Furry Writers' Guild Forum

Query letter and Synopsis

General Writing Discussion
#1

I’m sure some of you have experience with this. You finish a written work, a longer one. Perhaps a novel, maybe just a novella. You decide, “Hey, I’ll try to publish this.” Well, now it’s time to write the query letter and synopsis. What do you make a point to include? I’d love to hear what people (especially those who have been published or are in the industry) make sure to see in these. In the synopsis, should it be a straight-up plot summary? Should themes be included? How long should the query letter be? Two-three paragraphs it the norm, but long paragraphs or short ones? Do you mention what you think makes your work unique? Or do you let the manuscript speak for itself? Do you reveal everything? What’s your process? Are there any mistakes you made that you can warn others of?

I’ve just finished a novel length work, and I’m trying to figure out exactly what I want to do about the above. Any help would be appreciated :smiley:

#2

I’ve submitted a couple of works to multiple literary agents, and only once had the dignity of a personal reply (rejection) rather than the form letter that goes out to every green-biro loony, so I’m maybe not the best person to answer. I try to sum up the story in a short paragraph and avoid wild claims about how brilliant it and I are. I’ll compare to similar books represented by the same agent to prove I’ve done some research. Finally, I’ll make sure I submit exactly what was asked for: cover letter and synopsis / cover letter and sample chapters / printed manuscript double-spaced no staples / manuscript as Word doc / manuscript in body of email etc etc.

Good luck!

#3

I’m not to this point yet myself, as I didn’t go through a traditional query process with my first book and haven’t finished my second yet. But I can tell you that there are entire how-to books and blogs based simply on the query letter and the process of querying agents/editors, so I’d do some general research and check some of those out. (Assuming, of course, that you’ve already gotten some good crits on your manuscript and have gone over it several times for revision and proofreading.)

#4

From what I’ve heard (sitting in “Get Published” panels), the personal reply is generally a mark of success. Editors are just too busy to respond personally to everything, and the fact they took the time to give you attention is a Good Sign.

#5

It was encouraging - but rejection is still a Must Try Harder!

Some books on queries and synopses; I’ve read and enjoyed “Help! I need a publisher!”:

http://www.nicolamorgan.com/category/publishing-advice-books/

#6

Alright, cool! Thanks guys :smiley: