About the synopsis - Science Fiction Fantasy Chronicles: forums

Coolhand · 19th April 2006, 11:42 AM

Hi John.
I’m an unpublished writer looking for an agent, and as such have a mountain of questions to carelessly sling at people who work in the publishing industry. But I’ll strip it down to the most pertinent one right now.

I’m about to submit my current novel to an Agent. I’ve got my short, professional cover letter. I’ve got my first three chapters all double spaced, size 10 courier font with nice big margins.
And I’ve got my synopsis.
Kind of.

The problem is that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE I talk to about this has a different idea of how long a synopsis should be. I’ve been told that, unless it’s a single page in length, it’ll get binned. I’ve been told that unless it’s three pages, it’ll get binned. I’ve been told that unless I cover all the major plot points (impossible to do in one page), it’ll get binned. I’ve been told if I try to cover all the major plot points, it’ll get binned.
In other words, everyone seems to contradict everyone else.

To make my synopsis coherent and interesting takes about three pages. It’s a sci-fi set in the present day, so I need a certain amount of world and plot detail in there otherwise it’s gobbledegook. I’ve got a one page version that makes no sense, is boring, and leaves out massive chunks of the good stuff. But it's a short 1 page read.
I’ve also got a three page version that makes sense and contains most of the stuff that’ll hopefully make the Agent want to read the sample chapters and the rest of the book.
But it's longer than some people think it should be.

So here comes my question:

Which one should I submit?

Many thanks in advance for your help.

John Jarrold · 19th April 2006, 12:51 PM

Hi there.

Ask the agent you are approaching. It's a perfectly reasonable, professional question to ask, and they'll be grateful for being approached properly, rather than just having material dumped on them. And some will only want to see the opening chapters in the first place, and follow up with a request to see the rest of the book and - maybe - a synopsis if they are interested in your writing and story-telling.

Coolhand · 19th April 2006, 01:50 PM

Cool, I'll do that. Thanks for your help John.

19th April 2006, 11:42 AM	#1 (permalink)
Coolhand Spiff's Stunt Double Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 423	Re: Ask your publishing questions here Hi John. I’m an unpublished writer looking for an agent, and as such have a mountain of questions to carelessly sling at people who work in the publishing industry. But I’ll strip it down to the most pertinent one right now. I’m about to submit my current novel to an Agent. I’ve got my short, professional cover letter. I’ve got my first three chapters all double spaced, size 10 courier font with nice big margins. And I’ve got my synopsis. Kind of. The problem is that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE I talk to about this has a different idea of how long a synopsis should be. I’ve been told that, unless it’s a single page in length, it’ll get binned. I’ve been told that unless it’s three pages, it’ll get binned. I’ve been told that unless I cover all the major plot points (impossible to do in one page), it’ll get binned. I’ve been told if I try to cover all the major plot points, it’ll get binned. In other words, everyone seems to contradict everyone else. To make my synopsis coherent and interesting takes about three pages. It’s a sci-fi set in the present day, so I need a certain amount of world and plot detail in there otherwise it’s gobbledegook. I’ve got a one page version that makes no sense, is boring, and leaves out massive chunks of the good stuff. But it's a short 1 page read. I’ve also got a three page version that makes sense and contains most of the stuff that’ll hopefully make the Agent want to read the sample chapters and the rest of the book. But it's longer than some people think it should be. So here comes my question: Which one should I submit? Many thanks in advance for your help.

19th April 2006, 12:51 PM	#2 (permalink)
John Jarrold Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Lincolnshire Posts: 1,045	Re: Ask your publishing questions here Hi there. Ask the agent you are approaching. It's a perfectly reasonable, professional question to ask, and they'll be grateful for being approached properly, rather than just having material dumped on them. And some will only want to see the opening chapters in the first place, and follow up with a request to see the rest of the book and - maybe - a synopsis if they are interested in your writing and story-telling.

19th April 2006, 01:50 PM	#3 (permalink)
Coolhand Spiff's Stunt Double Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 423	Re: Ask your publishing questions here Cool, I'll do that. Thanks for your help John.

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