tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post4223251768296839985..comments2023-06-12T17:08:36.320+01:00Comments on How Publishing <i>Really</i> Works: What Is A Synopsis For?Jane Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411253302725735470noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post-85664305146285675272009-02-26T23:23:00.000+00:002009-02-26T23:23:00.000+00:00Pique is the correct word. Although it's been so ...Pique is the correct word. Although it's been so long since I've seen it that I barely recognised it ;).nonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00415222406280230021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post-27704768228881135742009-02-26T20:14:00.000+00:002009-02-26T20:14:00.000+00:00I can't write synopses. Thank the Lord I found a p...I can't write synopses. Thank the Lord I found a publisher who doesn't like them either.Sally Zigmondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07520579251842006765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post-50466981968496082072009-02-26T16:21:00.000+00:002009-02-26T16:21:00.000+00:00Yep! the link in it is interesting too.Yep! the link in it is interesting too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post-88584229751006669362009-02-26T13:53:00.000+00:002009-02-26T13:53:00.000+00:00Ali, was it this one?Ali, was it <A HREF="http://howpublishingreallyworks.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-write-synopsis.html" REL="nofollow">this one</A>?Jane Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411253302725735470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post-27353031417455852112009-02-26T13:37:00.000+00:002009-02-26T13:37:00.000+00:00I think most agents/editors are clear on whether t...I think most agents/editors are clear on whether they want a 'blurb' which they can recylce to put on the jacket - i.e something to pull in a reader, or a synopsis - a complete summary of the plot. Sometimes it's one or the other, other times both. I agree that writing the synopsis can be the hardest part, but for me it's crucial in discovering if my plot really works. Jane - can maybe you can remind us of that other post you did on synposes which I found v. useful?<BR/>AliBAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post-13537335129643618192009-02-26T12:51:00.000+00:002009-02-26T12:51:00.000+00:00Here's the thing. Most editors I know will read s...Here's the thing. Most editors I know will read sample pages <I>before</I> they read the synopsis which accompanies them--they only read the synopsis if the "real" writing is good enough to make them want more. A synopsis then shows them if the writer has managed to construct a good-enough plot. <BR/><BR/>A query-letter or blurb does something entirely different: it's meant to pique (is that the right word?) someone's interest enough for them to consider reading the whole thing--whether they're an agent or editor considering a manuscript, or a potential buyer wondering whether to buy the book or not. So in those cases, it's OK to add a little intrigue.<BR/><BR/>And it's far easier to explain that than it is to actually write a synopsis.Jane Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411253302725735470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post-3951212329868866832009-02-26T12:40:00.000+00:002009-02-26T12:40:00.000+00:00In such a perfect nutshell, Jane. I should be doin...In such a perfect nutshell, Jane. I should be doing a post on synopses soon but you've obviously hit the nail on the head. I do think the synopsis is easily the hardest bit of a submission. It can be so hard to make it sound plausible.Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post-29241985343656072462009-02-26T11:22:00.000+00:002009-02-26T11:22:00.000+00:00I've heard so much disparate advice on synopses - ...I've heard so much disparate advice on synopses - how blurb-like they should be, what style, how long - that I began to wonder if there <I>was</I> such a thing as a definitively good one. Mine tended to wander towards blurb, with the hope of intriguing as well as informing, but it sounds, Jane, as if something more comprehensive is needed. <BR/><BR/>I was fortunate in that my agent read some work without a formal approach by me, but I'm looking forward to subsequent comments here on the topic for when I compose the synopsis for my current novel.TOM VOWLERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436338454781485164noreply@blogger.com