Selling Manuscripts

By Dawn Whitmire

Lesson 3: SO YOU HATE TO WRITE A SYNOPSIS

Most people do, but this lesson will show you a quick, efficient way of writing the most important book report of your life. In this lesson, we’ll cover....

• Seeing the synopsis through the eyes of a reader
• How you should really view a synopsis
• Don’t dread it, anticipate it
• Taking that first step
• Outlining your manuscript
• Letting the book do the talking
• Fresh and innovative vs. old and tiresome
• How much is too much or how little is too little

A View is Worth A Thousand Words

As writers, we've conditioned ourselves to believe the synopsis is a step to be dreaded, avoided even. We write our books with excitement, eager to reach the final climax, only to realize that, to our horror, we now have to write a synopsis if this manuscript is ever to see the light of day.

As writers, we've conditioned ourselves to view the synopsis as a burden, a relentless task which must be accomplished if our manuscript is to ever have a chance at publication. Additionally, in the back of our minds, even though we'd never admit it aloud, we think the synopsis is a torture tool the editors use to separate the wheat from the chaff. While the synopsis is, indeed, a tool, it is not intended for torture, but for revelation. Take a moment to take the quiz.

A Getting to Know Your Feelings Quiz

1. If you knew your synopsis was the only marketing strategy you possessed, would you feel differently about writing it?
2. If you knew readers would first read your synopsis before they decided to buy your book, would that make you feel differently about writing it?
3. Do you spend as much time on writing your synopsis as you do writing your novel?
4. Do you edit your synopsis over and over and still send it out without being happy about the final result?
5. Have you reached the point where writing a synopsis is as exciting as paying your credit card bills?
6. Finally, would your views change if you knew your book would be accepted or rejected for publication based on the synopsis alone?

Have your feelings changed any since you've taken the quiz? Are you ready to master the synopsis' invisible hold over your emotions?

As I mentioned earlier in this course, the synopsis is the window to your manuscript. It lets the editor see in through the blinds and examine your talent, your dedication and your imagination. Hopefully, by the time we reach the end of this lesson, you'll be ready to sit down at your computer and tackle that synopsis with excitement, knowing it could put your manuscript in an editor's hands and your book on the shelves of every popular bookstore in America.

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