If you do decide to publish your book and even have a publisher and series in mind, you will face the difficult but inevitable task of writing a synopsis. You may find it intimidating and stressful, but don’t worry. The synopsis is everyone’s nightmare, even for established authors.
What is a synopsis
A synopsis is a summary of a book’s content, which must be sent to the publisher along with the main text. The supreme privilege of not sending a synopsis is reserved for authors who have been publishing and selling successfully for a long time. That is, writers in whose texts the editor is sure – she / he will not write bullshit.
The synopsis is very important, because the lead editor, to whom your letter arrives, is essentially the only one who reads it.
And since it’s the synopsis that determines the fate of a book, you have to write it well. How? Short, to the point, and to the point.
Rules for the synopsis
In general, a book synopsis is written in any form, but there are a few mandatory requirements that must be followed.
- The synopsis is written in the third person, even if the book itself is written in the first person. No “I” should be there.
- The synopsis should be written in the present tense, although this is almost never the case in fiction texts themselves. For example: “A young count comes to stay with his uncle for the summer and there he meets…”
- In the synopsis, in addition to the actual retelling of the content, it is necessary to specify the time of action, the place of events and the specifics of the world (if it is fantasy, fantasy and often a historical novel).
The synopsis is 3.000-5.000 characters with spaces, or 1,5-2 pages in 12-point font.
This last requirement is a major stumbling block. How do you write a 400,000-character synopsis on two sheets of paper in such a way that it reflects all the book’s strengths? After all, it is the synopsis that should interest the editor. And in your own native, beloved book, everything seems very important. And how is it that the editor won’t know about the circumstances of the first kiss or the first broken sword? It’s hard to write a synopsis, I believe.
Substantive Tips
So, the task before you is difficult, but quite doable. You are not the first, nor will you be the last. Perhaps these tips will help you.
- Try to abstract from the fact that it is your text. Imagine that you are retelling the contents of someone else’s book.
- If you have trouble abstracting, set the text aside for a week or two, and then, without looking at it, start writing the synopsis. Don’t be afraid that you’ll forget something important. If you forget, it’s not important.
- Forget details, insignificant characters and situations. Yes, they may serve important functions in the book, such as gradually changing the character’s character. But in the synopsis, it’s enough to write, “The hardships of the journey, battles with robbers, and encounters with new people have hardened the character.”
- Identify a few key moments and events that define the plot and the behavior of the characters. Describe the rest of the events in general phrases: “Long talks about art and walks under the moon brought the characters closer, and friendship turned into love.
- Don’t try to write beautifully, try to write briefly. The synopsis is not meant to show the beauty of your style. All the artistic turns, verbal equivocation, metaphors increase the volume, but do not carry any semantic load.
If you do go overboard, reread the synopsis again and think about what you can get out of it. Still, it’s better for the editor not to know what color the heroine’s ball gown was, or how long the hero’s claymore was, than not to read the synopsis at all.