Synopsis Vs. Summary vis LDSPublisher

A summary is a short description of your book; think if it as a sales pitch or the blurb on the back of the book. It's 1-2 paragraphs, no longer than half a page. You hit the hook, the teasers, the main conflict. Ideally, it's what you would put in your query letter.

At a conference a few years ago, I heard an agent describe it as what you would say if you suddenly found yourself on an elevator with an agent or editor, who turns to you and asks, "What's your current work-in-progress?" You have until the end of the elevator ride to get them hooked.

A synopsis is longer and can be up to 2 pages. It's more like an abbreviated Cliffs Notes for your book. Write it in third person (even if your book is in first person), present tense, include your main characters, their motivations, conflict, major plot events, setting, themes, AND the resolution. (That means, if it's a murder mystery, you tell who dun it.)

The synopsis should be representative of your writing skill, so make it shine. It shouldn't read like a user manual or a dry encyclopedia entry. Punch it up with the same sensory based imagery, tone, and humor that occurs in your book.

As to which I would rather see? The answer is BOTH. This is particularly true for a values based publisher, like here in the LDS market. Example: A novel about a teenage coming of age story. From the summary, I might be interested. But a synopsis would tell me that in chapter 17, she discovers she's pregnant and decides to have an abortion. That just wouldn't fly in my market and I'd like to know that before I'm 150 pages into the manuscript.

Careers taking off at a writer's conference? It could happen. I know several people who've gotten that toe in the door from a conference—submitting to an agent that spoke at the conference, winning an award at the conference which got them a bypass the slush pile free card, and signing up for a actual pitch sessions. Readers—do you have any success stories you want to share?

My Query

Highlights from Elana Johnson's Class:

A query letter is to generate requests!

What you need in your query letter:

1. Hook. Sum up your novel in one sentence.
2. Setup. A few details about the main character, world-building and catalyst.
3. Conflict. What does the MC want?
4. Consequence. What will happen if the MC doesn't overcome the conflict? 

This is what my query looks like after Elana's awesomesauce class with notes in () from said class:

Dear Agent,
I read your blog and noticed you are interested in Young Adult Science Fiction (add personal touch as this shows you did your research). FROZEN (title always in caps) is a 55,000 word count novel about a small-town girl who discovers other-worldly visitors living in her midst.

Seventeen-year-old Mandy McAllister is assigned to write about missing youth for the school paper. As she digs deeper into the strange disappearances, she discovers her town is full of secrets, lies--and aliens (this last sentence is the hook. It sums up the novel in one sentence.).

Mandy learns that her mother is an alien impostor and her father--the Mayor--has been covering it up for years. Mandy gathers her courage and goes in search of her biological mother and the missing youth, only to find herself the next victim of alien abduction. (This paragraph is the setup).
On a spaceship full of frozen boys, she breaks free of her alien mother's mind control and initiates a plan of escape (this is the conflict). But can't do it alone. She finds her boyfriend on the ship, but is he one of the abducted? Or on of the aliens? She'll have to learn who she can trust and who she can't if she wants to get off the ship and saev those who've gone missing before her (this is the consequence).

I am member of League of Utah Writers, Utah Children's Writers and I sit on my local library board.
The complete manuscript is available upon request (assume they want it!).
Thank you for your time and consideration.

Name
Address
Phone
Email


A few more notes:

• If you're stuck on your query, trying writing it in your MC's voice to break down the barrier.
• Most of your query should cover the first 30-50 pages.
• Write the query when you're about 10-15,000 words into your story. It will help shape your story.
• Business format letter: Two hard returns; no indenting.

Agents & Queries

AgentQuery Connect has put together a list of literary agents you really should check out if you are sending out queries.

Agent Cheat Sheet

I also found this article from AgentQuery very useful on writing the your query letter.

How to Write a Query 

Let me know how you're doing!

Contest Alert

Win a copy of Trisit Pinkston's "Secret Sisters" book on Michele Ashman Bell's blog here. Her book sounds fun!

Sarah With A Chance is doing a celebratory contest. Win a partial critique or a query critique or lunch with an editor if you live in NYC. Click here for details.

Over here on Courtney Johnson's site is yet another contest where you can win a critique! 10,000 word critique!