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The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » book proposals » Page 3

book proposals

Book Proposals: The Fiction Synopsis

By Steve Laubeon May 21, 2018
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Attention all novelists! Every fiction book proposal must include a synopsis. Everyone who teaches on the book proposal says you need one. But why? Those two to three single-spaced pages of agony will never be seen by anyone else but editors and agents, so why? Why, oh why, must a novelist create a synopsis? I understand how difficult it is to write a synopsis. And yet, you need to do the work.

The Purpose of a Synopsis

The synopsis is a quick overview of your whole story. It’s more than a 100 word back-cover-copy blurb. And it is less than the entire manuscript. Since you are sending the first three chapters we must have more than that to properly evaluate the story.

Consider this scenario: I’ve read the first three chapters and you’ve got me hooked. But there isn’t a synopsis. I’m left wondering if the story can be resolved, if you have plot holes, or poor story structure, or no character arc. I know nothing beyond those first pages. Sure, I could request the full manuscript, but that is a major time commitment for something which lacks an overview.

You would be amazed how often we receive three chapters from someone and nothing else. That author has given me a reason to look no further. The writing may be brilliant in the sample chapters, but the author has not completed the picture.

It would be like applying for a job but leaving your work history blank on the application. It is incomplete.

Or like asking someone to buy a car online but only showing them a picture of the front grill and the passenger side door.

We simply need to know “the rest of the story.”

Relax

Realize that the synopsis is going to be THE worst story writing you have ever done. It will have little style or craft to it. Don’t worry. We know that. We are not looking for the perfect synopsis. We expect a stark, even sterile, skeleton of your work of art.

I’m not saying it is easy. But I am saying it isn’t a measure of your writing skill or writing style.

At the same time, put some effort into making it have some energy and vitality. Sometimes a simple word choice can bring a flash of brilliance. Don’t skimp or get lazy. As mentioned earlier, don’t give the editor or agent a reason to say “no thanks.”

How Do I Write a Good Synopsis?

Below are four articles from our blog that should help you work on the craft of your synopsis:

From Tamela Hancock Murray:
Keys to a Great Synopsis

The Synopsis Tells the Tale

From Karen Ball:
Synopsis Made Easy – I Promise

Creating a Strong Hook

 

[This is a slightly revised version of a post originally published in March 2017 on this blog under a different title. I’ve left the comments from the previous posting intact.]

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Category: Book Proposals, Get PublishedTag: book proposals, synopsis

Book Proposals: Due Date

By Steve Laubeon May 14, 2018
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There is an important question that needs to be answered in your book proposal in the “Manuscript Status” section. When will your manuscript be ready? This information is important whether you are writing fiction or non-fiction. When Will Your Book be Done? Fiction: If you are a first time novelist, never before published, your answer should be “The manuscript is complete and …

Read moreBook Proposals: Due Date
Category: Book Proposals, Get PublishedTag: book proposals, Due Date

Real Reasons Some Books are Rejected

By Dan Balowon May 8, 2018
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Most authors and aspiring authors are open to direction and crave constructive comments to help them advance their craft and career. Hopefully, you have had a chance to be part of a good critique group which provided assistance in a manner you found energizing and helpful. When a book is rejected by a publisher or agent, sometimes the reasons behind the rejection are not what you might classify as …

Read moreReal Reasons Some Books are Rejected
Category: Book Proposals, Get Published, RejectionTag: book proposals, Rejection, The Publishing Life

Book Proposals: Word Count

By Steve Laubeon May 7, 2018
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There is an important question that needs to be answered in your book proposal in the “Manuscript Status” section. What is the length of your book? This information is important whether you are writing fiction or non-fiction. How Long is Your Book? Think carefully before you declare a word count in your proposal. I don’t know how often I’ve seen someone propose a 280,000 …

Read moreBook Proposals: Word Count
Category: Book ProposalsTag: book proposals, word count

Your Author Photo

By Steve Laubeon April 30, 2018
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A number of questions were raised when I wrote about the “bio” portion of a book proposal and suggested that you include an author photo. Here are some practical considerations. Make it Look Professional Quality photographers will tell you that background, lighting, how you look at the camera, and what you are wearing have a great influence on how the photo appears. I once saw an …

Read moreYour Author Photo
Category: Book Proposals, Pitch, Pitching, PlatformTag: Author Photos, book proposals

Never Assume Biblical Literacy

By Steve Laubeon April 16, 2018
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It wasn’t long ago that a reference to a Biblical character or a Bible verse would be widely understood without explanation. That is no longer true. Researcher George Gallup said “We revere the Bible, but we don’t read it.” This was recently illustrated in our local newspaper in an article about a football player named Shadrach. “It is a name his mom found in the Old Testament, the Babylonian god …

Read moreNever Assume Biblical Literacy
Category: Book Proposals, Craft, Trends, Writing CraftTag: Bible, Biblical Knowledge, book proposals, Writing Craft

Three Reasons It’s Not Too Late to Submit

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 29, 2018
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Sometimes I meet authors who wonder if they’ve waited too long after they’ve met with me at a conference to submit to me. Without exception (at least, without any exceptions I can think of), the answer is no. It is never too late. Why not? If you’re going to conferences and taking classes to learn, I want to see what you apply. Writers attending conferences are, in part, students. Sometimes I …

Read moreThree Reasons It’s Not Too Late to Submit
Category: Book Proposals, Conferences, Pitch, PitchingTag: book proposals, Conferences, Pitching

When the Market Is Too Tight

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 22, 2018
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Previously I posted about sending rejections saying the market is too tight as a reason for the decline. Let’s take a closer look. Subjective? “The market is too tight,” sounds objective, doesn’t it? As in, “There isn’t enough room for your book because no one is buying this type of book.” However, this is one time we can get philosophical and admit this reason for a decline is actually the …

Read moreWhen the Market Is Too Tight
Category: Book Proposals, Genre, Get Published, Pitching, Platform, RejectionTag: book proposals, Get Published, Rejection

I Couldn’t Think of a Good Title for This Post

By Bob Hostetleron March 21, 2018
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Some writers love to come up with titles for their stories, articles, or books. Some hate it. Some are good at it, some are awful. But we all have to do it, like it or not. A title can make or break a pitch, even though editors will often change our titles. So here are my twelve top tips (try saying that ten times fast!) for titling your tomes: Know your market. If you’re writing for the Christian …

Read moreI Couldn’t Think of a Good Title for This Post
Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Creativity, Get Published, Marketing, Pitch, Pitching, Self-PublishingTag: book proposals, Creativity, Titles

Why You Don’t Want to be the Exception

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 15, 2018
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In a recent post on the top three reasons why my office sends rejection letters, I referred to authors sending me out-of-category submissions. Spaghetti Against the Wall First, I mentioned that some authors don’t do their research. They don’t take the five to ten minutes tops to find out what we’re seeking. We even have a handy-dandy tab on our site. I think most authors who don’t consider what …

Read moreWhy You Don’t Want to be the Exception
Category: Book Proposals, RejectionTag: book proposals, Rejection
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