writerjenn

I recently posted about one-line synopses. In that post, I also referred to synopses of other lengths. Here, I'll talk about the one-paragraph version.  As always, any advice here is IMHO and FWIW.

There are two kinds of one-paragraph synopses I find useful: the kind that would go in a query letter to a prospective agent or editor; and the kind that would go on a book jacket or website.

Both types summarize the main plotline and theme of the book. However, the first will usually include more detail and spoilers.  An agent or editor wants to know where the story goes. No cliff-hangers; they're not reading for entertainment, they're reading to see if you can construct a viable story, if you can plot. The second type of synopsis omits spoilers and leaves the ending hazier, because it's written for people who want to read the book and be surprised.

I won't include the actual synopsis I used in the query letter that led to my getting an agent, because that book isn't out yet and I'd rather not list spoilers on my own blog. Instead, I'll give you an outline. (The outline is probably better anyway, because it may be easier for you to generalize it to your own project, if this structure appeals to you.)

1st sentence: Gives the book's title, genre and subgenre (contemporary YA), and a hint at the topics/themes ("secrecy, loss, and obsession").
This is where most people seem to put the book's word count, too. I'll confess that I have never included a word count in a query. I couldn't see how it mattered. Probably the main thing someone can glean from the word count is whether you have any idea of the typical word lengths of books in today's markets--and if your book is in the ballpark, fine.

Sentences 2-4: Tells who the main character is, and what sticky situation he has gotten involved in (the setup for the main plotline).

Sentences 5-6: Describes the first complication/setback for the main character.

Sentences 7-8: Brings in one of the subplots that affects the novel's climax in another major setback; describes that climax.

Sentence 9: Discusses how the MC dealt with the climactic event, what he learned, how he did or didn't change.

I originally had a version that went into more detail about the subplots, but I decided to cut that part. I figured that if the main plot wasn't compelling enough, no subplot could sell the book. Also, agents and editors read a lot; their slush piles runneth over. They don't need to read a 500-word description if a 200-word description will do the job. Which isn't to say that 200 words is the limit--just that every word should be carefully weighed for necessity.

This isn't the only way to write a synopsis, of course--just an example of a way that worked for me.

If you have any interest in reading an example of the second kind of synopsis, pick up any book around you and read the dust jacket. Or, if you're really curious about mine, it's here:

Seventeen-year-old Colt has been sneaking out at night to meet Julia, a girl from an upper-class neighborhood unlike his own. They’ve never told anyone else about their relationship: not their family or friends, and especially not Julia’s boyfriend. When Julia dies suddenly, Colt tries to cope with her death while pretending that he never even knew her. He discovers a journal Julia left behind. But Colt is not prepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship, nor to pay the price for the secrets he’s kept.