If I had hair, I'd be tearing it out

seun · Aug 15, 2007

This is a genuine synopsis from a book I've just ordered:

When Amy's boyfriend puts her prized collection of shoes up for sale on eBay, under the mistaken notion that she is cheating on him, Amy's quest to reclaim them leads her on a series of hilarious and outrageous adventures.

And I can't get published?

endless rewrite · Aug 15, 2007

Why did you order it?

seun · Aug 15, 2007

The boss told me to, sadly.

mum23 · Aug 15, 2007

Reminds me of a friend of my parents. The wife was pissed off that her husband was always away on golfing weekends so to get her own back, she drank his prized Port collection that he had been collecting for years. Didn't help she was a total alcoholic to start with.

David I · Aug 15, 2007

Never judge a book by its synopsis.

seun · Aug 15, 2007

David I said:
Never judge a book by its synopsis.

Why not? Agents do.

Joking aside, I wouldn't normally, but I have to admit my gut reaction to this was I can't believe this crap gets published.

A.M. Wildman · Aug 15, 2007

seun said:
Why not? Agents do.
Joking aside, I wouldn't normally, but I have to admit my gut reaction to this was I can't believe this crap gets published.

I think the same thing every time I pick up a newspaper.

Stijn Hommes · Aug 15, 2007

It sounds like chicklit which is something I don't read on principle.
(I'm a guy). Still, I don't see what's wrong with it. It's not a synopsis, it's a backcover blurb. The plot sounds fun.

KTC · Aug 15, 2007

David I said:
Never judge a book by its synopsis.

Good point.

I'm picturing a book like that movie about the $20 bill that goes from hand to hand...telling the stories of the people along the way. Could be interesting. Those shoes can talk.

CatSlave · Aug 15, 2007

seun said:
This is a genuine synopsis from a book I've just ordered:

When Amy's boyfriend puts her prized collection of shoes up for sale on eBay, under the mistaken notion that she is cheating on him, Amy's quest to reclaim them leads her on a series of hilarious and outrageous adventures.

And I can't get published?

A PublishAmerica book, eh?

seun · Aug 15, 2007

Sadly, no.

Jamesaritchie · Aug 15, 2007

book

seun said:
Why not? Agents do.
Joking aside, I wouldn't normally, but I have to admit my gut reaction to this was I can't believe this crap gets published.

No, agents judge the book by the book. They may request a book based on how well you write a synopsis, but the synopsis this writer sent to the agent was very likely not at all like the one you read.

Like all other novels, this one was taken on by the agent, and then by the publisher, because both thought it smelled like money. But neither judged it by the synopsis. Neither should you. Read it first, and then judge it.

PattiTheWicked · Aug 15, 2007

If Amy's adventures really ARE hilarious, I bet it's a fun read.

seun · Aug 15, 2007

When saying agents judge a book by the synopsis, I meant the practice of a writer submitting a synopsis which results in a no thanks, not for us from the agent. OK, that's not the entire book being judged, but it's close enough to give the same result.

OddButInteresting · Aug 15, 2007

PattiTheWicked said:
If Amy's adventures really ARE hilarious, I bet it's a fun read.

I agree. When I read the synopsis I got the feeling that it'd be fairly tongue-in-cheek.

*Tut* *tut* Didn't your parents ever teach you not to judge a book by its cover? (literally)

P.S. I understand your point by the way, but it's all down to chance. How many times do you reckon the author got turned down before securing a contract?

auntybug · Aug 15, 2007

That does sound flippin' stupid. The agent must love her shoes to have read it..... I guess its all in getting the right ones attention. I hope my books find their way to someone that thought "Happily Never After" was good. I thought it stunk - big time yet - there it was on the big screen..... I guess we all have have the "I can do better than thats" - but sometimes we are RIGHT!!!!!

MidnightMuse · Aug 15, 2007

A book IS judged by the synopsis - when that's all the agent is using to determine "Send me more" vs "Not for us."

Siddow · Aug 15, 2007

If my boyfriend put my shoes up for sale on Ebay, the book would be a mystery: The decapitated body of a man washes up on the shores of Lake Lanier. Who is he, and who killed him?

scarletpeaches · Aug 15, 2007

Yup, I'd say the book is definitely judged on the synopsis. What else does the agent have to go on, as MidnightMuse said?

And like it or not, we ALL judge books by the cover. It's how we decided to purchase/borrow THIS book over THAT book. IT's why publishers spend so much time, money and effort designing the cover and blurb - so customers in bookshops (that's you and I, folks) can judge books by their covers.

A hilarious story about shoes? No thanks.

Call me a bigot, but this is my right as a reader, but chicklit doesn't seem like a very challenging genre to me - populated by shallow characters who are obsessed with finding a boyfriend. Seun's example plays right into the hands of those who say shoe-fetishes are a staple of the genre.

God save me from the lipgloss bitches. I used to read chicklit, still do occasionally, but I'm more choosy.

Andre_Laurent · Aug 15, 2007

seun said:
This is a genuine synopsis from a book I've just ordered:

When Amy's boyfriend puts her prized collection of shoes up for sale on eBay, under the mistaken notion that she is cheating on him, Amy's quest to reclaim them leads her on a series of hilarious and outrageous adventures.

And I can't get published?

Who is the agent...boy do I have some things to send them, lol.

scarletpeaches · Aug 15, 2007

The one thing that makes me groan more than any other about this whole thread is the blurb's insistence that the book is hilarious and outrageous.

I'll decide that for myself, thank you very much. Never heard of showing, not telling?

mum23 · Aug 15, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
The one thing that makes me groan more than any other about this whole thread is the blurb's insistence that the book is hilarious and outrageous.

I'll decide that for myself, thank you very much. Never heard of showing, not telling?

I think that's a good point. I agree that it's up to the reader to decide if it is hilarious or not. How do they decide anyway? Their own assumptions. What is right for one is not right for another. Someone with no sense of humour would find it totally boring but then they probably would reach for War and Peace than a novel about shoes!

III · Aug 15, 2007

seun said:
This is a genuine synopsis from a book I've just ordered:

When Amy's boyfriend puts her prized collection of shoes up for sale on eBay, under the mistaken notion that she is cheating on him, Amy's quest to reclaim them leads her on a series of hilarious and outrageous adventures.

And I can't get published?

I think you guys missed Seun's original point. Apparently he has written a novel that's almost exactly like the one he's described and it's not fair that his hillarious and outrageous novel about a man selling his girlfriend's petticoat collection on EBay has not yet found a publisher when this book - WHICH IS ALMOST THE EXACT SAME THING - has.

No need to thank me, Seun. Just helping a brother out. You'll be the king of chick lit someday. We believe in you!

mum23 · Aug 15, 2007

III said:
I think you guys missed Seun's original point. Apparently he has written a novel that's almost exactly like the one he's described and it's not fair that his hillarious and outrageous novel about a man selling his girlfriend's petticoat collection on EBay has not yet found a publisher when this book - WHICH IS ALMOST THE EXACT SAME THING - has.

No need to thank me, Seun. Just helping a brother out. You'll be the king of chick lit someday. We believe in you!

I thought it was his dinky toy collection!

JasonChirevas · Aug 15, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
The one thing that makes me groan more than any other about this whole thread is the blurb's insistence that the book is hilarious and outrageous.

I'll decide that for myself, thank you very much. Never heard of showing, not telling?

Outrageous as a positive is the equivalent of party used as a verb to me, a warning to stay away.

-Jason

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