{"id":15635,"date":"2025-01-21T09:29:39","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T16:29:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cravebooks.com\/blog\/?p=15635"},"modified":"2025-02-06T00:53:10","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T07:53:10","slug":"how-to-write-a-synopsis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cravebooks.com\/blog\/how-to-write-a-synopsis\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Guide to Writing an Effective Synopsis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your synopsis is just as important, arguably even more than your actual piece.\u00a0<\/span>It seems like writing a synopsis after you\u2019ve already written your book should be a breeze, but that\u2019s not the case.\u00a0<\/span>In reality, writing your synopsis can be a lot more difficult than you may imagine.\u00a0<\/span>With your synopsis, you have about 1,000 words to convince an agent or publisher that your book is worth putting in the marketplace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of waiting until the end to create your synopsis, writing it before can help ensure a smooth writing process overall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless, it\u2019s essential to write a compelling synopsis that motivates agents and publishers to sell your writing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s post, we\u2019ll detail the most helpful strategies on ‘How to Write A Synopsis’ for both nonfiction and fiction books\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s a Synopsis?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"What<\/p>\n

For the purpose of this article, a synopsis is a summary that reveals the main points of a story, specifically used when shopping a book to agents and publishers. Unlike your back cover or ad copy, your synopsis should include major plot twists and tell how your story ends. A fiction synopsis should outline the premise and approach of your story. You can rest assured that both publishers and agents understand the developmental aspects of fiction writing and will expect that your story could evolve differently than your synopsis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than asking luring questions as you may with back cover copy, you should tell what happens in your story and how it ends in your synopsis. You want to be clear about how you plan to tell the story, and your synopsis should set you apart from the competition. Essentially, you should tell your story in the present tense in your synopsis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The synopsis is important for convincing agents and publishers to work with you, but you should be aware that very few will offer a contract based on only the synopsis. You still will need a powerful manuscript to go with your synopsis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The synopsis is like your resume – it\u2019s only part of the process. Delivering your idea is another challenge entirely. Just as employers will complete a rigorous hiring process, agents and publishers will want to see the entire manuscript as well as a synopsis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The synopsis is usually the first step, and most will use it to determine if they want to read the manuscript.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nonfiction synopses are slightly different. For nonfiction pieces like narrative stories, biographies, memoirs, and autobiographies, you should lay out the topics you plan to cover in each chapter.\u00a0<\/span>The synopsis for nonfiction should outline the intended audience, what you want to teach readers, and your qualifications for writing on the subject. Don\u2019t use overly salesy language or promise things you won\u2019t deliver.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Writing a Fiction Synopsis<\/span><\/h2>\n

Starting your fiction writing process with the synopsis can help you determine the main direction and elements of your story. It will also help to keep you focused during your writing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Study your genre hard, because summarizing a full manuscript is not an easy task, and you want to be sure to hit the most important aspects of your genre. Every genre comes with certain parameters and reader expectations, and while you want creative freedom and expression, missing the mark on too many of those expectations will have agents and publishers passing on your submission. Using a synopsis while you write will help you stay on track.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are the key steps for how to write a synopsis for fiction works:<\/span><\/p>\n

Develop Your Main Idea<\/span><\/h3>\n

You should be able to summarize your story premise in one sentence. Arguably the sentence does need to be a good one, but a winning storyline will only require a one-sentence description.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This one-sentence premise outline is known as the \u201clogline.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A good logline is simple, yet intriguing. At first glance, it may not seem like much of a challenge, but try to tell someone about your novel with one sentence. Until you can do this, you shouldn\u2019t write the full synopsis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Outline Story Structure\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"outline<\/p>\n

All novels should include variants of the main structure aspects below:<\/span><\/p>\n