Need some quick help on Agent's request

I'd think regular paper is just fine.

It's what's ON the paper that's important. Don't go colorful, don't sprinkle perfume on it - just make sure you can read it clearly and make it look as professional as possible.

Label each page as 1/** and use your last name - MS Word does a header/footer that'll help with this. In case a page slips out he'll be able to know where it is and who it came from.

jmo, of course - don't forget all the pertinent info on the first page, name addy etc. with word count and all that.

Good luck!

Maryn said:

They want regular old printer paper, submission format, ending at a natural stopping place.

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This, definitely.

Heavy, quality paper just annoys them.

Congratulations, Richard!

I'm not sure if there is a hard and fast rule on synopsis lengths, I've seen requests anywhere from a couple of paragraphs to five pages plus. Guess it also depends on the length of the novel and how many subplots there are, but for yours I'd suggest maybe 1-2 pages.

The Synopsis is the bane of our existence as writers. My research has found that most agents want 1-2 pages. Some will accept 3. A few want 5, and the outlier is 10. I get the feeling that 10 pages is pretty darned old-school, but I can't prove that.

Since your agent specified a "detailed synopsis," my gut instinct is that he wants 3-5 pages. Look on the agency's site for any clues.

If you're freaked out about getting it right, feel free to ask for his preference.

I hope that helps, and congrats on the interest! It sounds promising.

What they said (plain paper, 3-5 pages for a detailed synopsis) and congratulations!

Just jumping in to say ditto - 20lb white printer/copy paper, about 3 pg synopsis, and don't forget the header with last name, book title and page #s.

And most of all - CONGRATS on the partial request!

Years ago I remember sweating over the brightness of the paper and the weight. Now it really doesn't matter. The heavier the paper, the more it costs to mail, so just go with any printer paper you have, as long as it's white (which most are anyway).

Synopsis--one to three pages, single spaced. Double space between paragraphs. (I just had an editor ask for a single page synopsis. I've had agents ask for two to three page synopsis.)

Best of luck!

Congrats on the request!!

Ditto what everyone has said.

Regular printer paper is fine. Standard white. Standard submission format.

A synopsis of 3-5 double-spaced pages is the sweet spot. (A synopsis for a manuscript contest can sometimes go up to 15 pages, but anything over 5-6 is probably more than an agent wants or needs at this stage.)

Good luck!!

Congrats Richard, hope you'll need more paper to print out for a full request!

Oh wow--agents still request paper synopsis and manuscript submissions? That'll eat through some printer cartridges.

A nice problem to have, though. Congrats on the partial request and good luck with the synopsis! I wish I could give you some advice there, but I'm still confused about what the things entail as well.

Roxxsmom said:

Oh wow--agents still request paper synopsis and manuscript submissions? That'll eat through some printer cartridges.

A nice problem to have, though. Congrats on the partial request and good luck with the synopsis! I wish I could give you some advice there, but I'm still confused about what the things entail as well.

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Paper requests are increasingly rare. For example, out of 13 requests (either partial or full) I received, one wanted it in paper form. The rest asked for emailed files. But I also limited my list to agents who accepted email queries...there are many who don't and still want paper queries; I don't know if those "paper query" agents request more material in paper form.

Roxxsmom said:

Oh wow--agents still request paper synopsis and manuscript submissions? That'll eat through some printer cartridges.

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Some still do. It'll probably be a thing of the past within five years. Either way, it's a good idea to have a synopsis ready after you've polished your ms. and are about to query.

Richard Paolinelli said:

Thanks for the replies everyone.

One last question:

He is also asking for a detailed synopsis.

How detailed should I get? Is there a min/max number of pages?

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He wants to get a sense of your writing style (hence the 20-30 page request) and he wants a sense of the arc of the whole story (hence the synopsis request). The quicker you can effectively reveal the arc of the story, the better! Good luck!