5 Tips on How to Write a Novel Synopsis

I’ve never met a single person who liked writing a synopsis. Seriously — not one. But still, synopses are a necessary part of the submission process (until some brave publishing pro outlaws them), so I wanted to share five basic tips today regarding how to compose one in case you’re querying agents or getting ready to pitch at a writers’ conference.
​
A synopsis is a summary of your book. Literary agents and editors may ask to see one if you’re writing an adult novel, a memoir, or a children's novel (young adult or middle grade). The purpose of a synopsis request is for the agent or editor to evaluate what happens in the three acts of your story to decide if the characters, plot, and conflict warrant a complete read of your manuscript. And if you haven’t guessed yet, they’re pretty tough to write. If you are indeed putting one together and sending your work out, check out these tips below:

1. Reveal everything major that happens in your book, including the ending. Heck, revealing the story’s ending is a synopsis’s defining unique characteristic. You shouldn’t put a story’s ending in a query or in-person pitch, but it does belong in a synopsis. On this note, know that a synopsis is designed to explain everything major that happens, not to tease, so avoid language such as “Krista walks around a corner into a big surprise.” Don’t say “surprise,” but just tell us what happens.

Read More