By Penny Nolan
Let me just say, I don’t like writing synopses. But you must have a synopsis ready if you are planning on submitting your manuscript to agents. A synopsis is a summary of your book, and unlike a pitch, it gives away the ending of your story!
While your manuscript is double-spaced, a synopsis is single-spaced, 12 font for both. It needs to be succinct. Mine are about 150-250 words for a fictional picture book. Agents want to see what happens from beginning to end. They want to see the character’s arc and how they have changed from the beginning, both internally and externally.
The synopsis should be written in the third person, present tense, even if that’s not how your story is written. Use clear, succinct language, but make it interesting. You don’t want it to read like a list of facts.
Just like a pitch, it should show who the protagonist is, what the problem is, and how it is solved, but in more detail.
Agents, editors, and publishers are checking to make sure your story is fresh and interesting. They also want to see if you know what you are doing.
Here is my synopsis for Jess and the Monstrous Mess.
The horrible mess in Jess’s room comes to life as a mischievous monster made of toys, books, paper, and clothes. The monster’s antics cause Jess’s pet guinea pig, Pipsie to get lost in the clutter. Cleaning her room is the only way to find her beloved pet. Jess tells the monster, Herbie, he should help clean up since he is responsible. Being a mess monster, Herbie is very reluctant to clean anything. So, Jess appeals to his love for playing and tricks him into cleaning with fun games.
Unfortunately, Herbie puts his own wild spin on the games making the mess worse. But clever Jess, quickly adapts, outwitting Herbie and redirecting the game in her favor. The games are much to Herbie’s delight, however, after each game, he discovers that parts of himself are gone. In the clean-up process, Herbie is slowly being dismantled and put away. Jess reassures him that it is all part of the game.
By the time the room is clean, all that is left of Herbie is a hoodie. Jess tickles Herbie to stop one of his shenanigans, causing him to burp, and out pops Pipsie! Hooray! At this point, they are all pretty tired. Jess suggests playing a bedtime game to entice Herbie to sleep. After Herbie falls asleep, Jess places Herbie in her unsuspecting brother’s messy room.
And that’s just for a picture book!
More and more agents are using Query Manager, which asks for a synopsis. So be ready.
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