Writing a Synopsis for a Novel
Book Publishing Agents Want a Concise, Compelling Narrative Summary
Sep 20, 2009
The novel synopsis is the sales pitch for a novel. To entice a publishing agent to consider a novel manuscript, the synopsis needs to be just as compelling as the novel itself. Therefore, synopsis writing is just as important a skill for the writer to learn as dialogue, pacing, and plot.
Why Use a Novel Synopsis
A synopsis is a narrative summary of the book. As mentioned above, it is the sales pitch for the completed novel. The agent or editor reading it must be intrigued enough to want to see the complete manuscript, so novel writers do well to spend extra care in creating the synopsis.
When novel writers are already published, sometimes their next books are sold based on the synopses. In addition, the art department may want to read the synopsis to get an idea of what the book is about, to help with the cover design. The novel synopsis may also be the basis for the book jacket description and the blurb in media outlets. As book trailers become more popular, the novel synopsis can also be the framework for the video of the book trailer.
How to Write a Novel Synopsis
There are four key points to keep in mind when writing a synopsis.
- It should always be written in the present tense.
- It should cover all the plot points and turning points, including the ending.
- It should be concise.
- It should be just as well written as the novel.
The synopsis is intended to represent the story in a short summary to the agent. Therefore, the characters, setting, and all the plot points are included. Agents don’t want to see a synopsis that doesn’t include the ending. They want to know how the author ties all the points together and ends the story.
Advice on length varies from agent to agent. Some agents say that an average of one page to every twenty-five pages of novel is fine. This would result in about fifteen pages for a full-length book. Others want it even shorter, and say that no more than five to ten pages should be allotted to the synopsis.
One way to get around this issue is to write two synopses, a short one, and a longer one. Then, if an agent asks for a short synopsis, the writer is prepared. If the agent prefers a more detailed synopsis, that’s available, too.
Begin Writing the Synopsis With a Hook
Just as the best stories begin with a hook, the best synopses begin with a hook. This hook is also called a high concept statement. This tells the character, problem, and story goal in one sentence. After presenting the high concept statement, the rest of the story should be presented in the same order they occur in the book.
Once the synopsis writing is finished, go back to edit, revise, and polish. Check grammar and punctuation. Weed out wordiness, eliminating unnecessary adverbs and adjectives. Edit to have active, not passive writing. Use proper manuscript formatting guidelines. Polish the writing just as much as the actual novel manuscript is polished.
The synopsis is not something that should be left to the last possible moment. To be a sales tool for a novel, a synopsis should be well planned, well written, and highly polished.
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