will be formed from mainly two items: your cover letter and your synopsis. That is your first (and often last) chance to impress us with your professionalism and your writing skill.

Because the synopsis is so important, it is well worth your time to write, rewrite, and rewrite again and again--until you get it right! And when you finally have it polished and perfected, have someone else go over it one last time to check for spelling or usage errors. Have you used such words as "to, too, two" correctly? How about "lie, lay, lain, laid?" And don't forget "their, there, they're." And, of course, the ever-popular "its and it's." Not sure about the proper one to use? Run to that all-important, ready-at-hand (or it should be) book called the dictionary.

Oh--by the way--did you remember to include the manuscript title, word count, and your name and contact information on the first page? It's the little things that count!

Well! I've done what I can to help you. It is at least a start in the right direction. Now you need to take this basic information and build on it until you can write a synopsis easily and concisely. And, by the way, the best of luck to you! I hope I've helped make it easier.