Creating Your Synopsis

Author Learning Center — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 18:59:17 GMT

Current Revision posted to Research by Author Learning Center on 9/13/2018 6:59:17 PM

Does the thought of encapsulating your story into a short form synopsis make you want to run and hide? Take a deep breath. Yes, writing a synopsis can be a little tricky, but if you have it in you to write a book length manuscript then you can do this. It’s just another way to exercise your writing skills. Time to roll up your sleeves and take on an important challenge that will help you sell your book!

What is a synopsis?

Written in a narrative style, third person, and present tense—a synopsis is a condensed version of your book. Though not to be confused with book-flap copy or an elevator pitch, both of which are used to whet the appetite of readers, your synopsis should be more detailed. It should offer the nuts and bolts of your book such as title, length, and genre. Your synopsis should also include thoughtful descriptions of your characters, setting, and plot, woven together with strands of theme. You should write your synopsis in such a way that that tone and voice of you as a writer and your particular book are both evident.

Why have a synopsis?

The synopsis is more than a document to engage readers; it’s a marketing document for publishing professionals. You should tailor it to reach agents, editors, or marketing staff, and engage wholesale buyers and librarians. The synopsis will help these professionals decide to publish or represent your book, offer you a marketing budget, or decide whether your book is worthy to appear on library or bookstore shelves.

In order to be effective, the synopsis should show professional readers how your book fits in the marketplace and who its readership will be. Do remember: your synopsis is NOT open-ended summary used to tantalize readers, but rather a simplified version of the entire book. As much as we wish we could entice these professionals with a short paragraph of interesting prose, the reality is that publishing professionals will not invest time in reading your book unless you can convince them that your book is a worthy use of their time. Your synopsis should tell them everything they need to know about the book to decide if it’s worth the investment without actually having to read it.

What should you avoid in your synopsis?

There are several common synopsis pitfalls. One, avoid just listing off characters and events. While this makes your job easier, it does nothing to entice professionals to buy-in to your book. Two, don’t fill up space with unnecessary adjectives/adverbs. This is not only your chance to sell your book, but to sell yourself as a writer. Write your synopsis as well as you wrote your book. Third, be aware of length requirements. You will likely need to create a number of different synopses—anywhere from one paragraph to ten pages—depending on each professionals’ needs and wants. Preparing for these needs and following directions will put you ahead of the competition.

As you create your synopsis, remember how much you love your book. Let that love serve as the subtext of every word you write.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Creating Your Synopsis - article

Molly Blaisdell — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 16:09:59 GMT

Revision 3 posted to Research by Molly Blaisdell on 6/8/2017 4:09:59 PM

A synopsis is not book-flap copy and it’s not an elevator pitch -- both used to whet the appetite of readers. A summary is a condensed version of you book, written in a narrative style, in third person and in present tense. It offers the nuts and bolts of your book, like title, length and genre. It includes thoughtful descriptions of your characters, setting, and plot woven together with strands of theme. The whole piece is written is such a way that that tone and voice of you as a writer and your particular book are both evident.

The synopsis is more than a document to engage readers. It’s a marketing document for publishing professionals. It’s tailored to reach agents, editors, or marketing staff. It’s also used to engage wholesale buyers of books and librarians. The synopsis helps these professionals make decisions about whether they will represent your book, whether they will published it, how big of a marketing budget does it deserve and finally whether it is worthy of the shelves of bookstores or libraries.

Your synopsis should show professional readers how your book fits in the marketplace. The synopsis offers a sense of who will be your readership. It gives a sense of the scope of your book – is it the blockbuster summer read or an intellectual thriller. Be aware, it is not an open ended summary of your book used to tantalize readers but it’s the whole enchilada, a light version of the entire “book”. Face facts, publishing professionals will not invest time in reading your book unless you can convince them that your book is a worthy use of their time. Your synopsis is what seals that deal.

There are several synopsis pitfalls. One is creating a list-y synopsis. Avoid lists of characters and events. Another is an adjectives/adverb dump. Packing a synopsis full of adjectives and adverbs is going to turn off readers. Use precise nouns and active verbs to summarize. Another pitfall is length. You need to create a number of different kinds of synopses. You should have one paragraph synopsis, a one page synopsis, a three page synopsis, and a ten page synopsis. Different publishing professionals have different needs. Preparing for these needs will put you ahead of the competition.

Take this advice to heart and go condense the heart and soul of your book. Remember how much you love your book as you create your synopsis. Let that love serve as the subtext of every word you write.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Creating Your Synopsis - article

Molly Blaisdell — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 10:08:58 GMT

Revision 2 posted to Research by Molly Blaisdell on 3/4/2017 10:08:58 AM

Time to roll up your sleeves and take on an important challenge for authors. Does the thought of encapsulating your story into a short form synopsis make you want to run for a cup of java to cut the edge off of an approaching headache? Take a deep breath. Yes, writing a synopsis is a little tricky, but if you have it in you to write a book length manuscript then you can do this. It’s just another way to exercise your writing skills.
A synopsis is not book-flap copy and it’s not an elevator pitch -- both used to whet the appetite of readers. A summary is a condensed version of you book, written in a narrative style, in third person and in present tense. It offers the nuts and bolts of your book, like title, length and genre. It includes thoughtful descriptions of your characters, setting, and plot woven together with strands of theme. The whole piece is written is such a way that that tone and voice of you as a writer and your particular book are both evident.
The synopsis is more than a document to engage readers. It’s a marketing document for publishing professionals. It’s tailored to reach agents, editors, or marketing staff. It’s also used to engage wholesale buyers of books and librarians. The synopsis helps these professionals make decisions about whether they will represent your book, whether they will published it, how big of a marketing budget does it deserve and finally whether it is worthy of the shelves of bookstores or libraries.
Your synopsis should show professional readers how your book fits in the marketplace. The synopsis offers a sense of who will be your readership. It gives a sense of the scope of your book – is it the blockbuster summer read or an intellectual thriller. Be aware, it is not an open ended summary of your book used to tantalize readers but it’s the whole enchilada, a light version of the entire “book”. Face facts, publishing professionals will not invest time in reading your book unless you can convince them that your book is a worthy use of their time. Your synopsis is what seals that deal.
There are several synopsis pitfalls. One is creating a list-y synopsis. Avoid lists of characters and events. Another is an adjectives/adverb dump. Packing a synopsis full of adjectives and adverbs is going to turn off readers. Use precise nouns and active verbs to summarize. Another pitfall is length. You need to create a number of different kinds of synopses. You should have one paragraph synopsis, a one page synopsis, a three page synopsis, and a ten page synopsis. Different publishing professionals have different needs. Preparing for these needs will put you ahead of the competition.
Take this advice to heart and go condense the heart and soul of your book. Remember how much you love your book as you create your synopsis. Let that love serve as the subtext of every word you write.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Creating Your Synopsis - Article

Molly Blaisdell — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Research by Molly Blaisdell on 12/14/2016 12:00:00 AM

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction