Synopses: advice from literary agents
A synopsis is the full summary of your story, spoilers and all, that agents often request alongside a query. It is a different document from the back-cover blurb, and it trips up a lot of writers. Here is how a literary agent says to write one.
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Questions on Synopsis
- What is a synopsis and how is it different from a blurb or jacket copy?, Donovan Levine: A synopsis is a beat-by-beat outline of your main plot; a blurb is the punchier teaser in your query, closer to the jacket copy on the back of a book.
- How do you actually write a synopsis (tense, person, and structure)?, Donovan Levine: Write it in third person, present tense ideally, opening on the inciting action and running through beginning, middle, and end as a brief play-by-play of the major beats.
- Should you spoil the ending in your synopsis?, Donovan Levine: It depends on the agent’s guidelines, but Donovan prefers you give the ending away and skip cliffhangers, because the synopsis is where he judges how you execute the plot.
- How long should a synopsis be?, Donovan Levine: Usually one to two pages; once it runs past three, start cutting, though heavy worldbuilding or a 120K-plus book can justify going longer.