Do the editors and agents want to know how it ends?

Query? No. Synopsis? Yes. Absolutely. But feel free to leave a hook in the query.

... probably depends on the genre to some extent. With romance for instance eds and ags may want to know the ending so they can judge whether the novel is suitable for their line or will have mass reader appeal. A query letter that seems to suggest a romance will end tragically or with the MC unhappy may cause it to be tossed in the trash. Sci-fi queries get different receptions, but must meet expectations of their own. My 2 cents. Many approaches to queries. All that matters is that you create interest from them. G'luck.

Yes.

Spoilers all the way. Genre makes no difference.

Yes. They will want to know the end. Don't try to hold stuff back from drama etc.

Not in query -- you want to entice them to read more. But synopsis? Yes, they want to know the whole story, including how it ends.

Cathy C said:

Query? No. Synopsis? Yes. Absolutely. But feel free to leave a hook in the query.

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What she said. A query is a lot like the back cover copy of a book. It tells you just enough to make you say "Oo I want to read this."

A query with be more specific with details than cover copy though. Because agents needs to know the specifics to see how your book is different than the other 300 in their pile of queries.

Do the editors and agents want to know how it ends?

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Yes.

Reality is that it depends. Some queries give the ending, most do not. What you need to think about is what is the purpose of the query.

It's sole purpose is to sell your book. If you can sell your book by just using the first fifty pages, then that's what you should do. If you need the first half of your book, that's what you do. Or if you need the whole book, then use it.

I've written a successful query based on the first twenty pages of a manuscript that I didn't write. I couldn't read any further because the manuscript was so bad. I've also used the entire book.

What I tend to look for in QLH is whether I can figure out the plot sufficiently to guess the ending. If you have a fantasy orphan saves world, then the ending will be a glorious battle, in which the protagonist's best friend might die, and the protagonist barely hangs on, but ultimately succeeds. If you have a romance, the two will get together and live happily ever after, at least until the divorce lawyer shows up.

Mainstream novels are less predictable. Some Nicholas Sparks books would be good candidates for revealing the ending, for example.

Ultimately, you, the writer, needs to decide what you think will cause an agent to spit coffee over their computer screen. That's what should be in your query.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

But please don't try to write sales copy. Most people who try write bad sales copy. This is a business letter, not a book flap.

Danthia said:

What she said. A query is a lot like the back cover copy of a book. It tells you just enough to make you say "Oo I want to read this."

A query with be more specific with details than cover copy though. Because agents needs to know the specifics to see how your book is different than the other 300 in their pile of queries.

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This. (well said)
And I'll second that Cathy's comment was as "to the point" as it can get. There is a difference between a query letter and a synopsis.

Danthia said:

What she said. A query is a lot like the back cover copy of a book. It tells you just enough to make you say "Oo I want to read this."

A query with be more specific with details than cover copy though. Because agents needs to know the specifics to see how your book is different than the other 300 in their pile of queries.

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Tossing in to agree with Danthia, Cathy C, and maestrowork.

They'll want to know the ending eventually, but don't put it in the query. Hook them in the query. They'll get the end in the synopsis or full manuscript.

OP, confused yet? LOL.

I'm with Jim on this one - it depends, as much does with queries. Use whatever about the plot/story arc/voice/characters, etc... that will get the agent to turn or scroll down to the enclosed pages.

Some books really lend themselves to very tight, hook like pitches. And some require more of a complete plot pitch.

While I've seen some fantastic queries written like back cover blurbs, in reality, most books require you to show some of the twists and turns and secrets to hook an agent.

Agents are not casual readers - they do need, usually, more "spoilers" than back cover blurb, because you need to show those special shiny bits to stand out - especially in a crowded field. I'd guess the more crowded the genre, and more common the central plot arc structure, the more spoilers you need in the query.

For example, if you are querying a YA paranormal romance, you need to show what the love interest is and how the paranormal bits complicate the basic subplot. You wouldn't include those bits on the back cover blurb necessarily (because the paranormal and discovering that the love interest is an angel/werewolf/fairy/mermaid/dragon/etc... is only hinted at usually) but in a query you absolutely need to give those bits away as they *are* the entire hook.

Or if the major plot twist is that the character is hallucinating and half the secondary characters are delusions, then you wouldn't give that away on the back cover blurb for consumers, but you would need to show that in the query, or the agent won't understand the basic plot.

Or if in the novel, the reader won't find out until the last 50 pages that the main character is gay, but then the first 3/4 of the book will re-align to show a very different story...well, you don't want to give that away on the cover blurb, but you may very well *need* to give that away in the query.

So, write the query that works for *your* book. It doesn't *have* to give away the ending, but it can. It doesn't *have* to show the most exciting plot twist, but it can. It doesn't have to do much but include a clear and readable pitch of the primary plot, up to whatever point you wish (though I'd say usually you need more than the initial set up).

~suki

I go along with what Danthia, Cathy C, and maestrowork said, as well. It's not easy to write such a query, but when done well, it gets a yes darned near every last time.

... hooking through withholding is a fine way to go. One thing to consider, though, is that agents and editors have seen it all. And there is truth to that tired expression. There really are only so many twists and plots. So if a writer tries hooking an agent or editor by keeping their endings under lock and key in the query, agents may yawn.

For even if the hook is well orchestrated they'll still be able to predict your ending or one among a handful. What makes a story fresh is the approach and way it is handled 95% of the time. So writers might want to focus on that. And there's no more clear-cut way of doing that than giving away the ending and laying all the cards down in the query.

"Here's my story. Ain't fresh or original, but even so I've got the ability to make it engaging with lively characters and engaging descriptions." That's the sort of admission that'll get requests, imo, and instill agents and eds with confidence in a writer.

Just my opinion, but--

a) synopsis--definitely. Spoil the ending, the whole ending, leave nothing up in the air. Part of the point of a synopsis is to show you can tie up your loose ends, so make sure you tie them tightly.

b) query--no. BUT you probably give away more about the ending/the plot progression of the book than your average reader would want to know going in. You wouldn't see a query letter verbatim on the back of a book, because it DOES give too much away. But queries should end on cliffhangers, which usually means you don't tell the ending.

James D. Macdonald said:

But please don't try to write sales copy. Most people who try write bad sales copy. This is a business letter, not a book flap.

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Yeah, I should have made it clear this isn't really a sales copy, although it is a selling tool.

Bartholomew said:

Oh dear. What is sales copy?

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Short answer is sales copy is material that is written for selling something. Usually used as a less than flattering term for poorly written sales information.

Any advertisement is sales copy. But let's compare some car ads to illustrate the difference between what you want to send the agent and what might appear on book jackets (this reason for using car ads is because the differences can be made more obvious). For example, you could say "MOTOR TREND'S Car of the Year." Other than that MOTOR TREND likes it, what have you learned? Compare this to "Pickup truck owned by more contractors than any others." Now you can figure contractors want a pickup that actually works, so if more contractors buy it, it probably can be used, abused, and put away wet. You've got a concrete fact in the advertisement that is meaningful.

Or you could say, "Soccer mom's love it." But isn't it more meaningful to say, "Fits 8 adults and all the gear for a soccer game." Another is "Good gas mileage," which compares to "40 mpg EPA estimate."

As has been said, agents are sophisticated readers. They're not impressed by you writing that your novel will be the next HARRY POTTER. They want you to show why a reader of your book is going to fall in love with it.

Ken said:

... hooking through withholding is a fine way to go. One thing to consider, though, is that agents and editors have seen it all. And there is truth to that tired expression. There really are only so many twists and plots. So if a writer tries hooking an agent or editor by keeping their endings under lock and key in the query, agents may yawn.

For even if the hook is well orchestrated they'll still be able to predict your ending or one among a handful. What makes a story fresh is the approach and way it is handled 95% of the time. So writers might want to focus on that. And there's no more clear-cut way of doing that than giving away the ending and laying all the cards down in the query.

"Here's my story. Ain't fresh or original, but even so I've got the ability to make it engaging with lively characters and engaging descriptions." That's the sort of admission that'll get requests, imo, and instill agents and eds with confidence in a writer.

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I just like this so much I wanted to repeat it, especially the third paragraph. If I think while I read your query that it's another kid through portal saves world, I'm bored. If instead, I'm worrying about how Hermie is going to survive this strange world, I'll want to see more.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

How about a small addition to my earlier post

In a query, you don't need to spill the ending, but you usually talk about what the ending will entail, for example, to save the princess, the hero must battle giant tree frogs and overcome his life long fear of amphibians.

You don't need to say how it all works out, but saying what constitutes a "win" is usually a good idea as it shows the stakes and what the book is goign to be about.

Is that more helpful?

If "sales copy" means the way a synopsis on the dust jacket of a published hardcover is meant, then I'm 100% in favor of writing sales copy.

It's true that few writers can do this well, but it's also true that few writers can write anything else well, either.

But this is precisely the kind of query synopsis I've had editors ask for, and it's the kind that has never let me down.

Such copy uses good fiction techniques such as show versus tell, vibrant language, good pace and tone. A writer who can't do this well is unlikely to write a novel an agent or editor wants, however he write a synopsis.

But, whatever you do, do not, not, not, give the editor equivalent of: "To find out how it ends, you need to read the manuscript."

we should ask the agent on her thread too...I'd be curious about her take on this...this is a really hard part of working and re-working a query...at least it is for me

millworth said:

we should ask the agent on her thread too...I'd be curious about her take on this...this is a really hard part of working and re-working a query...at least it is for me

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Originally Posted by Seaclusion
Jennifer,

I have consistantly been telling people to not worry about giving away the ending of their book in their query. That if it is necessary to tell the ending to show how unigue and well written the ms is then by all means go ahead and include the ending. Withholding the ending in an attempt to make the agent want to read the ms is a mistake. Agents read mss to confirm their original thought as to the salability of the ms.

Have I been wrong in this assesment of why agents ask for partials or fulls?

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Jennifer_Laughran said:

I read queries to see if I want to read the book. I read the book... to see if I like the book!

In my opinion, the pitch in a query letter should be brief and tantalizing, an intro to the story that makes me want to read more, like the copy on the inside of a book jacket. Personally I don't think you should give away the end here -- but if you feel like you have to, no big deal I guess.

Synopsis, on the other hand, should tell me all the important stuff including the end.

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Asked and answered long before you were a member.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

Interesting.