Synopsis vs. Query: A question

Typically a query is no more than about 250 words. It introduces no more than two or three characters, sticks to the main plot, and doesn't reveal the ending.

A synopsis, however, varies in length but the shortest is one or two pages, single spaced. It allows you to introduce more characters, and outline at least one sub-plot, as well as include the ending. It's your opportunity to show you know how to write, and how to plot and characterize a novel well, not just have a good idea. I recommend taking that opportunity by filling out the synopsis as much as you can, rather than simply tacking the ending on the query paragraphs.

A synopsis should include all major characters and all major plot points. Many people have a hard time accomplishing this in two pages, so I don't see how what you'd have in a query would work.

gilesth said:

Wow...single spaced? I was under the impression that THAT was always unacceptable, no matter what was being sent in (hence the double-spaced queries...though those have all been emailed, so far...hard to count pages there)! That makes it a LOT easier to fit the synopsis onto one page like many of the agents want

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All the synopses and queries I've sent (some of which have produced results) have been single-spaced.

gilesth said:

Wow...single spaced? I was under the impression that THAT was always unacceptable, no matter what was being sent in (hence the double-spaced queries...though those have all been emailed, so far...hard to count pages there)! That makes it a LOT easier to fit the synopsis onto one page like many of the agents want

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Single spaced for a 1-2 page synopsis, double spaced if it's over three (unless an agent specifies otherwise) is, I think, the standard.

If you check Share your Work > Query Letter Hell, there is a very informative thread on writing them.

You really have to check individual agent.publisher guidelines before writing a synopsis. Some agents and publishers are very specific about length. Typical lengths are the one, the three, and the five page synopsis, while a very few just want a synopsis that's "as long as it takes.

You also have to check about spacing. Generally speaking, you double space anything that's going to be edited, and single space anything that isn't. But agents are all over teh place on whether they want single or double spacing.

A synopsis is usually single spaced, unless it's long, like over three pages. The longer it is, the harder it is to read. But in 99% of cases, you won't be submitting anything over three pages anyway.

I've done long blog posts on both these, so if you're looking for "How To" on both here they are. I'd re-post here, but they're too long.

How to write a query
How to write a synopsis

Naturally this isn't the only way to do it, but it's a technique that's never let me down and has helped others.

Danthia said:

A synopsis is usually single spaced, unless it's long, like over three pages. The longer it is, the harder it is to read. But in 99% of cases, you won't be submitting anything over three pages anyway.

I've done long blog posts on both these, so if you're looking for "How To" on both here they are. I'd re-post here, but they're too long.

How to write a query
How to write a synopsis

Naturally this isn't the only way to do it, but it's a technique that's never let me down and has helped others.

Click to expand...

And her blog post on the synopsis is awesome, btw.

The synopsis should not be single spaced - it should be double spaced, first line indented 5 spaces, just like the manuscript. Check out writer Anne Mini's blog (http://www.annemini.com/) - she talks not only about formatting (at great length and with great reasons on why things are formatted as they are - long story short, single spaced is hard to read), but about 1, 3, and 5 page synopses with examples, as well as queries. Along the right hand side of her blog are all the vast subjects she covers.

Edited to add - I am not Anne Mini, I swear - I just love her blog and her common sense reasoning

I always single space synopses, and I've yet to have one turned down. Many agents also specifically ask for single spacing, or say it doesn't matter.

Single spacing is actually easier to read than double spacing. People have no toruble reading books, and they're not only single spaced, but use a much smaller font, and much tighter spacing.

Double spacing is used in manuscripts to leave room for editing, not because double spacing is easier to read.

But you always have to go with guidelines from a specific agent or editor. Never, ever assume they all want it the same.

LucyWoodhull said:

The synopsis should not be single spaced - it should be double spaced, first line indented 5 spaces, just like the manuscript. Check out writer Anne Mini's blog (http://www.annemini.com/) - she talks not only about formatting (at great length and with great reasons on why things are formatted as they are - long story short, single spaced is hard to read), but about 1, 3, and 5 page synopses with examples, as well as queries. Along the right hand side of her blog are all the vast subjects she covers.

Edited to add - I am not Anne Mini, I swear - I just love her blog and her common sense reasoning

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Actually, this is where her advice conflicts with every agent I researched and followed - most say synopsis of less than 3 pages is single spaced. BUT, and here's the thing, if the agent doesn't give sepcific instructions re the synopsis, I don't think it matters. The synopsis is just a tool for them at this point, not to be edited. So, common convention among at least YA agents (what I researched) and most other agents I researched, was synopsis single spaced up to 2 pages, and after that double spaced.

~suki

Your synopsis has to stand out different from your query letter. I find good advice online which simplified it for me. Before this I was getting very frustrated.

Start with your hook. One paragraph, or sentence that sums up your work. Then write one sentence that best describes your beginning and then one that best sums up your end. In between these sentences, jot down plot points that got you from start to finish. Pick the ones that are most crucial. Build upon those. Depending on the length of synopsis you can incorporate more or less of the points you wrote down.

I found the process helped me to keep my focus on what was important to highlight and what isn't necessarily.

My "secret", which is easier said than done, for writing a good query letter or synopsis, is pretty simple. If you've written a novel that has a good story, well-told, telling the agent about it doesn't help. You're playing the lottery when you do this, and while you may get a hit, you'll probably get a bunch of rejections for each hit. I cringe when writers say you can expect ten, or twenty, or fifty rejections for each request for a full. You shouldn't expect any rejections. No agent or editor ever rejects something that smells like money.

If the query or synopsis is, in and of itself, a good story, well-told, the agent or editor will ask to see the full manuscript pretty much every time.

A good query letter or synopsis is a story, it must display your writing talent, your storytelling ability, and your character building ability, if you want a very high percentage of requests for fulls.

I follow the hardcover book jacket synopsis model, primarily because back when I first started, two editors told me that was exactly what they looked for. It's never done me wrong. You still have to do it well, of course, but if agents and editors are looking for a good, well-told story, you need to give them one.