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Blog • Understanding Publishing

Posted on Sep 12, 2018

How to Write an Incredible Synopsis in 4 Simple Steps

Your novel is fully written, edited, and polished to perfection — you’re ready to pitch it to agents! But you’re missing a critical piece of persuasion: the synopsis. Even after putting together your entire book, you may have no idea how to write one, or even how to approach it.

Luckily, we’ve got answers for you. Read on for our best tips on writing a synopsis that’s clear, concise, captivating… and may even lead to an all-out agent battle over your novel!

What is a synopsis?

A synopsis is a summary of a book that familiarizes the reader with the plot and how it unfolds. Although these kinds of summaries also appear on the pages of school book reports and Wikipedia, this guide will focus on constructing one that you can send out to agents (and eventually publishers).

Your novel synopsis should achieve two things: firstly, it should convey the contents of your book, and secondly, it should be intriguing!

While you don’t need to pull out all the marketing stops at this stage, you should have a brief hook at the beginning and a sense of urgency underlying the text that will keep your reader going. It should make potential agents want to devour your whole manuscript — even though they’ll already know what happens.

While writing your synopsis, make sure that it includes:

• A complete story arc
• Your own voice and unique elements of your story
• The ending or resolution ( unlike in a blurb )

As for the ideal length for this piece, it varies from project to project. Some authors recommend keeping it to 500 words, while others might write thousands. However, the standard range is about one to two single-spaced pages (or two to five double-spaced pages). And if you're interested in knowing how to format the whole of your manuscript for submission, we recommend downloading this manuscript format template. 

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You may also want to have an additional “brief” summary prepared for agents who specifically request a single page or less. Remember: as hard as it will be to distill all your hard work into that minimal space, it’s crucial to keep your synopsis digestible and agent-friendly.

How to write a novel synopsis in 4 steps

1. Get the basics down first

When it comes to writing a synopsis, substance is the name of the game. No matter how nicely you dress it up, an agent will disregard any piece that doesn’t demonstrate a fully fleshed out plot and strong narrative arc. So it stands to reason that as you begin writing, you should focus on the fundamentals.

Start with major plot points

Naturally, you want agents to be aware of your story's plot . So the best way to start summarizing your story is to create a list of those plot points, including:

• The inciting incident — what sparks the central conflict of your story?
• The events of the rising action — what happens in the interlude between the inciting incident and the climax, and how does this build tension ?
• The height of the action, or climax , of your story — this one is the most important, as it should be the most exciting part of your book !
• The resolution or ending — again, unlike a blurb, a synopsis doesn’t need to dangle the carrot of an unknown ending to the reader; you can and should reveal your story’s ending here, as this brings the plot and narrative arc to a close.

Listing these points effectively maps out the action and arc of your story, which will enable the reader to easily follow it from beginning to end.

Include character motivations

The key here is not to get too deep into characterization, since you don’t have much room to elaborate. Instead, simply emphasize character goals and motivations at the beginning and end of your synopsis — first as justification for the inciting incident, then again to bring home the resolution. For example:

Beginning: “Sally has spent the past twenty years wondering who her birth parents are [motivation]. When a mysterious man offers her the chance to find them, she spontaneously buys a ticket to Florence to begin her journey [inciting action].”

Ending: “She returns to the US with the man who was her father all along [resolution], safe in the knowledge that she’ll never have to wonder about him again [restated motivation].”

Also note how the text here is written in third person, present tense, as it should be regardless of the tense or POV of your actual book. Writing a synopsis in first or second person doesn’t really work because it’s not meant to be narrated — just summarized. Basically, the present tense works to engage the reader while the third person allows the story to be told smoothly.

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2. Highlight what’s unique

Now it’s time to spice up your synopsis by highlighting the elements that make it unique. Agents need to know what’s so special about your book in particular — and moreover, is it special enough to get readers to pick it up? Below are some features you might employ to grab an agent’s attention and assure them of your book’s appeal.

Your writing voice is an essential tool here: it conveys your novel’s tone and is one of the most important factors in making your work stand out. However, it’s also one of the most difficult elements to evoke in such a small amount of space.

The best way to capture voice in a synopsis is through extremely deliberate word choice and sentence structure. So if you were Jane Austen, you’d use clever words to magnify your wit: “When Darcy proposes to her apropos of nothing, Elizabeth has the quite understandable reaction of rejecting him.” You may not be able to use all the elaborate prose of your novel, but your synopsis should still reflect its overall feeling.

Plot twists

Even though they’re one of the oldest tricks in the book, readers will never tire of juicy plot twists. If your novel contains one or more of these twists, especially at the climax, make sure your synopsis accentuates it. But don’t hint too much at the twist, as this will make it seem more dramatic when it comes; a couple of words in the intro will suffice as foreshadowing.

For instance, if you were writing a summary of Gone Girl , you might open with “Nick Dunne wakes up one morning to find that his wife, Amy, has apparently disappeared. ” This implies that she may not be as “gone” as we think she is, setting the stage for the later reveal.

Point of view

Another aspect that might set your book apart is a distinctive point of view . Since you’ll be giving your synopsis in third person, you can limit this inclusion to an introductory sentence: “This book is narrated from the point of view of a mouse.”

Although this strategy works best for books with a highly unusual point of view (such as The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, in which the story is told by Death), it can also be very helpful to remember for seemingly bog-standard narrators. If one of your characters narrates in first person, make sure to address their individual narrative quirks as well as any biases or limitations; highlighting a narrator who's not the most reliable  can really add to your novel’s intrigue!

3. Edit for clarity and excess

Don’t shroud your synopsis in mystery; this is very frustrating to agents who just want to know what happens in your book! With that in mind, after you’ve written the bulk of your summary, it’s time to edit for clarity. You also may have to delete some text, so you can get it right in that couple-page sweet spot.

Editing for clarity

The paramount rule of synopses is a real doozy: tell, don’t show. It’s the opposite of that classic adage that writers have heard their whole lives, and it’s exactly what you need to write a successful synopsis. 

As you return to what you’ve written, scan for sentences that are vague or unclear, especially toward the beginning. Many writers fall into the trap of trying to hook agents by opening with a sentence akin to the first murky line of a literary novel. Again, though you do want your intro to be intriguing, it has to cut to the chase pretty quickly.

When it comes to opening a synopsis, you need to think like Tolkien, not Tolstoy. “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” Crisp, clear, and to the point: one of the very few times you should tell, rather than show.

Editing excess words

If your synopsis is longer than a couple of pages at this point, you need make some serious cutbacks. Read through what you have, scrutinizing every sentence and word, even if you think you’ve chosen them carefully. Reduce any run-on sentences or subordinate clauses that unnecessarily lengthen your piece.

Finally, eliminate irrelevant details — anything that doesn’t lead to the next plot point or directly contribute to your voice or other distinctive elements. It’s unlikely you’ll have included any of these in the first place, but just in case they’ve slipped through, cut them. Save the frills for your book; remember, your synopsis is all about substance .

4. Make sure it flows

By the time it’s finished, your synopsis should read like a summary from an excellent book review — or at the very least SparkNotes or Shmoop. This means not only clearly and concisely hitting every important point, but also reading in a smooth manner, placing just the right amount of emphasis on the critical moments and unique aspects we’ve discussed.

Get test readers

A great way to ensure that your synopsis is paced precisely and flows well is to give it to test readers, either someone you know or a professional editor . You’ve spent way too much time with these words to be objective about them, so pay attention to what other people suggest: possible word substitutions, transitions, and which details to emphasize versus delete.

Use professional synopses as models

You don’t want to look at examples of other synopses too soon, otherwise yours will come out sounding formulaic and stale. That said, professional synopses can be a very valuable tool for refining toward the end of the process! Compare and contrast them to the synopsis you’ve written, and adapt any techniques or turns of phrase you feel would enhance it.

Here’s an example of a strong (albeit brief) synopsis of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens , courtesy of the Oxford Companion to English Literature:

Phillip Pirrip, more commonly known as “Pip,” has been brought up by his tyrannical sister, wife of the gentle Joe Gargery. He is introduced to the house of Miss Havisham who, half-crazed by the desertion of her lover on her bridal night, has brought up the girl Estella to use her beauty as a means of torturing men. Pip falls in love with Estella and aspires to become a gentleman.

Money and expectations of more wealth come to him from a mysterious source, which he believes to be Miss Havisham. He goes to London, and in his new mode of life meanly abandons the devoted Joe Gargery, a humble connection of whom he is now ashamed.

Misfortunes come upon him. His benefactor proves to be an escaped convict, Abel Magwich, whom he as a boy had helped. Pip’s great expectations fade away and he is penniless. Estella meanwhile marries his sulky enemy Bentley Drummle, by whom she is cruelly ill treated.

In the end, taught by adversity, Pip returns to Joe Gargery and honest labor. He and Estella, who has also learnt her lesson, are finally reunited.

This synopsis works well because it includes:

• The inciting incident (Pip moving in with Miss Havisham), the rising action (him being in London), the climax (returning to Joe Gargery), and the resolution (reuniting with Estella)
• Character motivations (Miss Havisham wants to punish all men because her fiancé betrayed her; Pip wants to become a gentleman so Estella will fall in love with him)
• A plot twist (Pip’s benefactor being a criminal — whom he knows from his childhood!)
• Distinctive voice (formal yet engaging, doesn’t detract from the plot) and smoothly written style (events are chronological and progress quickly)

Your synopsis is one of the biggest deciding factors in whether an agent wants to see more from you or not. No matter how chipper your query letter , the bottom line is that this summary tells agents (and later publishers) what they really need to know: what your book is about, what makes it unique, and most importantly, if they can sell it. 

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That’s why it’s vital that you make your synopsis airtight. Fortunately, if you’ve followed these steps, yours will be chock full of plot details with a touch of your own special writing sauce: a synopsis that any agent (hopefully) won’t be able to resist. 

Many thanks to Reedsy editors (and former agents) Sam Brody and Rachel Stout  for consulting on this piece!

Do you have any tips for writing an irresistible synopsis? Leave them in the comments below!

2 responses

Elizabeth Westra says:

12/09/2018 – 22:10

This looks interesting, and I will read every word, but this would be different for a picture book. You only get one page to query for many children's books.

Dorothy Potter Snyder says:

14/10/2018 – 20:11

I am curious if anyone has ideas on how translators can write a synopsis for agents / publishers of works in translation? Might there be something about why this author is important in his/her country of origin and literary tradition? Which authors more known to English language readers might relate to this author (they've never heard of before)?

Comments are currently closed.

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If you’re ready to pitch your book to literary agents, you’ll need a book proposal , a query letter , an edited manuscript , and definitely, a book synopsis! The book synopsis gives an outline of your novel to the agent. It’s a great way to quickly grasp what the book is about.

Your novel synopsis has to be precise and professional to gain the literary agent’s attention. Don’t worry, it’s not as difficult as it sounds and of course, we are going to help you in writing a book synopsis. In this guide, we will learn how to write a book synopsis with detailed steps and useful examples.

Polish your book synopsis to perfection! Get started

So let’s jump right into it and understand what is a synopsis of a book!

What is a book synopsis?

A book synopsis is a brief summary that encapsulates the main points, characters, and narrative arc of a book. It serves as an overview, giving readers a clear idea of what the book is about without divulging every detail or plot twist. Think of it as a concise book summary or novel outline , highlighting the primary events and character developments , and typically ending with an indication of the book’s resolution.

The goal of a novel synopsis is to convey the spirit and flow of the narrative. So, if a reader is curious about a book but doesn’t have the time to read it cover to cover, they can just check out its synopsis!

To understand what is the synopsis of a book better, we will also explore a few novel synopsis examples as we go ahead in the article. Let us first look at the length and format for writing a book synopsis.

Book synopsis length and format

Precision and clarity are key when it comes to the length and format of a book synopsis. Here are some guidelines to help you nail it:

Ideal length

Generally, a book synopsis should be about 1-2 pages long consisting of 400 – 800 words. This is enough space to convey your story’s essence without overwhelming the reader with details.

Formatting tips

Font and size: Use a standard, readable book font size and font like Times New Roman or Arial, in 12-point size.

Spacing and margins: Double-space your text and maintain standard one-inch margins. This makes your synopsis easy to read and aesthetically pleasing.

Paragraph structure: Use paragraphs to separate major sections or shifts in your plot. This enhances readability.

Adherence to guidelines: If you’re submitting to a book publishing company or for an academic assignment, always check if there are specific guidelines for the synopsis format. Tailoring your synopsis to these requirements shows professionalism and attention to detail.

Tips for Balancing Detail and Brevity:

• Focus on the major plot points and character developments.
• Keep your language clear and concise.
• Avoid subplots unless they are crucial to understanding the main plot.

A guided book synopsis length and format can help you in getting to know how to write a synopsis for a novel.

How to write a book synopsis

Here are a few steps on how to write a synopsis for a book:

• Start with a strong opening: Begin by introducing the main character and the core story conflict or premise of the book. This sets the stage for what’s to come. Introduce the main character in a way that captures their unique personality, motivations, and challenges, giving readers a compelling reason to connect with them emotionally. 
• Include main characters and plot points: Briefly introduce key characters and outline the primary plot points. Remember, the goal is to give a clear idea of the story’s progression without getting bogged down in details. Incorporate character names, roles, and their initial motivations to help readers establish an emotional connection with the story’s protagonists. Provide a concise overview of the central conflicts and turning points to ensure the reader anticipates the journey ahead without revealing all the plot’s surprises.
• Show the character development and story arc: Illustrate how your characters evolve throughout the story. Highlight the challenges they face and how these shape the narrative. Showcasing character development is crucial as it adds depth to your story. Readers connect with characters who grow and change over time, and the challenges they encounter provide opportunities to explore different facets of their personalities and drive the plot forward.
• End with an impactful conclusion: Unlike a book blurb , a synopsis should reveal the ending. This gives readers a complete view of the story arc. However, you should be cautious not to provide excessive detail in the synopsis, aiming to convey the resolution without divulging every plot twist, leaving room for readers to enjoy the journey of discovering the finer narrative nuances within the book itself.
• Get feedback: You should not submit your first synopsis draft to an agent before getting it read by an alpha reader or a beta reader first. Get feedback from them and incorporate the required changes in your book synopsis.

By adhering to these guidelines on how to write a novel synopsis, you’ll be able to craft a synopsis that captures the essence of your book and interests your readers.

Book synopsis examples

To illustrate how to craft a compelling synopsis, let’s look at a couple of short novel synopsis examples:

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a poignant tale set in the Deep South during the 1930s. It explores themes of racial injustice and moral growth through the eyes of young Scout Finch. As her father, Atticus Finch defends a black man wrongly accused of a crime, Scout and her brother Jem grapple with the harsh realities of prejudice and the complexities of human nature in their small town. The novel is celebrated for its warmth, humor, and unflinching examination of difficult societal issues.

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic novel set in the Roaring Twenties. It tells the story of the enigmatic Jay Gatsby, a wealthy and mysterious man who is famous for his lavish parties. Gatsby is driven by his love for Daisy Buchanan, a beautiful woman married to the wealthy but unfaithful Tom. The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, Gatsby’s neighbor, who witnesses the drama and tragedy of Gatsby’s obsession with reclaiming a lost love. The novel explores themes of decadence, idealism, and the American Dream.

These real-world book synopsis examples serve as excellent guides for writing a novel synopsis.

Alright, so we’ve journeyed through the nuts and bolts of writing the synopsis of the book. Whether you’re a student summarizing your favorite novel or a writer pitching to a publisher, remember that every great book synopsis starts from scratch. So, go ahead, and give it a shot. Play around with your words, keep it simple, and before you know it, you’ll have a synopsis that shines.

You can always get help from a professional editing and proofreading services company that also provides book marketing services, like PaperTrue. Who knows, your synopsis might just be the ticket to your next big opportunity!

Here are some helpful and interesting articles for you:

• Top 10 Best Print-on-Demand Book Companies in 2024
• How to Write a Book Report | Steps, Examples & Free Template

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a book synopsis be, what should be included in a book synopsis, what is the difference between a book synopsis and a book summary, are there different types of synopsis.

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• When & How to Write a Synopsis

I. What is a Synopsis?

A synopsis is a brief summary that gives audiences an idea of what a composition is about. It provides an overview of the storyline or main points and other defining factors of the work, which may include style, genre, persons or characters of note, setting, and so on. We write synopses for all kinds of things—any type of fiction or nonfiction book, academic papers, journal and newspaper articles, films, TV shows, and video games, just to name a few!

The amount of detail and information revealed in a synopsis depends on its purpose. For instance, authors often need to provide a lengthy synopsis when proposing a book, article, or work to potential publishers or editors —in that case, a synopsis will include a full plot overview (which includes revealing the ending), signs of character progression, detailed explanation of theme and tone, and so on. This article will mainly focus on the short synopses you see every day on websites and other media outlets.

II. Example of a Synopsis

Here’s an example of a short synopsis of the story of Jack and Jill:

Jack and Jill is the story of a boy and a girl who went up a hill together. They went to fetch a pail of water, but unfortunately, their plan is disrupted when Jack falls and hits his head, and rolls back down the hill. Then, Jill falls too, and comes tumbling down after Jack.

As you can see, the synopsis outlines what happens in the story. It introduces the main characters and the main plot points without being overly detailed or wordy.

III. Importance of Synopses

Synopses are extremely valuable and necessary pieces of writing for authors, film makers, TV producers, academic writers, and many others.

• On one level, it’s what actually helps a book get published or a film or TV series get made—a successful, well-written synopsis can convince the person in charge of publication or production to bring a work to life
• On the other hand, synopses grab the attention of potential audiences and can convince them to read, watch, or listen
• Also, they help researchers find what they are looking for and decide if a piece is relevant to their field

Without them, audiences and readers would never know what something was about before reading or viewing it! Thus, the importance of synopses is twofold: it both helps works get made and then helps them reach the right audiences.

IV. Examples of Synopses in Literature

Example 1: synopsis of a novel.

When we want to choose a novel, it’s a common practice to read a synopsis of what it’s about. A short synopsis will give us just enough details to draw readers in and hopefully convince them to read the book! Here’s a brief synopsis from Cliff’s Notes of The Hunger Games :

In Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, the Capitol forces each of Panem’s 12 districts to choose two teenagers to participate in the Hunger Games, a gruesome, televised fight to the death. In the 12th district, Katniss Everdeen steps in for her little sister and enters the Games, where she is torn between her feelings for her hunting partner, Gale Hawthorne, and the district’s other tribute, Peeta Mellark, even as she fights to stay alive. The Hunger Games will change Katniss’ life forever, but her acts of humanity and defiance might just change the Games, too.

Example 2: Synopsis of an Academic Paper

Sometimes, teachers, professors, publications, or editors want a synopsis of an academic paper, lecture, or article, which is more formally called an abstract (See Related Terms ). Like with a work of fiction, it gives a summary of the main points of the papers or article and provides a snapshot of what issues will be discussed. Synopses of these types of work are particularly important for scholars and anyone doing research, because when searching, they need to be able to know what an article is about and whether it is relevant to their work.

During his career, J.R.R. Tolkien gave a lecture on the classic Beowulf , which became one of the most respected and most-consulted academic sources on the poem to date. Here is a synopsis:

Before Tolkien, general scholarly opinion held…that while the poem might after all be unified, it was nevertheless unfortunate that the poet had chosen to tell stories about a hero, ogres, and a dragon, instead of detailing the wars in the North to which he often provocatively alludes. Tolkien’s lecture strongly and sometimes ironically defends the poet’s decision and the poem itself. The poet had every right to choose fantasy rather than history as his subject; in doing so he universalized his theme; his many allusions to events not recounted gave his work depth; most of all, the poem offered a kind of negotiation between the poet’s own firmly Christian world and the world of his pagan ancestors, on whom he looked back with admiration and pity.

This synopsis shares the main focus of Tolkien’s famous lecture and outlines its purpose for those who may be interested in it and can benefit from his research.

V. Examples of Synopses in Popular Culture

Example 1: synopsis of a tv series.

Giving the audience a written preview of a subject or storyline is a standard practice for TV producers. Before the series Gotham premiered, Warner Brothers released a detailed synopsis of exactly what the show would be about, which was particularly important because the audience would want to know how it would be placed amongst other Batman storylines. Here is a selection from its official synopsis:

Gotham is the origin story of the great DC Comics Super- Villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer/writer Bruno Heller (The Mentalist, Rome), this one-hour drama follows one cop’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city teetering on the edge of evil and chronicles the genesis of one of the most popular super heroes of our time. Brave, earnest and eager to prove himself, the newly minted detective Gordon (Ben McKenzie) is partnered with the brash, but shrewd police legend Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), as the two stumble upon the city’s highest-profile case ever: the murder of local billionaires Thomas and Martha Wayne.

This is only one piece of the synopsis provided by Warner Brothers, but it’s a good sample of the bigger picture. It introduces the main theme and major characters, giving us a taste of what the series has in store.

Example 2: Synopsis of a Film

The job of a film synopsis is to build excitement and anticipation in the audience. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a long-awaited addition to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter universe and the release of this synopsis and trailer was big news in the world of popular culture. Here’s the synopsis:

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident…were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

When a new film is announced, producers usually release a written synopsis like this, as well as an official trailer. Truly, a movie trailer is just a visual form of a synopses. But, a trailer builds even more anticipation in the audience than a written summary, because it gives a true peek at what will unfold on screen.

VI. Related Terms

An abstract is a brief summary of a scholarly work. It does the same things as a synopsis, but goes by a different term—“synopsis” is the preferred term for creative writing, films, and television, “while abstract” is the preferred term for formal or academic works. Overall, they have the same purpose.

An outline is shorter, less defined plan of what you’re going to include in a piece of writing. It’s usually written in the brainstorming phase, and just “outlines” general things that the work will include, and may change as you get farther in your work. An outline comes before a work is written, and a synopsis is written after a work is complete.

VII. Conclusion

In conclusion, synopses are useful summaries that are written for the benefit of a potential reader or audience. It gives an overview and a “sneak peek” at a work, which lets them choose things that are interesting or useful to them personally and/or professionally.

List of Terms

• Alliteration
• Amplification
• Anachronism
• Anthropomorphism
• Antonomasia
• APA Citation
• Aposiopesis
• Autobiography
• Bildungsroman
• Characterization
• Circumlocution
• Cliffhanger
• Comic Relief
• Connotation
• Deus ex machina
• Deuteragonist
• Doppelganger
• Double Entendre
• Dramatic irony
• Equivocation
• Extended Metaphor
• Figures of Speech
• Flash-forward
• Foreshadowing
• Intertextuality
• Juxtaposition
• Literary Device
• Malapropism
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Point of View
• Polysyndeton
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Rhetorical Device
• Rhetorical Question
• Science Fiction
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Synesthesia
• Turning Point
• Understatement
• Urban Legend
• Verisimilitude
• Essay Guide
• Cite This Website

How to write a great book synopsis

• A synopsis is important even if you’re self-publishing. Your synopsis allows you to see problems with your plot and characters so you can fix them before your book hits the market.
• A book synopsis should be between 500 and 800 words. This works out at approximately 1 single-spaced page in a standard 12pt font.
• Your synopsis should include 5 key elements. This includes the premise, a main plot and subplot overview, your main characters, and an implicit outline of the appeal of your book.

Writing a book synopsis is notoriously tricky for authors. Synopsis writing is generally much drier and less creative than novel writing - and it’s never going to be easy to condense a 90,000 word novel into 500 words. That’s why it’s important to understand how to write a book synopsis that’s concise, compelling, and follows convention.

Nearly all editors, agents, and publishers request a synopsis for your book when you submit your work to them. Self-published authors can also benefit from writing a novel synopsis - it helps you spot plot holes, structural issues, and underdeveloped characters, and identify the key selling points of your book for your marketing campaign.

Use this guide to writing a book synopsis to help you plan, structure, and write a great book summary.

Let's define what book synopsis is

A book synopsis is a summary of your novel from start to finish. It includes an outline of the main plot, your primary characters, any subplots and plot twists, and what happens at the end.

Many new authors baulk at giving away their carefully crafted ending, but there’s no need to worry - your book synopsis isn’t going to be published. After all, it’s not exactly in agents’ or publishers’ interests to spoil the ending of a book for readers. Instead, they’ll read your synopsis to help decide whether they think your book will sell, and whether to represent you as an author.

The synopsis has a very important role

For authors pursuing traditional publishing, the purpose of your book synopsis is to sell your novel to an agent or publisher. Before they request your full manuscript, they want to know exactly what happens in your book - which is where your novel synopsis comes in.

If you’re planning on self-publishing your book , your synopsis is a tool for laying out the saleability and structure of your novel. By writing a synopsis, you can see which plot points are unwieldy, and which characters are underdeveloped, so you can fix these things before your book hits the market.

The difference between a plot summary and a synopsis

A plot synopsis is a type of plot summary. There are also other types of book summary, each of which has a different function in the publication of your book. The most common book summary types include:

• Synopsis - Your synopsis is a summary of all the major plot points, including the ending. This is used to sell your book to agents or publishers, or to cast a critical eye over your book content.
• Blurb - A blurb is typically found on the back page or dust jacket of your book. The blurb should sell the book to potential readers, offering teasers and plot potential, without giving too much away.
• Elevator pitch - Your elevator pitch is a sharp one-liner that captures the essence of your book in a compelling way. It should make the reader want to find out more.

There’s a lot of literary jargon around book summaries, which can make it difficult to pinpoint exactly what you need to write in your synopsis. Below, you’ll learn what you need to include in your book synopsis.

How long should a book synopsis be?

It’s generally agreed that a book synopsis should be between 500 and 800 words. This works out at approximately 1 single-spaced page in a standard 12pt font.

Many agents will have specific guidelines you need to follow in terms of synopsis word count, so tailor your submission for each agent. This could mean you need a synopsis that’s 500 words, and one that’s 700 words. The extra work will pay off - you’re way more likely to get a response from an agent if you’ve read and met their submission requirements.

What should a book synopsis include?

There are 5 key elements that every book synopsis should include:

1. The premise of your book

Your book’s premise comprises your overarching theme, setting, and conflict, forming a great hook designed to keep readers engaged.

2. A direct overview of the main plot

Go back to basics here. Show that your plot has all the key story elements in your novel synopsis, including an inciting incident, a climax, and a satisfying ending.

3. An introduction to your main characters

Make the reader care about your characters by offering compelling character motivations.

4. An outline of your major subplots

Your subplots probably converge with the main plot at some point, so it makes sense to include them in your book synopsis.

5. An implicit understanding of the appeal of your book

Synopses are notoriously dry - but if you care about your story, this should shine through in your book summary. Demonstrate why others will care about your book, too.

What tense should a book synopsis be written in?

Your book synopsis should be written in the present tense and the third person - even if your book isn’t. This automatically helps you write your synopsis in an appropriate, professional tone, without hyperbole or bias.

What is the format of a synopsis?

As well as using a standard tense and perspective, most book synopses follow a similar format. Here’s how you should structure your novel synopsis, including book synopsis examples from famous published works.

1. The premise

The premise is similar to your elevator pitch - the key piece of intrigue that makes the reader want to find out more. This opening line from the synopsis of Michelle Zink’s Prophecy Of The Sisters includes a fascinating hook: ‍

Sixteen-year-old Lia Milthorpe’s life is in danger from the person she loves most – her twin sister. ‍

Zink manages to introduce the main characters, a sense of peril, and a key area of conflict in a single line. It’s a great way to open the synopsis.

2. The plot

Don’t dilly-dally - when you’ve set the premise, dive straight into the plot of your book. This will form the bulk of your word count. You can find out how to write an expert plot summary below. In the meantime, take a look at this extract from J.K. Rowling’s synopsis for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone .

Harry Potter lives with his aunt, uncle and cousin because his parents died in a car crash - or so he has always been told. The Dursleys don’t like Harry asking questions; in fact, they don’t seem to like anything about him, especially the very odd things that keep happening around him (which Harry himself can’t explain).

The Dursleys’ greatest fear is that Harry will discover the truth about himself, so when letters start arriving for him near his eleventh birthday, he isn’t allowed to read them. However, the Dursleys aren’t dealing with an ordinary postman, and at midnight on Harry’s birthday the gigantic Rubeus Hagrid breaks down the door to make sure Harry gets to read his post at last.‍

Rowling splits her paragraphs into plot points. The first paragraph outlines the status quo - Harry’s unhappy home life - while the second goes on to state the inciting incident: Harry’s invitation to attend Hogwarts. Structuring your synopsis in this way is a great tactic for ensuring you don’t stray too far from the main arc of your story.

3. The ending

Spell out exactly what happens at the end of your book - your synopsis is no place for a cliffhanger. If you’ve chosen to leave your book open-ended, reflect this in your synopsis.

Here’s an example of a synopsis ending for Cinderella , written by literary agent Janet Reid: ‍

The heartbroken prince travels the kingdom to determine which lady fits the glass slipper. Her stepmother locks Cinderella in the attic but her mouse friends help her escape. The glass slipper fits her, and Cinderella and the prince live happily ever after. ‍

Reid removes the sense of anguish, fear, and ultimate relief that comes with the climax and resolution of Cinderella. Synopses are often deadpan and unemotive, so don’t be afraid to be forthright about the ending of your story.

How to write a book synopsis

It’s time to get writing. Follow these steps on how to write a plot synopsis to write a succinct, professional summary of your novel.

1. Write a single sentence for each major plot point

If you started your book with an outline, this will come in handy here. Using the following prompts, write one sentence for each of these points in your book:

• Inciting incident
• Plot action

Some writers mark the timeline of the story or map out the events to help them stay on track. Try to keep your word count below 300 words. This gives you leeway to fill in extra detail later.

2. Check on your characters

You’ve probably introduced all the characters you need to include in your synopsis in the 5 sentences you just wrote. That said, you may not have given enough detail about their motives or personalities to make your synopsis sing.

Note down any crucial character points you need to include, but be frugal with the details. Extraneous backstories are a waste of words in your synopsis, so don’t let your personal connection with your characters get the better of you here. Only include information that’s relevant to the plot.

3. Join the dots

Now you have a strong idea of the key plot points and character motivations you need to include, it’s time to craft the synopsis.

Build up your outline into a synopsis by filling in the gaps that will help the reader make the leap from one plot point to the next. If your story is solid, it will more or less tell itself at this stage - your job is to make it sound compelling. Don’t worry if your first draft is too long or a little messy.

4. Come back to it later

You wouldn’t submit your first draft of your novel to an agent - so you shouldn’t submit your synopsis first draft, either. Let it sit for a few days so you can get some distance from your work. When you come back to it, read it with a critical eye. Check it explores each of the elements in the section above. Perhaps most importantly, check it meets the word count and formatting requirements set by the agent.

5. Get feedback on your synopsis

Seeking peer feedback on your book synopsis is a great way to learn what works in a plot summary from other writers. If you can, find writers who have had their synopses accepted by agents or publishers and pick their brains about what worked well for them.

Some agents will also offer feedback on your synopsis if they think it has potential. This is invaluable, so take any of their comments on board.

Tips for writing a great book synopsis

Here are our top tips for writing the best possible book synopsis:

• Be concise — Cut the fluff from your synopsis and keep your writing to the point, while maintaining your natural writing style. Agents don’t have time to wade through reams of description to find out what actually happens in your book.
• Use action rather than description to portray characters — Instead of saying, “The doctor is kind and selfless”, use action to characterise your characters: “The doctor does everything she can to save him.”
• Weave subplot points through the synopsis — Connect the dots of your main plot and subplot points seamlessly to avoid jarring character introductions or plot twists.
• Write a second, third, and fourth draft — Your book synopsis can make or break your relationship with a literary agent, so it’s worth taking the time to get it right. Write multiple drafts until you’re happy it’s ready to send out.

Common mistakes to avoid in your book synopsis

Avoid these common errors in your synopsis to keep your summary well-structured and easy to read:

• Muddying your narrative structure — The spine of your story is really important in your synopsis, so don’t compromise this with extra detail or flowery descriptions.
• Giving too much detail — There are sure to be little details you love and want to include in your synopsis, but try to keep your summary top-level.
• Introducing too many minor characters — We only need to meet your key characters in the synopsis, so keep the rest under wraps (this will help you keep your word count down, too).
• Ignoring formatting requirements — It’s really important to stick to the requirements set out by the publisher or agent you’re submitting to. Triple check these before you click send.

Submitting your synopsis

Now you know how to write a book synopsis, you can start submitting your synopsis and query letter to agents. Before you hit send, double check the requirements from each agent to check you’re sending them what they want to see. You’re sure to increase your response rates - and maybe even receive a couple of manuscript requests. While you're at it, you should also start thinking about your author bio !

Alternatively, if you’re thinking of self-publishing, check out our advice for self-published authors . You’ll find tons of useful guides for writing and marketing your new novel.

Advice from a published writer

Alex Fisher , "Seadogs and Criminals"

Like the author bio, keep it short and sweet. It’s basically an invitation into your book. Describe the essential points and direction of the story without giving too much away. Introduce the main character, the plot, the motive/goal and finish with a question (if that works) and that’s all you need.

Dangle the story in front of the potential reader with enough information to grip them and ignite their curiosity, hook them in and make them want to know what this is all about, make them want to read on, without waffling. Too much information and you’ve lost them; the reader is smart and wants to discover the story for themselves in their own way. Keep it snappy, between 100 to 200 words. Be lethal.

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Publishing industry ,

How to write a novel synopsis (with an example).

By Harry Bingham

Including a template for you to follow and a working example

When you approach literary agents, you will need to present them with a submission package that includes a query letter, a sample of your manuscript and, of course, a synopsis. If you’re asking yourself how to write the synopsis, you should know it will need to look professional – that is, it wants to follow a proper synopsis format – and it needs to do its job, of convincing a literary agent that your story sounds exciting.

That’s not actually hard to achieve, and this post will tell you exactly how to write a novel synopsis. We’ll reveal the two huge tricks that make your life easy as a synopsis writer… and give you an example of a novel synopsis too, so you can understand exactly how to put the rules into practice.

Sounds good? Let’s jump right in.

How To Write A Novel Synopsis

What is the synopsis? A synopsis is a 500-800 word summary of your book that forms part of your agent submission pack. It should outline your plot in neutral non-salesy language and demonstrate a clear narrative arc. Every character, any big turning point or climactic scene, and all plot twists should get a mention. But lets go into the definition in more detail.

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Definition: What Is A Synopsis?

A synopsis is:

• A short summary of your story, in its entirety, from beginning to end, soup to nuts, nose to tail.
• Written in fairly neutral, non-salesy language.
• Follows the same broad structure as your novel. So if, for example, you have a novel with two intertwining time-strands, your synopsis would follow the order of events  as presented in the novel . Your novel’s structure trumps any chronological issues.
• Probably about 500-800 words in length, but agents’ requirements differ, so do check against each agent’s submission requirements.

What Is The Difference Between A Synopsis And A Blurb?

• A good synopsis is not like the text on the back jacket of a book. Those book blurbs are much shorter and normally offer only a teaser, rather than a full rundown of the book’s story.
• For the same reason, a novel synopsis is not the same as an Amazon-style book description.

In fact, a book synopsis is what you think it is. A 500-word long spoiler for your entire novel. Every major plot twist. Every major character. Any big turning point. Your big climactic scenes. They’re all there, briefly, succinctly and (yes) a little drily narrated.

Oh yes: and some good news –

If you can write a novel, then you can definitely write a synopsis. Writing a synopsis is a lot, lot easier than writing a whole damn novel, so don’t stress. You should be able to put together your synopsis in a morning – and still have time for a stroll before lunch.

Purpose: What Is A Synopsis for?

I just said that a book synopsis is kinda dry – and it is. In fact, I doubt if anyone has ever enjoyed reading one. It’s just not that entertaining.

So if it’s not for fun – why have it? What is the synopsis of a book for, and why do almost all literary agents ask for one?

OK, so this is how it works:

Most literary agents will look at your covering letter first, then turn to the manuscript. If they like the first three chapters, they’ll be thinking, “This looks great, but is it going to hold interest? Is it worth making that investment of time to read it all?”

That’s where the synopsis comes in.

Your book synopsis is there to outline your plot and to demonstrate a clear story arc, a satisfying ending.  It’s your tool to make someone read on .

That’s why your synopsis needs to:

• Tell an agent directly and clearly what your  plot  is – it needs to give a clear picture of the narrative arc;
• Clearly identify your main characters – and at least hint at any major character development arcs;
• Make clear what your  hook, premise or elevator pitch  is;
• Demonstrate implicitly its appeal and how plot momentum increases;
• Share an ending that feels satisfying.

If your synopsis achieves all that – and your  query letter  and manuscript sample is up to scratch – the agent will ask you for the full manuscript. They can’t not. You’ve got them hooked.

Synopsis: Length, Tone, Format

The format of a wonderful synopsis has the following ingredients:

Your synopsis should be about 500 words (but check agency requirements – they can be quite variable). There’s a lot of advice around suggesting that your synopsis should run to no more than one page. We think that’s on the low side. Most good synopses we see run to two nicely formatted pages (ie: reasonable line spacing, normal margins and a sensible font.)

Be business-like; clear, to the point, neutral. In particular, it’s fine to  tell  not  show : this is a business document, not the novel itself.

Presentation

Be well-presented with no typos or spelling mistakes. Use normal fonts, normal margins, and line spacing no narrower than 1.5. It’s fine if your synopsis runs to two pages, but (unless an agent specifically asks for more), don’t run to more than that.

Character Names

Put the names of main characters in  bold  or CAPS when you first introduce them. That makes the synopsis easier to navigate.

Character Thumbnails

As well as highlighting your characters names, you should give a swift resume of who they are, on first introduction. So for example: “ James Bond , (38), a British agent – handsome, cruel, seductive, and high-living – …”. Note that you can insert age in brackets without having to say your protagonist “is thirty-eight years old.” Save that word count!

Extra Points

If you have a compelling way to ‘sell’ your story in 2-3 lines maximum, you could insert that little snippet up at the top of your synopsis.

Third Person Presentation

Even if your novel is narrated in the first person, your synopsis should be written in the third person. So (to pick one of my own first person detective novels for example), I wouldn’t write “I am a police constable in South Wales …”, but rather, “Fiona Griffiths is a police constable, based in South Wales…” You can instantly see how much more professional the third person sounds to the reader, right?

Your novel synopsis should be written in the present tense, so that the agent feels connected to the story and like they’re experiencing its events in real time.

Please don’t call your file  synopsis.doc . That works fine for you on your computer – but the agent probably has 100 files from writers with that exact filename. So help the agent out. Your file should be in the format title-synopsis. So:  farewell-to-arms-synopsis.doc , for example.

And once again: tell the story. Your job is not to sell the book, write the blurb, or anything else, just say what happens in the story.

How To Write A Synopsis For Your Novel

There are two big tricks in getting your synopsis right.

First, Build Your Synopsis Structure

Don’t take your massive 100,000 word manuscript and try to figure out how to cram all its rich complexity into a 500 word precis.

It can’t be done. You’ll go crazy. Your synopsis will be terrible.

Instead of going from your manuscript and boiling it down,  you need to go from your structure and build up .

That’s the trick. It works every time and it’s awesome. What’s your structure? It’s this:

• Inciting incident
• Rising action/Developments

Without looking at your manuscript, sketch out your plot using those headings in about 300 words. The ‘developments’ section obviously represents the largest portion of your novel, but it may not amount to more than 40-50% of your total word count here.

That’s fine . Missing out excessive detail is exactly the point.  It’s precisely what you’re trying to do. So do it, and don’t fret.

Equally: don’t get into too much detail about character or settings or anything like that. Just focus on the exact mechanics of each plot point for now.

Second only to your novel, these are the most important documents you’ll ever write – so get them sorted fast, easily, and with excellence. You’ll be glad you did.

Second, Layer In Character Details

The second trick is equally simple and equally effective. It’s this:

Layer in information about who your characters are and how the events of the story impact them.

Synopses can feel like rather cold and baffling documents. When they do (and assuming they’re decently written), it’s always because the writer has focused entirely on plot machinery and hasn’t said enough about why it matters to the characters.

But we read books for the characters, so your synopsis has to engage with those emotional aspects too. Remember I gave you only 300 words for the actual plot machinery? The remaining 200 words are where you can express yourself with protagonists, emotions and character arcs.

Example ( Without Character/Emotion Language):

“ As BELLA walks into the class, a fan blows her scent towards a boy, named EDWARD CULLEN. Bella sits next to Edward in biology class on her first day of school. He disappears for a few days, but sees more of Bella upon his return. Bella is then nearly struck by a van in the school parking lot. Edward saves Bella, stopping the van with only his hand. ” (Adapted from the  Wikipedia synopsis  of Twilight)

Example ( With Character/Emotion Language)

“ As BELLA walks into the class, a fan blows her scent towards a mysterious boy named EDWARD CULLEN. Bella sits next to Edward in biology class on her first day of school, but he seems repulsed by her, affecting her feelings in the process. He disappears for a few days, but warms up to Bella upon his return; their newfound relationship is interrupted after Bella is nearly struck by a van in the school parking lot. Edward saves Bella, stopping the van with only his hand. ” (Source: as above)

Do you see how much more engaging the second version is to the reader? Although the text remains quite dry, by including emotional/character-type language in its summary, we have some sense of the real, developing relationship.

Short message: don’t focus so hard on plot mechanics that you forget to layer in emotion.

Writing A Synopsis: Common Mistakes

Here’s what  not  to do.

• Miss the agent’s word count by a mile . If an agent’s website gives you a particular word count to aim for, then deliver that, at least approximately. You may find you need a couple of different versions of the same documents, just because those blooming agents can’t cohere around one set word count. Jeepers. Those guys.
• Go into detail about setting : If you were writing a synopsis for a Jane Austen novel, for example, you might simply say: “This novel is set in a small village in Regency England.” You don’t need more.
• Go into vast detail about character : A few quick strokes are all that you need. (For example: “Ella, an experienced but overconfident assassin (36)…”)
• Be scrupulous about plot detail : It’s fine to skip subplots or ignore some finer details. The truth is, you won’t have time to include those things in a 500-word summary. Agents know that the synopsis is at best an approximation of the story.
• Hide the plot twist : A synopsis is the ultimate plot spoiler, opposite to a blurb, and your job is to reveal all major plot points, whether you like it or not.
• Start telling us about the novel . So, for example, don’t say, “Then the novel picks up the story of Kate and Jacob…”. Say: “Meanwhile, Kate and Jacob…”
• Cram in too many character names . Four or five is the maximum an agent wants to deal with. If you need to refer to other characters, just say, “the CIA agent” or “the beautiful doctor”.
• Forget to put your character names in CAPS or bold . Make it easy for the literary agent!
• Omit the title . Yes, we’ve seen synopses entitled “Synopsis”. Make sure you have both the title of your book and your name up at the top of your document. So your title line might read: A Farewell to Arms : Synopsis”, and beneath that in smaller text you’d have your name – maybe Ernest somebody-or-other.
• Use an unhelpful filename . Your document needs to be yourbooktitle-synopsis.doc.
• Write badly . Yes, a synopsis is a brisk, functional document, and you don’t need to write wonderfully. But you are still a writer trying to sell your work, so don’t allow yourself clumsy or badly expressed sentences.
• Fail to use our incredible Agent Submission Builder . These tools help you structure and write your synopsis and your query letter in a trice. Or even less than that – a dice.  You can get them for free here . Watcha waitin’ for?

If you’re not making those errors, you should be good to go.

If you need help on getting your plot structure right in the first place, then check out these links:  how to plot , more on using  plot outlines , and how to apply the  snowflake method  to your story construction process.

Synopsis: An Example

This is a synopsis example penned by one of our own clients, Tracy Gilpin. The synopsis (and the book) went on to wow a literary agent and secure a book deal.

Synopsis Of Double Cross By Tracy Gilpin

Dunai Marks  discovers the strangled corpse of  Siobhan Craig , an activist who is not only her employer but also a mother figure; Dunai had been abandoned at an orphanage as a baby.

Siobhan was about to present to government the results of a controversial population control model for possible implementation at national level. Dunai believes this is the reason she was murdered.

The investigating officer on the case is instructed by an agent of the National Intelligence Agency to treat the murder as a botched burglary. Although some evidence points in this direction, Dunai believes Siobhan’s murder was work-related, which means she and  Bryan , an American statistician, could be in danger.

She strikes a deal with  Carl , a private investigator. If she is able to find a motive for the murder he will show her how to go about catching the killer.

Dunai discovers Siobhan was blackmailing five people who stood in the way of her pilot project, and was involved with a subversive group of radical feminists called  Cerchio Del Gaia  whose insignia is a double cross.

Dunai and Carl investigate the individuals blackmailed by Siobhan. They include: an anti-abortion activist, the head of an all-male religious fundamentalist group, an Anglican bishop, a member of local government, and a USAID official. One of these suspects was the last person to see Siobhan alive, another is known to have approached a contract killer a month before her murder.

Cerchio Del Gaia  becomes increasingly entangled in both Dunai’s life and the investigation, and she is told that if she joins the group she will have access to information about her birth. The National Intelligence Agency is on a similar tack; if Dunai infiltrates  Cerchio Del Gaia , which they believe is an international terrorist organisation, they will provide her with information about her origins. Dunai turns down both offers and the mystery of her birth and abandonment is eventually revealed by a woman claiming to be Siobhan’s sister, Dunai’s birth mother and the head of the South African chapter of  Cerchio Del Gaia .

Throughout the investigation Dunai has searched for  Mr Bojangles , a schizophrenic vagrant who may have seen the murderer. When she eventually finds him he seems to be of little help, yet it is his ramblings along with another clue that leads to her close friend and colleague, Bryan, who has been wanted by the FBI for twenty years for terrorist activities in the US. Bryan murdered Siobhan after discovering she intended betraying him to the National Intelligence Agency to deflect attention from  Cerchio Del Gaia  and as proof that she abided by the law even when it meant personal sacrifice.

Carl, who is now romantically involved with Dunai, offers to continue her training as an investigator and she agrees to divide her time between this and Siobhan’s NGO.

We suggest using Tracy’s synopsis as a great example for your own synopsis format.

If you need more help writing your synopsis and query letter, we offer an agent submission pack review , which is one of the many  manuscript editing services we provide.

Happy writing – and have fun.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you write a good novel synopsis.

To write a good synopsis, you need to write in the third person; use correct grammar; examine the structure of your novel and include all the main plot points; write in neutral language; include your hook; ensure you stick to the word count; layer in information about your characters; include all spoilers and plot twists; and include your novel’s title.

What Should Be Included In A Novel Synopsis?

A novel synopsis should include: your premise/hook, the overall plot (all of the major plot points), an introduction to your main characters, plot twists and spoilers, and character development arcs.

How Many Words Should A Novel Synopsis Be?

Synopsis lengths can vary- check to see the length the literary agent you’re querying has suggested- but they tend to be around 500 words long.

About the author

Harry has written a variety of books over the years, notching up multiple six-figure deals and relationships with each of the world’s three largest trade publishers. His work has been critically acclaimed across the globe, has been adapted for TV, and is currently the subject of a major new screen deal. He’s also written non-fiction, short stories, and has worked as ghost/editor on a number of exciting projects. Harry also self-publishes some of his work, and loves doing so. His Fiona Griffiths series in particular has done really well in the US, where it’s been self-published since 2015. View his website , his Amazon profile , his Twitter . He's been reviewed in Kirkus, the Boston Globe , USA Today , The Seattle Times , The Washington Post , Library Journal , Publishers Weekly , CulturMag (Germany), Frankfurter Allgemeine , The Daily Mail , The Sunday Times , The Daily Telegraph , The Guardian , and many other places besides. His work has appeared on TV, via Bonafide . And go take a look at what he thinks about Blick Rothenberg . You might also want to watch our " Blick Rothenberg - The Truth " video, if you want to know how badly an accountancy firm can behave.

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How to Write a Synopsis

Updated for 2024.

Hey friends! A lot of people were interested in how to write a book synopsis. I’m not surprised, really—synopsis writing can feel overwhelming.

I read a lot of synopses in my former day job in publishing, and through LuckyAuthor.com , I work with many people to make their synopsis clear and compelling. I’m going to give you my take on how to write a synopsis.

But first, let’s talk about the function of the synopsis! For me, a good synopsis does three things.

A good synopsis convinces me it’s a good story.

It tells me there are engaging characters who have clear motivations for their actions, a well-laid-out plot, enough conflict to keep things interesting, and a satisfying ending.

A word about motivation: the bigger the action, the clearer the motivation needs to be . “On a whim” often doesn’t cut it for big actions, like adopting a tiger for a pet or selling your house and driving an RV across the country.

I should also point out here that I pass on good stories all the time—and I’m not the only one. Our publishing house has a pretty specific vibe. Additionally, editors pass all the time on projects because they just acquired one or two in the same vein. That’s why you should never take a rejection as a sign that you’re a bad writer. There’s an element of luck to this business, and sometimes a rejection has nothing to do with the quality of your writing.

A good synopsis convinces me it’ll be an easy book to sell.

If I think it’s going to be easy to present the book to the salespeople, easy for the salespeople to pitch to retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, and Books a Million, and easy to pitch to consumers through a compelling description on the back cover, then naturally, I’m a lot more interested.

A good synopsis is a useful tool for discussing the story with others.

I need approval to acquire a book, and sometimes I’m talking to producers about the possibility of making the book into a movie. All these people can’t read every book (though the producers do read the whole book if they’re interested), so we use the synopsis.

So as you can see, the dreaded synopsis is, unfortunately, vital.

Here’s what a good synopsis is not : an overview of every single thing that happens in the book.

If the agent or editor asks for a synopsis of 2 to 4 pages, don’t send them a synopsis of 10 pages or more. And yes, it’s annoying that different people ask for different lengths. Try to give them what they want, as much as you can, and if you’re going to err, err on the side of brevity.

My top synopsis writing advice is:

If possible , write the synopsis before you write the book.

In my book Blank Page to Final Draft , I explain how getting upfront feedback on a synopsis helps you identify and fix plot holes and weaknesses before you even write the book. Yes, you’ll still have to revise your synopsis later, because writing will lead you to unexpected twists and turns. But you’ll likely avoid a brutal rewrite of your entire manuscript.

If you’re reading this and you’re thinking, “Well, that’s great and everything, Bryn, but I already wrote the book and I’m trying to figure out how to write a synopsis now,” no worries! Here’s my advice.

1. Start with a one- or two-sentence logline.

That’s right—this is basically a synopsis of the synopsis, haha. But it’s really effective. Here are a few made-up examples:

•A history teacher in Massachusetts is transported back to the Revolutionary War era, where she attempts to shorten the war and save thousands of lives by changing the course of a battle.

•A CIA agent is falsely accused of mishandling information and fired. His personal quest to find out who framed him leads to the discovery of a terrorist plot.

•Zoe, a teenager in the Chicago suburbs, is forced to spend the summer with her grandmother on a farm with spotty WiFi. As she gets involved with her grandma’s quirky quilting circle, a romance with a farmhand, and a state fair scandal, it turns out to be her most exciting summer yet.

2. Introduce each main character and their character arc.

A main character is usually a point of view character. A “character arc” means the way a character grows and changes throughout the story. (For a better understanding of this, you can check out my post on “ What Is a Character Arc ,” which includes examples.)

It can feel corny and overly simplistic to write out a character arc, but doing this will help people understand your story. I’ve written a few treatments for books and movies, and I’ve learned to always do this up front.

Here are examples of how to do this.

•ELIZA MCBRAYER, a thirty-two year-old history teacher who struggles with shyness in the classroom, discovers new depths of courage and daring within herself as she becomes involved in Revolutionary War-era tactics and espionage.

•MARCUS STONE, a CIA agent, always followed orders. After being wrongfully fired and discovering a terrorist plot, he learns that he has a real talent for making the strategic decisions himself.

•ZOE BURROWS, a suburban teenager, loves art and making videos, and is quick to dismiss people and places as “boring.” She learns that all people—and all places—are interesting in their own way.

3. Identify the inciting incident, three or four scenes that are major turning points, and the ending.

Your “inciting incident” is the event that kicks everything into motion.

Your “turning points” are your big scenes that move the story forward and show a progression in your character arcs—in other words, a character is learning, changing, or growing. In a mystery, a turning point might be a major clue (or a major red herring.) In a romance, it’s a scene that brings the characters together—or makes one or both of them pull back. In any genre, it might be a triumph, a heartbreaking loss, or a big decision for one of your characters.

Write out a short description of the inciting incident, these major turning point scenes, and the ending.  (Note: actual lines of dialogue generally don’t belong in a synopsis.) Take more time on the beginning and the ending than anything else.

Now, what if you have this one great scene that’s not really a turning point, but you’re very proud of it because it’s hilarious or just plain cool? Go ahead and put that one in there, too.

4. Now add the connective tissue between the big scenes.

By “connective tissue,” I mean summary that is short on the details. For instance:

•Eliza settles into the boardinghouse, and after a couple of failed attempts, finds a position as a maid.

•By hiring someone to hack into the CIA’s files, Marcus discovers the connection between his former boss and the terrorist cell.

•Zoe is entertained by the quilters’ colorful stories and the next time they meet, she tries her hand at quilting herself.

Now you’ve got a draft of a synopsis.

Congratulations!

If writing a synopsis makes you realize you need to do more revision of your novel—to clarify a character’s motivation, increase the conflict, trim a subplot, or so on—you’re not alone. Don’t feel bad about it! Embrace the insight and the opportunity to make the book better before you send it out.

Otherwise, just get some feedback from others on your synopsis—don’t be shy. Tweak it as necessary. Make an English major who loves you proofread it. And then it’s good to go.

Do you have your own tips for writing a great synopsis? Please share them in the comments! And if you have questions, go ahead and ask those, too—I’ll answer them if I can. Thanks so much for reading, and happy writing!

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29 thoughts on “ how to write a synopsis ”.

I started writing my story as a screenplay after several false starts as a novel, quite a while back. Then I decided to start over and write the synopsis to clear things up in my head (the document I used to plan the screenplay came together through a variety of sources, from some books on writing novels/screenplays, to some courses on MasterClass.com, to guidance on this blog and the Blank Page to Final Draft book I found out about here).

What it then became was this (funny that you used the name Zoe in one example and a fired CIA agent in another your example; it made me want to make a quick reply here 🙂 : “A 33-year-old Korean-American CIA technical officer is booted from the agency due to the onset of a mental disorder, and begins life anew in Boston in pursuit of a business and law degrees as the country descends into unrest due to a pandemic that brings on grave social disorder. With an old friend, they moonlight as entrepreneurs, trying to build a massive door-to-door marijuana and hallucinogen vaping business, while fending off violent rivals and law enforcement.”

And I have gotten feedback from a number of sources, including one set of comments from my wife (who is a Journalism major) and then, most recently, from a screenplay coach I hired, the latter of which is below: “Very compelling concept. There is a lot going on, but not necessarily in a bad way. This clearly is inspired partially by current events, but it also deals with some other issues the world is facing (mental illness, economy…etc.). The strength of a story like this will come down to the characters and their development. I can see a lot of struggle with the protagonist going from a CIA officer to a door-to-door marijuana salesman (essentially). Lots of conflict there, both internal and external. Overall, I’m intrigued, but I want a bit more information. What is the theme? What is the genre? This will help to dictate the direction and tone of the story, which in turn can impact what kind of characters you develop next week.”

At the end of the course I had a 120 page screenplay, though it got a grade of “pass” (and not the academic definition of “pass”), and I got some detailed advice at the end, though I’m still not sure I agree with it (that the academic aspect be removed entirely).

What was good about going through the process (of learning from a variety of sources and applying it) was that I now have both a “pitchable” synopsis and with my screenplay, almost a detailed outline and a strong definition of how the characters “sound” when they talk in the novel.

As you’ve probably all seen from my WIP posts, I’m not terribly strong at description. But I’m now almost more motivated to write the book, as I think I’d have more room to add in the academic plot line.

I guess the lesson I learned was, could I hook somebody I was telling the story to in an elevator before we reached their floor? Can I sell my story succinctly?

Still working on that.

Thanks for sharing your writing journey. I am not sure I get your concept. Is the business and law degree a goal in itself? Is it important? Not too interesting to me, unless the degree was to advance some other mission. I assume the social disorder is an obstacle to the protagonist but it is not clear. Is this a buddy story? Then, something about the dynamic with the old friend would be a factor.

I assume this is a criminal enterprise, a downward arc for the protagonist.

The academics were initially to help them advance their careers, but then ended up helping them figure out how to best run a criminal enterprise.

Again, there is likely too much going on here, but deciding what to keep and what to leave out is perplexing. Perhaps I have two separate stories here.

I’ve got a lot of scenes in my head that I’d like to get down but am trying to filter out at the same time, which goes to the heart of the comments I got from the screenplay coach.

Hi Chris! It’s certainly an interesting story, and you’ve done a great job of getting the shape of the plot down. I’m curious about the motivation (why that business, exactly?) and the character arc (how does he change, or what does he learn?), which I think you have in your head.

I don’t think I noticed that you struggle with description…but everyone has trouble with one element or another, and you can definitely learn it. It could even become a strength of yours in the end! And of course, in screenplays, you need very little description 🙂

Thanks for commenting! Hope you’re having a good week (and not working TOO hard!)

Thanks for the feedback and questions.

I think I chose that line of business because it was both illegal but also seemed borderline legitimate (both in the way liquor was when outlawed and also in that many states have begun legalizing marijuana but in a highly restrictive way through licensing), ripe for operational optimization and also that it would ensnare her group with a lot of dangerous criminal elements who have had a long time in that business.

You’re right about having her character arc in my head. A good amount involves her learning to have confidence and trust herself despite living with an illness, and then finding her career identity.

Doing my best to not work too too hard! Thanks!

I can’t find the like button for this post. And the normal comment field is missing. Is my WP account acting up?

Hi friend! You know what, I had to change themes, and I didn’t even notice the likes were gone until you mentioned it. I think the comments need fiddling with, too. 🙂 I’ll work on it this weekend!

Thank you ?.

Thank you for these guidelines on synopsis writing. You have given me a lot to think about and right at the perfect time. I will be pitching very soon.

I’m so glad it was helpful, Naomi—I hope the pitching goes great!

Thank you for taking the time to teach us a great way to write a synopsis! Valuable information is always a plus in my book!

You bet, Kay. Thanks for reading, and for the kind words!

Hi Bryn. I’d like to know where you keep the crystal ball you use when you decide on a post for your website. You have done it again with this one. Exactly what I need. Thanks. I have attempted to write synopsizes for several of my books. It is such an overwhelming task! To make it at least possible, I have tried different approaches. Not for the finished product, but as a beginning. Once I sat my character down and did an interview first and then wrote the synopsis from the interview. The most recent first attempt was a spreadsheet with every scene in every chapter one column for each main character and rows for each chapter. I have most recently started a college level writing class and am getting acquainted with another technique. I really love the simplicity you use to explain complicated things. Thank you again

Jessie, hahaha—I’m so glad it came at the right time! It can be so challenging because you’re boiling down so much material into such a short piece. I hope this approach works for you!

Thanks Bryn I have just written and Illustrated and unusual and I think quite unique short book , only 21 pages of script and 21 pages of Illustrations. It is about a bull who falls in love with a dolphin and their offspring is a sort of mythical underwater superman. So as you can imagine I am having trouble writing a synopsis to hopefully entice a publisher. Your post could not have come at a better time, thanks again. Warren

Warren, I’m so glad it came at a good time! It does sound like a unique story, and I think if you add to the pitch what the characters learn or the moral or “theme” of the story, it’ll be complete. Good luck!

This was so helpful. I am a beginner in the book writing field. I have always been a journal writer. I love writing but I don’t know about the formalities. I am learning many important things from you.

Hi Stephanie! Well, everyone starts out a beginner, and if you do a lot of journal writing, you’ve got a head start. I’m so glad this is helpful. You might want to check out my book BLANK PAGE TO FINAL DRAFT… https://amzn.to/3kzx68U

I have plenty of free resources, too. Check out my post on how to begin a story: https://www.bryndonovan.com/2016/01/12/what-happens-on-page-one-30-ways-to-start-a-novel/

and the character arc post I mentioned above: https://www.bryndonovan.com/2019/06/26/what-is-a-character-arc-a-definition-plus-7-examples-from-movies-and-books/

If you sign up for the blog (there’s a place on the lefthand side of the page), you won’t miss new writing posts. I hope you have great luck with your writing, and I hope you love it!

I usually write a logline and a one pager before I start the book. I like to draw from the one pager to help with my synopsis after.

That is so smart, Denise! I know that for me, the one-pager would serve as a guidepost whenever I got lost in the weeds. 🙂

This is so useful. Thank you. I can see how this is going to help me figure out the plot issues with my manuscript and really make it shine.

Erin, so glad it seems helpful! Though it kind of seems like your manuscript is shining already 🙂

Hi, Bryn! Thank you so much for putting this information out there. You’d be surprised how hard it is to find the breakdown on how to write a great synopsis. And your first piece of advice is something I discovered recently and makes a world of difference, (it’s even better than outlining – IMO) – “If possible, write the synopsis before you write the book.” Many thanks, and wishing you a wonderful week.

Bryn, Thank you for this helpful blog! Question —I was advised by a fiction writer that the two or three main character names should always be capitalized in a synopsis. What are your thoughts? I am not a fan of unnecessary caps, but if it is helpful, I will do it.

Hey, Bryn, Thanks for the awesome post. I’m going to use it as a template against my already prepared synopsis. Seems I’m always missing something or other. Practice makes perfect (or darn close). LOVE your new picture!

Thanks for the tips!

Hi Brynn, I have a silly question. As far as structure of a synopsis, do you typically recommend laying it out as “paragraphs” so to say for each section (logline, characters, and summary sections) with indentations, or more of a bullet point layout like your examples show above?

Hi Meg! Not a silly question at all! A synopsis is generally written out in paragraphs. I definitely recommend introducing the characters as I show in #2 – capitalizing their names and writing one or two sentences about who they are and what their character arc is. They don’t need the bullet point, though; that formatting was just for this article. 🙂

Thank you, Brynn! I so appreciate your kindness and genuine desire to help aspiring writers. This is very helpful, and I am grateful for your reply 🙂

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Blogs / Writing Tips / What Is a Synopsis? Definition and How to Write One

Write a Novel Readers Love

What is a synopsis definition and how to write one.

A synopsis is one of those things that authors—especially those who plan to query agents and publishers—need, but usually hate to write. But learning how to write a book synopsis is something that is worth the time and attention you invest. Even if you intend to publish independently, a synopsis can come in handy.

Before we delve into how to what a synopsis is and how to write one, we need to first cover the difference between a blurb and a synopsis.

The Difference Between a Blurb and a Book Synopsis

Though they are both summaries of a story, a blurb and a synopsis are not the same thing. Let’s look at the similarities and differences between the two.

What Is a Blurb?

Both book blurbs and synopses need to introduce the protagonist, the story world, the main story goal, the central conflict, and what’s at stake. However, that is really all they have in common.

A book blurb averages between 150 to 200 words, though this can vary somewhat according to the genre. A synopsis, on the other hand, averages between 1 to 2 pages, or 500 to 1000 words, but can vary according to the submission guidelines of the agent, editor, or publishing house you are querying.

Finally, a book blurb should leave the reader with a question, the answer to which they will want to read the book to find out. A synopsis will tell the ending of the story. This is because a blurb is most often used as marketing copy to drive sales of the book, whereas a synopsis is meant to act as proof that you have a solid story arc and a complete and compelling story worth investing in.

To find out more about what blurbs include and how to write them, check out the article What is a Book Blurb on the Fictionary blog.

What is a Book Synopsis

A book synopsis is a 1-to-2-page summary that gives all of the main, central information to agents, publishers, and editors. As mentioned above, it will introduce the protagonist, the story world, the main story goal, the central conflict, the stakes, and the genre. This will tell agents and editors whether or not you have a realistic (within the parameters of the genre) yet compelling story idea that is worth investing in.

If you intend to self-publish, it is still worthwhile to create a synopsis since having this information will tell you, as the author, if your story idea is strong and compelling or if there are areas where it is lacking.

In addition to this information, though, a synopsis has to include all of the main plot points of the narrative arc, in chronological order. This includes the inciting incident, plot point 1, the middle plot point, plot point 2, the climax, and the resolution—yes, the synopsis needs to tell the ending and not hold anything back. In doing so, you are letting editors, agents, and publishers (and yourself) know that you have a solid story arc and a story that works.

How Long Is a Synopsis?

A synopsis should be approximately one page long. Depending on the size of your font, this will place it between 450 and 700 words.

Because a synopsis is so short, you need to ensure your words are concise and that every word pulls its weight. Let’s cover this in a  little more detail.

How to Write a Synopsis for a Novel

Now that you know the basics of a synopsis, what can you do to make that simple synopsis great? Opinions vary, of course, but here are some things I believe will take your synopsis to the next level.

• Start with a compelling hook . While a synopsis isn’t used for marketing purposes like a blurb, you still want to get your readers’ attention. If you are querying an editor, agent, or publisher, you want your story to stand out among the other submissions. Do this by starting your synopsis with 1 to 3 strong sentences that are unusual or attention-grabbing.

In the next paragraph, the ‘introductory’ paragraph, I show the protagonist in their ordinary world. This gives more space for introducing the main character and their world. I try to do this in a way that will allow readers to relate to the protagonist and to have enough understanding of her world to know what she stands to lose should she not achieve the story goal.

• Use emotion to draw readers into the story . Yes, the synopsis gives a plot summary, but it should not do so in a boring, mechanical way. You don’t want to overdo it with flowery, emotional words and images since this is part of a professional query. However, you want that agent or publisher you’re querying to see that your story can get and keep reader attention, making it worthwhile for them to invest their time and money.

Tips for How to Write a Book Synopsis

• Mirror the tone of the book in your synopsis . In other words, if you’re writing a light romantic comedy, don’t make the synopsis heavy and formal. If you are writing a dark fantasy or a thriller, don’t tell jokes or be too flippant.Writing your synopsis in the same tone as your book will give the editor, agent, or publisher a feel for your book and your voice.
• Start with an outline of a sentence or two per plot point, then expand from there. Instead of trying to figure out how to summarize a 90,000-word book into 500 words, I find it much less daunting to write a sentence or two for each plot point, and then fill in details that are essential for understanding and that show your creativity and voice.
• Write in the third person, present tense . Do this even if the book isn’t written in that POV or tense. This lends immediacy to the action, and it is also more professional.

To learn more about book synopsis and how to write them, check out the article How to Write a Book Synopsis on the Fictionary blog

Writing a Synopsis for a Novel Conclusion

A synopsis is an important, professional summary of your story intended for querying agents and publishers. That doesn’t mean, however, that it should be stiff and mechanical. You want the people you are querying to get a sense of your voice, the tone of the book, and it’s creativity and appeal.

Start with the essential parts of a synopsis then fill in details (up to the word limit) using creative, image- and emotion-evoking words and phrases. And don’t forget, even if you aren’t querying, writing a synopsis will let you know if you have a solid story and story arc and show you areas you might need to improve.

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Home » Blog » How to Write a Book Synopsis?

How to Write a Book Synopsis?

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When approaching literary agents, you’ll want to include a query letter, a short book description, and a synopsis. That’s why you need to know how to write a book synopsis.

A synopsis is essential because it gets an agent interested in your work. It also helps them understand what they are getting into if they decide to represent you. Therefore, a synopsis must convey a book’s plot, characters, setting, tone, and theme.

Don’t confuse the synopsis with a sales pitch or the kind of promotional material that might appear on the back cover or inside the book. An overview is a summary of the story.

What is a Book Synopsis?

The word “synopsis” comes from the Greek word syn- (meaning together) and “opsis” (meaning sight). In other words, a synopsis is a condensed version of a larger piece of writing.

In publishing, a synopsis functions as a marketing tool for books. When submitting a manuscript to publishers, you must provide a synopsis. It is done by having someone else read the entire book and summarize its contents. The publisher may hire them, or they may volunteer their time.

If you have written a novel, you already know how much work it takes to create a complete-length book. You spend months or even years developing a detailed outline, researching topics, gathering information, and writing chapters. However, when it comes to writing a synopsis, all you need to do is condense this process into one paragraph.

If you don’t have a lot of experience writing a synopsis, you may find it challenging to create one that conveys the essence of your book. But there are some things you can do to make sure your synopsis is compelling.

First, start by reading sample synopses online. These samples will give you ideas about how to structure yours.

Second, remember that a good synopsis doesn’t just tell readers what happens in your book. Instead, it tells them why they should buy your book.

It means that your synopsis should explain the main themes. For example, if your book is about love, your summary should focus on romance, commitment, and trust.

Your synopsis should also describe the major conflicts within the story. Conflict is the driving force behind every great thriller, mystery, or romance. Conflict drives people to act.

Finally, your synopsis should clearly state the book’s genre. Most publishers require authors to specify whether their book is fiction or nonfiction.

For example, if your book is a crime novel, you could say something like:

“An exciting new series featuring a female detective.”

Or, if your book is science fiction, you could write:

“A Sci-Fi adventure about a young astronaut who must fight for her life on an unknown planet.”

Generally, a synopsis should be no more than one page long. You may write longer than this when you describe the main character’s personality traits, but keep it at one page for now.

The goal here is to give an overview of your book without giving away any spoilers. Don’t go into too much detail about the plot or the ending. Instead, focus on describing your protagonist and their journey.

Writing a Good Synopsis

Now that you know what a synopsis is and how to write one, let’s look at some tips for writing a compelling summary.

1. Keep It Short

When writing a synopsis, you want to get right to the point. Your goal isn’t to tell readers everything about your book. Instead, your job is to help them decide whether they’d enjoy reading it.

The best way to accomplish this is by keeping your synopsis brief. A short synopsis is easier to understand than a long one. A quick overview makes it easy for potential buyers to skim over your book.

2. Focus On What Readers Will Want To Know

When you read a synopsis, you’ll first notice that most writers try to include too many details. If you’re going to write an outline, you only need to cover the basics.

It would be best not to detail plot points, characters, settings, or other elements that aren’t directly related to your book. Instead, stick to the facts.

3. Include Key Themes And Characters

Your synopsis should contain two key components. First, you should highlight the theme(s) of your book. It includes the primary conflict and main character traits.

Second, you need to mention the essential subplots and supporting characters. Subplots are stories that occur during the action. Supporting characters play minor roles but still add depth to the story.

4. Use Action Words

If your synopsis contains many words describing events, you’ve probably written a boring one. Instead, use active verbs whenever possible.

If you can replace “the heroine was kidnapped” with “she was abducted,” you’ll make your synopsis more interesting.

Furthermore, always write the synopsis in the present tense and summarize key plot points.

5. Be Specific

Don’t just summarize the plot. It would be best if you also gave specific examples from the story. For instance, if your book involves a murder, don’t simply say that someone dies. Describe exactly how the victim died.

6. Avoid Using Exclamation Points

Exclamation points are essential in emphasizing a particular word or phrase. They’re often used to show excitement or surprise. But they have no place in a synopsis.

Instead, use simple language. If you do need to use an exclamation point, use it sparingly.

7. Don’t Overuse Emojis

Emojis are small images that appear next to the text on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. These symbols usually represent emotions.

Some people think emojis are good because they seem less formal than regular punctuation. However, these symbols are distracting.

8. Make Sure Your Summary is Easy to Understand

Your summary should be clear and concise. You may need to rework your synopsis if you struggle to explain your book.

9. Proofread Before Publishing

Once you’ve finished writing your synopsis, proofread it carefully before publishing it online. There’s nothing worse than having a lousy summary out there.

10. Keep it Short

A good rule of thumb is to keep your synopsis under 200 words. That means you won’t have to worry about formatting issues.

Essential Parts of a Book Synopsis

Here, you can read about the elements that every novel synopsis should include.

1. Characters

Ideally, you should mention the main characters somewhere in your synopsis. It helps readers get a feel for them. Remember that the protagonist and antagonist play an integral role in the story.

2. Conflict

The conflict occurs when the main character wants something. For the characters to achieve the goal, the characters must overcome obstacles. Describe each block and the central conflict in your synopsis.

If you’re struggling to create a wrenching conflict, Squibler’s AI features, such as Rewrite and Describe, are powerful tools for creating original conflicts for your novel. By using your characters as elements, you’ll generate events specific to your novel.

3. Narrative Arc

The narrative arc is a line connecting all of the significant turning points in the story. The first half of your synopsis should describe this arc’s beginning, middle, and end. Although the layers of your plot should be multiple, the hook should only contain two parts.

Writing a synopsis isn’t tricky. All you need is some time and patience. Here are ten steps to help you write an excellent summary:

1. Choose a Genre

Choosing a genre is the most crucial step. You can look at different genres once you know what books you want to write.

If you’re unsure what your book genre is, Squibler provides genre templates to help jumpstart your novel.

2. Create a List of Potential Titles

After choosing a genre:

• Brainstorm potential titles for your book
• Try not to limit yourself by overthinking the title
• Let your imagination run wild
• Find inspiration

You might be surprised at where you find ideas for your synopsis. Look through old novels, magazines, newspapers, and even websites.

3. Start With the Plot

After you have a few ideas, create a basic plot outline. Think about how the story begins, ends, and moves between events.

4. Add Details

Now that you know your plot’s overall structure add more detail. Include everything from the setting to the characters.

Squibler is also great with creating the details that bring your book to life. For example, the “Ask Me Anything” feature is a powerful tool when you hit a creative wall and are unsure how to continue. Just ask Squibler and cherry-pick from the generated content.

5. Outline the Plot

Now that you have a rough plot idea, you can outline specific scenes. Each scene should follow the same format as the previous ones.

6. Fill in the Blanks

As you go along, fill in any gaps in your outline. You don’t necessarily have to use every word in your strategy; however, you should ensure that each sentence flows logically.

If you notice anything missing or confusing, rewrite the section until it makes sense. Remember, you can always edit later on if necessary.

Finally, once you’re satisfied with the quality of your work, publish it online.

9. Proofread

Proofreading is vital because typos and grammatical errors could ruin your entire synopsis. If using Microsoft Word, click the Review tab and select Spelling & Grammar. If you’re using Google Docs, click Publish.

Share it with friends and family once you’ve finished writing your synopsis. They may offer feedback that will improve your work.

Lastly, you can use Squibler’s Goal feature to create milestones, organize your writing process, and streamline the overall project.

Regardless of your experience, writing a synopsis can be challenging. However, following these steps will ensure your overview has a strong foundation. The Novel synopsis can help you understand the main characters from a third-person viewpoint. It is a literary agent for understanding major plot points and the story’s query letter.

The word count should cover a few pages to provide a brief summary of the plot twists. Sheck out writing sample options online for a story forward plot point and a compelling synopsis.

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How to Write a Novel or Memoir Synopsis

Note from Jane: The following post was published years ago, but I regularly revisit, revise, and expand it. I’ve also written a comprehensive post on writing query letters.

It’s probably the single most despised document you might be asked to prepare: the synopsis . 

The synopsis is sometimes necessary because an agent or publisher wants to see, from beginning to end, what happens in your story. Thus, the synopsis must convey a book’s entire narrative arc. It shows what happens and who changes, and it has to reveal the ending. Synopses may be required when you first query your work, or you may be asked for it later.

Don’t confuse the synopsis with sales copy, or the kind of marketing description that might appear on your back cover or in an Amazon description. You’re not writing a punchy piece for readers that builds excitement. It’s not an editorial about your book . Instead, it’s an industry document that helps an agent or editor quickly assess your story’s appeal and if it’s worth them reading the entire manuscript.

How long should a synopsis be?

You’ll find conflicting advice on this. However, I recommend keeping it short, or at least starting short. Write a one- or two-page synopsis—about 500-1000 words, single spaced—and use that as your default, unless the submission guidelines ask for something longer. If your synopsis runs longer, anything up to two pages (again, single spaced) is usually acceptable. Most agents/editors will not be interested in a synopsis longer than a few pages.

While this post is geared toward writers of fiction, the same principles can be applied to memoir and other narrative nonfiction works.

Why the synopsis is important to agents and editors

The synopsis ensures character actions and motivations are realistic and make sense. A synopsis will reveal any big problems in your story—e.g., “it was just a dream” endings, ridiculous acts of god, a category romance ending in divorce. It can reveal plot flaws, serious gaps in character motivation, or a lack of structure. Or it can reveal how fresh your story is; if there’s nothing surprising or the plot is hackneyed, your manuscript may not get read.

The good news: Some agents hate synopses and never read them; this is more typical for agents who represent literary work. Either way, agents aren’t expecting a work of art. You can impress with lean, clean, powerful language. An agent I admire, Janet Reid, has said that energy and vitality are key.

Synopses should usually be written in third person, present tense (even if your novel is written in first person). For memoirists, I recommend first person, but first or third is acceptable.

What the synopsis must accomplish

In most cases, you’ll start the synopsis with your protagonist. You’ll describe her mindset and motivations at the opening of the story, then explain what happens to change her situation (often known as the inciting incident ). Motivation is fairly critical here: we need to understand what drives this character to act.

Once the protagonist is established, each paragraph ideally moves the story forward (with events unfolding in exactly the same order as in the manuscript), with strong cause-effect storytelling, including the key scenes of your novel. We need to see how the story conflict plays out, who or what is driving that conflict, and how the protagonist succeeds or fails in dealing with it.

By the end, we should understand how that conflict is resolved and how the protagonist’s situation, both internally and externally, has changed. Think about your genre’s “formula,” if there is one, and be sure to include all major turning points associated with that formula. 

If you cover all these things, that won’t leave you much time for detail if you keep the synopsis to a single page. You won’t be able to mention every character or event or include every scene—only those that materially affect the protagonist’s decisions or our understanding of the story’s events. You may have to exclude some subplots, and you definitely have to stay out of the plotting weeds. If there’s a shootout at the story’s climax, for instance, or a big fight scene, it’s fairly useless to get into the details of the choreography and how many punches are thrown. Instead, you say there’s a big fight and make it clear who wins and who loses.

To decide what characters deserve space in the synopsis, you need to look at their role in influencing the protagonist or changing the direction of the story. We need to see how they enter the story, the quality of their relationship to the protagonist, and how their story resolves.  Any character that merits placement in a synopsis should have at least two to three mentions. If you can get away with only mentioning them once, they probably don’t belong at all.

A good rule of thumb for determining what stays and what goes: If the ending wouldn’t make sense without the character or plot point being mentioned, then it belongs in the synopsis.

A synopsis should get to the point—fast

Here’s an example of what I mean.

Very Wordy : At work, Elizabeth searches for Peter all over the office and finally finds him in the supply room, where she tells him she resents the remarks he made about her in the staff meeting.

Tight : At work, Elizabeth confronts Peter about his remarks at the staff meeting.

The most common synopsis mistake

Don’t make the mistake of thinking the synopsis just details the plot. That will end up reading like a mechanical account of your story (or the dreaded “synopsis speak”), without depth or texture.

Consider what it would sound like if you summarized a football game by saying. “Well, the Patriots scored. And then the Giants scored. Then the Patriots scored twice in a row.” That’s sterile and doesn’t give us the meaning behind how events are unfolding.

Instead, you would say something like, “The Patriots scored a touchdown after more than one hour of a no-score game, and the underdog of the team led the play. The crowd went wild.”

The secret to a great synopsis

A synopsis includes the characters’  emotions and reactions to what’s happening. That will help you avoid something that reads like a mechanic’s manual. Include both story advancement (plot stuff) and color (character stuff).

Incident (Story Advancement) + Reaction (Color) = Decision (Story Advancement)

For stories with considerable world building or extensive historical settings

Some writers may need to open their synopsis with a paragraph or so that helps establish the world we’re entering and the rules of that world. This helps us better understand the characters and their motivations once introduced. For example, a synopsis of Harry Potter might clarify upfront that the world is divided into Muggles and wizards, and that the Muggles have no idea that a magical world exists. Or, this fact could be relayed in the synopsis once Harry Potter learns about it himself.

In a historical novel, a writer might have to establish cultural attitudes or facts that might not be known to contemporary readers, so that the characters’ actions make sense and the weight of the conflict is clear.

In science fiction and fantasy, try to avoid proper terms or nouns that have to be defined or explained unless such terms are central to your story (like “Muggles” above). Instead, try to get the point across in language that anyone can understand but still gets the point across. The goal here is to focus on telling the story rather than increasing the mental workload of the agent/editor, who has to decipher and remember the unfamiliar vocabulary.

Avoid splitting the synopsis into sections

In most cases, the synopsis should start and end without any breaks, sections, or other subheadings. However, on occasion, there might be a reason to add “sign posts” to the synopsis, due to your book’s unique narrative structure. For example, if your novel has intertwining timelines, or if it jumps around in time and place, you may want to begin each paragraph with a bold lead-in (“Paris, 1893”), to establish where we are. Other than that, avoid sectioning out the story in any way, or listing a cast of characters upfront, as if you were writing a play. Characters should be introduced at the moment they enter the story or when they specifically contribute to the story moving forward.

Common novel synopsis pitfalls

• Don’t get weighed down with the specifics of character names, places, and other proper names or terms. Stick to the basics. Use the name of your main characters, but if a waitress enters the story for just one scene, call her “the waitress.” Don’t say “Bonnie, the boisterous waitress who calls everyone hon and works seven days a week.” When you do mention specific names, it’s common to put the name in all caps in the first instance, so it’s easy for agents or editors to see at a glance who the key figures are.
• Don’t spend time explaining or deconstructing your story’s meaning or themes.  This can be a particularly persistent problem with memoir. A synopsis tells the story, but it doesn’t try to offer an interpretatio n, e.g., saying something like, “This is the story of how many ordinary people like me tried to make a difference.”
• Avoid talking about the story construction. This is where you add things that describe the book’s structure, such as “in the climax of the novel,” or “in a series of tense scenes.”
• Avoid character backstory unless it’s tied to the character’s motivations and desires throughout the book. A phrase or two is plenty to indicate a character’s background; ideally, you should reference it when it affects how events unfold. If you’ve written a story with flashbacks, you probably won’t include much, if any, of that in the synopsis. 
• Avoid including dialogue, and if you do, be sparing . Make sure the dialogue you include is absolutely iconic of the character or represents a linchpin moment in the book.
• Don’t ask rhetorical or unanswered questions. Remember, your goal here isn’t to entice a reader.
• While your synopsis will reflect your ability to write, it’s not the place to get pretty with your prose. That means you should leave out any attempts to impress through poetic description. You can’t take the time to show  everything in your synopsis. Often you have to tell, and sometimes this is confusing to writers who’ve been told for years to “show don’t tell.” For example, it’s OK to just come out and say your main character is a “hopeless romantic” rather than trying to show it.

Additional resources

• How to Write a Synopsis of Your Novel (one of the best advice articles I’ve seen)
• How to Write a 1-Page Synopsis
• The Anatomy of a Short Synopsis
• The Synopsis: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and How to Write It

If you’re looking for in-depth guidance, I offer a query letter master class that includes a 90-minute lecture on synopsis writing.

Jane Friedman has spent nearly 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. She is the editor of The Hot Sheet , the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2023. Her latest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.

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Thanks for the excellent tips! I can write the NOVEL itself no problem (well, not exactly that simple – go thru many drafts and late nights along the way) but the synopsis stops me cold. Wordiness, that’s me! Will definitely be referring to this blog posting when I have to write my next synopsis.

Excellent! Thanks for stopping by.

Fantastic. Loved the tip about adding the protagonists feelings.

Yes! A lot of people skip that part, but that really gives things texture, makes us care.

Sounds like I should start with my synopsis first and use it as a roadmap to write the novel.

That is, in fact, a fabulous idea.

That’s how I do it. When I have my idea I write a one-paragraph synopsis followed by the longer version. I’ve never had writer’s block and like to believe it’s because I have the biggest parts planned and that causes for less major revisions with the lack of plot holes.

But it doesn’t mean writing the synopsis was easy. Couldn’t have done it, once again, without Jane’s excellent advice!

To me, the most important parts are the inner stakes and outer stakes. I discussed them in my article on synopsis writing found here. http://www.help4writers.com/blog/?p=374 (Bonus: Wizard of Oz was my example synopsis.)

Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

Great article! And thanks so much for including one of my articles on writing a short synopsis in your tips. I really appreciate it

A pleasure!

I figure if my 70-year old grandma who hates fantasy can understand a three-minute version of my whole story, I’ve synopsized well.

[…] Friedman returns to an oldie but goodie: How to write a synopsis that works; agent Jennifer Laughran answers word-count questions across most genres; Karen Dionne seeks an […]

[…] Back to Basics: Writing a Novel Synopsis | Jane Friedman The synopsis conveys the narrative arc of your  novel; it shows what happens and who changes, from beginning to end. (@saphirablue84 Did you see Jane Friedman's synopsis post? It lists additional resources too. Source: janefriedman.com […]

And I’m late here, but thanks for linking to my list 🙂

[…] it or buy the rights to it, and to give you a nice fat contract for your trouble. Jane Friedman has exceptional how-to tips for writing a synopsis for your book that will make an agent drool. Pay attention to the part where she says you have to give away the […]

What is a synopsis? Writing intriguing book summaries

What is a synopsis? It’s a summary which provides, in one quick read, the unique and compelling aspects of a story. How do you write a synopsis that you can submit with confidence to publishers? Read on for summary-writing tips and examples.

• Post author By Jordan
• 11 Comments on What is a synopsis? Writing intriguing book summaries

First: Beyond defining a synopsis – what should a synopsis include?

Yes, a synopsis is a summary and yes, the word means ‘seeing together’, but what does the typical synopsis for (for example) a typical mystery-thriller or fantasy epic include?

On their submissions page , Bloomsbury (who published J.K. Rowling’s mega-hit Harry Potter  series), specify what they require in a synopsis. It should include:

• ‘The story’s subject matter’ – what it’s about
• ‘Your intended market’ – for example, teenage fantasy genre lovers
• ‘How your submission compares with the current competition’

This third item may seem confusing. Bloomsbury isn’t asking you to say ‘My novel is much better than the work of that George R. R. Martin guy’. Instead, the publishers want to know you understand your audience and genre. For example, you might say in a submission:

The Lost Throne , in the vein of George R. R. Martin’s  A Song of Ice and Fire Series , unpacks the feuds and allegiances between powerful families in a struggle for succession. Yet it is closer to Le Guin’s  Earthsea  novels, as the protagonist’s development demonstrates the relationship between power and responsibility.

This could be worded more succinctly – the main thing is it shows an awareness of both recent and older writing that has a similar target audience.

Why should I write a synopsis?

What is a synopsis used for? As described above, a synopsis is a crucial component of submitting your manuscript to most traditional publishers.

Publishers, before they even consider leafing through the first page of your manuscript, will want an overarching sense of the story. Synopses help publishers:

• Tell apart submissions that explore fresh, exciting subject matter from cliched tropes (e.g. sparkly vampires)
• Decide which manuscripts to prioritize (according to the quality and interest of the synopsis and what subject matter they’re presently most interested in producing)
• Set expectations for your submission: If a synopsis is worded badly, clunky, uninteresting or disjointed, the odds are high the submission itself will have similar faults

Because of the above, it’s crucial to weed out inessential words and find ways to summarize the subject matter of your story (and your knowledge of your market) in a commanding, professional way.

Writing synopses is also a useful exercise for outlining a story idea , before you reach the publishing stage. Expanding your one-sentence idea into a trio of more detailed synopses is a key step in Week 2 of our 6-week  Kickstart your Novel course , designed to help you complete all that you need to pitch your best ideas to publishers.

So how do you write a book synopsis that will captivate professional and casual readers alike? Here are our top 9 tips:

1. When writing a book synopsis, make the opening good

Just as a first chapter should make the reader want to know more , a good synopsis opening makes the reader want to know more about the characters, events and potential conflict of your novel.

Published author Marissa Meyer provides the following advice on her  blog :

The first paragraph of the synopsis should give the same basic information you convey through the book’s first chapter: where and when does this story take place, who is the protagonist, and what problem are they facing right off the bat?

2. Stick to compelling essentials

Does your character wake up in one scene and have a full English breakfast? You might have a great way with describing food mouth-wateringly. Even so, leave out everything that doesn’t give the reader an idea of character development, key plot twists and turns, and any conflicts and resolutions. This will communicate that your book has a strong underlying creative purpose.

Purposeless waffle has no place in a synopsis or a strong final draft. For every line you write in your synopsis, ask, ‘What valuable information does this give the reader about my book? Why would it motivate a person to read more?’

3. Don’t give a dry account of the core plot events

Jane Friedman who’s had a successful career in the publishing industry makes this her number one ‘don’t’. Says Jane, ‘A synopsis includes the characters’ FEELINGS and EMOTIONS. That means it should not read like a mechanic’s manual to your novel’s plot. You must include both story advancement and color.’

Here’s a book synopsis example that does exactly this. It’s the summary for  An American Marriage  (2018) by Tayari Jones, an NYT  bestseller and Oprah’s Book Club pick:

‘Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding.’

The synopsis is  full  and  detailed  without giving away the core, pleasurable surprises of the story. We get the general gist, but not too much detail. We see the starting scenario – a couple’s marital bliss – as well as glimpsing the trouble ahead. This emotional and dramatic element – the promise of a changing situation – compels.

4. Give situation and complication alike

As writers, we do sometimes like to waffle. But the only good waffle is a Belgian one. In your synopsis, you need to be concise. It’s important to give both the initial situation and a glimpse of complications that make your main plot line exciting. Instead of saying:

‘Robert Bluthe is a tough detective who has eggs Benedict for breakfast every day and is investigating a double homicide at the start of the book’, say:

‘Robert Bluthe, a tough detective and man of unswerving habit, investigates a double homicide that forces him to question everything he knows about investigative procedures.’

The second example gives not only the situation (the double homicide) but also the complication and stake for the character (a novel aspect to the crime that makes traditional problem-solving methods ineffective).

5. Stick to using active voice compellingly

Courtney Carpenter shares this tip in a useful post for Writer’s Digest, ‘ Learn How to Write a Synopsis like a Pro’. Rather than say ‘The protagonist is married by…’ say ‘The protagonist marries’. Make each action described in the summary of your story’s events seem a decisive event that drives the plot forward.

Carpenter also suggests sticking to the third person (‘he’, ‘she’, ‘they’) since your synopsis should read as an author standing apart describing her character’s lives and developments as an observer.

6. Make every single word count

This follows on from point three. Besides keeping your synopsis concise, make sure that the words you do use carry emotive and imaginative weight. Don’t say ‘after the wedding there is some trouble during the honeymoon’ but ‘the honeymoon is disastrous. After the newlyweds miss their flight, they must [describe challenge action] and this tests their [positive state they wish to maintain]’.

Make sure each word creates a vivid emotional or descriptive pull. Make the reader curious to know more and expand their knowledge of how your story unfolds.

7. Read your book synopsis aloud

This is common advice for writing better narrative prose . It’s also equally good advice for writing a compelling book synopsis. While reading aloud, ask yourself:

• Does each sentence communicate something that improves the reader’s overall grasp of what the story is about and what makes it interesting?
• Does each sentence flow smoothly with no unnecessary words or awkward constructions?
• Is there any part that feels boring or irrelevant to the overall story development?

8. Use the synopsis format your intended reader prefers

What is a synopsis that doesn’t stick to publishers’ preferred guidelines? Usually, an ignored synopsis. Formatting a book synopsis in a simple, elegant way is important.

Fiction Writer’s Connection provides this format:

• In the upper left hand corner, writes ‘Synopsis of “[Title of your novel]”
• This should be followed by a space and a description of your novel’s genre: ‘Genre: [Genre of your novel]’
• This should be followed by ‘Word count: [Word count of your novel]
• Finally, in the right-hand upper corner, you should put your name: ‘By: [Your pen name]’

The heading of a synopsis for J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter book might look something like this:

If your synopsis only spans a single page, single space your lines. Ideally, it shouldn’t be longer than one page. If it is, double-space it.

See if you can find publishers’ preferred synopsis format on their website (or simply ask in an email or on social media). If they have a preferred format, they’ll share it.

9. Don’t include irrelevant cover material

Do you have a degree in linguistics? A favourite Abba song? Don’t include any personal or quirky information as an addendum to your synopsis – keep it professional.

Biographical information should be kept for author bio material if it is requested. A synopsis doesn’t need a cover page. Ideally it’s a single page that the eagle-eyed editor can wave at colleagues frantically while shouting, ‘You won’t believe how great this novel sounds!’

Get guidance creating your story’s synopsis (and detailed feedback on this and your first three chapters) when you complete  Kickstart your Novel . Learn more about Now Novel’s online writing courses here.

Related Posts:

• What are loglines? 6 tips to write strong summaries
• What makes a plot intriguing? 6 ideas
• 6 intriguing conflict types in fiction: Man vs nature
• Tags how to format a book synopsis , how to write a book synopsis , querying

Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town.

11 replies on “What is a synopsis? Writing intriguing book summaries”

What are your top tips for writing a synopsis?

While it is important to be able to write a good review about a book you’ve read, it’s not germane to the above article. In my opinion, the more you read, the better you’ll write. The author of the article is asking readers to inform said writer if anything important was overlooked, nothing more.

Thank you, Dennis. The prior comment was actually spam it appears, it somehow slipped through the net. I’ve deleted it.

Excellent reference! Bookmarked it! One thought: perhaps bullet 9 should be the first bullet?

Thanks, Egan. Good suggestion. I’ll add it to my list of blog updates to do. Thank you for reading!

Wow! What a great site you have here with such useful information, I am just about to start the synopsis for my very first book and it is giving me angst, the info you have provided is extremely helpful. A huge thank you.

Hi Victoria, I’m so glad to hear that. I hope it’s all coming together well. Good luck with submission!

Thank you Bridget. ?

It’s difficult and Thanks! I just wrote one!! https://universeofmysecrets.blogspot.com/2018/09/secrets-synopsis.html

I’ve found it helpful to review the 5-W’s and add a “How”; (the) Who, What, Where, When, Why, & How. At a paragraph apiece, easily grants the 300/500-word format.

Good addition, the ‘how’. Thanks for sharing that, Jake.

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Table of Contents

What Is a Synopsis?

How to write a compelling synopsis, great synopsis examples, how to write a perfect synopsis for your book (complete guide).

Unless you’re writing a book proposal , there’s no reason you need a book synopsis.

And the only reason you need a book proposal is if you want to get your book picked up by a traditional publisher .

For most Authors, it’s better to skip traditional publishing and self-publish instead.

There are many good reasons for that:

• You’ll need a literary agent
• It’s nearly impossible to get a deal
• You won’t own the rights to your book or have full creative control
• It’ll take forever to hit the market
• It’ll be a lot less lucrative
• You can’t market your book in the ways that will help you get the best ROI

That said, there are some Authors whose books and goals are a better fit for a traditional publisher. If you’re one of those select few, you’ll need to write a good synopsis in order to sell your book.

This post will teach you how to write the overview section of the proposal, which gives potential agents and acquisitions editors a short synopsis of your book.

A synopsis is a brief summary of the content of your book, its target audience, and its major selling points.

People are more familiar with synopses when it comes to creative writing or movie synopses. Those kinds of summaries introduce you to the main characters, major plot points, subplots, and character motivations of a story.

With a nonfiction book, the overview works differently. It’s not primarily about the content or the “main plot” of the book. Instead, it’s designed to show a potential agent or acquisitions editor at a publishing house what your book will cover, what audience will want to read it, and why it’s appealing to that audience.

Think of the overview of your book proposal as a sales letter. You want to show the reader that there are a lot of people with an urgent problem and that the content of your book is going to help them solve it.

As I said above, not all Authors need a synopsis . But I should clarify: a synopsis is not the same as a book description .

The purpose of a book description is to hook readers’ attention and convince them to keep reading. It’s what goes on the back cover of your book. Every Author needs one of those.

A synopsis is designed to walk an editor through your argument and convince them that your book is worth writing and, ultimately, worth selling.

In other words, a synopsis doesn’t focus on your idea . It’s about your book’s commercial potential.

The biggest mistake Authors make in writing synopses is talking too much about the following:

• how important the idea is
• why they want to write the book
• why they think people should want to read it.

All those things sound logical, right?

But publishers don’t want to know what you—the Author—cares about or wants.

They want to know what readers care about, and more importantly, what will make a reader buy the book.

The synopsis should focus on the content just enough for the editor to understand what your book will say. It’s more important to show how that content relates to the needs, problems, and desires of your target audience.

A book proposal includes many elements, including an Author bio , marketing plan, chapter outline, and writing sample. But out of the entire proposal, the two things that will sell it are the overview (a.k.a., synopsis) and the marketing plan.

It’s critical to get those right.

The goal of a synopsis is to convince an agent (and later, an acquisitions editor) that:

• your audience exists, and they’re just waiting to buy your book
• the reasons why they’re waiting to buy your book

It’s not enough to say, “I’m writing on such-and-such subject” (even if you have data that people are interested in that subject).

For example, just because people like ice cream, it doesn’t mean they will want to buy your book on ice cream.

Your synopsis should make a clear case for why people will buy your specific book .

A compelling synopsis doesn’t only provide information; it convinces. It has to answer all the questions in an editor’s mind, including:

• Why are people going to care about what you have to say?
• Why is anyone going to care about the book?
• What need is it filling?
• What problem does it solve?
• What transformation will it create?
• What hole in people’s lives does it fill?

Acquisitions editors at traditional publishing houses like to think of their job as cultivating and curating the national conversation.

So, synopsis writing is all about persuading editors that your book is going to be the next big thing. It has to make an editor feel like they’re ahead of the curve by discovering you and your idea.

Here’s the ideal situation: an acquisition editor reads your overview and thinks, “Wow, this is really obvious, but no one sees it yet—except for me. I’ll be the one who gets to unveil this book to the world!”

If your overview does that, potential agents will be interested in it because they know that acquisition editors will want it.

Here are 2 examples of great proposals:

• This is the proposal for Author Steve Sims’ bestseller, Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen . Scribe helped with this proposal, and Steve earned a low six-figure advance from an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
• This is the proposal for my book with Geoffrey Miller, which we wrote with Nils Parker. We sold the book for low seven figures to Little, Brown. This book started off as Mate: Become the Man Women Want , but for the paperback, the publisher changed the name to What Women Want .

Those links will take you to the complete proposal, not just the overview. If you’re writing a book proposal, I recommend checking them out in their entirety.

But below, I’m only going to focus on the synopses. I’ll explain how each of them addresses the main questions in an editor’s mind.

1. Why Are People Going to Care About What You Have to Say?

In the proposal for Mate , Geoffrey and I didn’t just outline our credentials. We also explained how Mate would build on our pre-existing professional platforms.

Collectively, we had over 3 million subscribers to our email lists. We also had a clear, statistically supported breakdown of the audience who would benefit from the book: romantically frustrated young men.

We focused briefly on the origins of the idea, but when we talked about ourselves, it was mainly to show why our respective followings would care about this new collaboration.

An editor reading this would immediately know:

• we were Authors with a huge following
• our following had a problem
• we knew how to solve it

2. Why Is Anyone Going to Care About the Book?

Steve’s proposal had an aspirational hook: he helps people make their wildest dreams come true.

As the founder of Bluefish, an exclusive luxury concierge service, Steve’s professional background gave him privileged insight.

He not only had access to the outrageous, impossible adventures of billionaires — he also understood the deeper psychological motivations behind them.

In other words, the book wasn’t just a riveting tell-all about journeys to the bottom of the sea or dining at the feet of Michelangelo’s David .

It was also a guide to happiness for the average person.

Steve explained how his book tapped into people’s desires for fantasy fulfillment and recognized the desire for personal growth and fulfillment.

He addressed this unique perspective with the line, “You don’t have to be a billionaire. All you need is this book.”

That’s what set his book apart and made his audience take notice.

3. What Need Is It Filling?

Geoffrey and I realized something strange was going on when a lot of my fans were looking to my drunk hook-up stories for advice.

Instead of writing these readers off, we wondered why that was happening.

What was the need they were trying to fill by reading my books? And how could we write a book that would fill that need better?

Here’s how we positioned that need in the proposal:

For Tucker, however, it was a revelation: for years he had struggled with the fact that many of his biggest fans were, to be kind, raging douchebags. At book signings, speaking engagements, parties, on the street, they would come up to him to take a picture or shake his hand and invariably their favorite parts of his books would be the parts they should be most ashamed of; the parts Tucker had included to make himself the butt of the joke.

It was no wonder so many of his male fans were such maladjusted idiots–they weren’t using those moments as cautionary tales, they were using them as a guide. But why??

The short answer: that’s all there was.

That was a turning point. It helped us understand what problem we needed to solve and what was at stake in writing Mate .

It was also crystal clear evidence for editors. It showed them how the book would fulfill an audience’s specific needs.

4. What Problem Does It Solve?

Steve’s book proposal started with a bang.

Who doesn’t want to hear about getting married by the Pope or getting chased by spies in a James Bond simulation?

That’s a great hook, but it’s not enough to sell a book. A good synopsis shows how the book will actually solve a problem.

As the proposal continued, readers learned that the real problem at the heart of the book was how to tap into the “pure joy that so many of us bury as we become successful grownups with jobs and families and responsibilities.”

Steve went on to show how those attention-grabbing stories could help solve that problem:

Money can’t buy you happiness. There’s the problem.

And here’s the solution: “Throughout the chapters, he shares his secrets for achieving the impossible and making your own bucket-list dreams come true.”

Steve’s synopsis was successful because he guided the reader through a clear story arc: hook, problem, and solution.

5. What Transformation Will It Create?

The proposal for Mate tackled the question of reader transformation head-on:

This brief passage explained the “who,” “how,” and “why,” while also including the pain point and benefits. In just a few sentences, we showed why readers would be interested in this material.

In another section of the proposal, we also broke the benefits down thematically—scientifically, what will readers learn? Ethically, what insights will they gain? And practically, what will they walk away with?

In the first paragraph, we also compared the book to ground-breaking books that created analogous transformations. That made it immediately evident to editors what kind of market space the book could fill.

6. What Hole in People’s Lives Does It Fill?

Steve took a common, relatable concept—”the bucket list”—and gave it a new cast.

He explained, “The words have a light, frivolous ring to them, but they hint at something deeper.”

That “something deeper” was the hole his book filled.

Steve showed the reader that his book wasn’t just about rich people looking for thrills. It was about tapping into a near-universal longing for childlike joy.

The stories in the book were about the rich and famous, but the psychological drive behind them was something his target audience would relate to.

This showed editors that the book had broader commercial potential. It wasn’t just “inside baseball” for an elite audience.

The Scribe Crew

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What is a book synopsis?

How to Write a Great Book Synopsis

The book synopsis is a mighty tool in your agent submission packet.

And yet, I know exactly zero writers who look forward to writing their synopsis. If you’re a first-time novelist, you may be especially resistant to the task.

After all, you spent months—or more likely years — crafting this masterpiece . You have workshopped your book within an inch of its life so you can offer agents a spellbinding tale they’ll be proud to shop to publishers.

But they want a book synopsis ? A mere shadow of the literary voyage you wrenched loose from the depths of your soul?

Yep! That’s exactly what they want. And the better you understand the purpose of the synopsis, the more you realize that it’s actually a pretty fair request. You also come to appreciate that this summary isn’t just a way to earn the trust of an agent. It’s a form of storytelling unto itself. If you’ve been sweating your summary, tearing through book synopsis examples looking for the secret formula, I can help. Let’s start with the basics. What is a book synopsis, anyway?

What is a Book Synopsis?

A book synopsis is a 1-3 page telling of your story. Or, in the case of non-narrative nonfiction, it’s a short description of what you cover in your book.

This is different from a blurb , the short description on the back of the book that lures the reader in. Your goal with a book synopsis is not to leave the reader desperate to learn what happens next. Rather, a synopsis shows an agent or publisher that you have crafted (or will craft) a compelling, marketable book.

‍ If your book is fiction or narrative nonfiction (like a memoir or biography), your book synopsis tells an agent or publisher:

• Who your protagonist is.
• The time and place of your story.
• Major beats and twists.
• How the story ends.

If your book is non-narrative nonfiction (like a self-help book or a how-to), your synopsis explains:

• What problem your book solves.
• Who your readers are.
• Why you are qualified to write this book.
• A chapter-by-chapter breakdown of the topics covered.

Why do you need a whole new document to share this information? Why can’t your book just speak for itself?

Great question.

Why Do You Need a Book Synopsis?

For one thing, nonfiction writers who plan to publish traditionally don’t typically submit a completed manuscript to agents. Instead, they pitch their idea and only write the full manuscript after they’ve gotten an agent and that agent has sold the book.

If you write nonfiction, the document you use to pitch your book (and yourself), is called a book proposal . Your book proposal must include— ta-da! —a book synopsis.

If you write fiction , you’re trying to sell a completed manuscript. That manuscript is probably 70,000+ words long. And while you know those are 70,000+ words of pure genius, the agent considering you doesn’t know that.

This agent gets 100 queries a day, and the quality of those queries varies dramatically. You have to convince them that your manuscript is worth their time. You do this by sending:

• a query that promises a strong premise,
• opening pages that demonstrate a clear voice and engaging storytelling, and
• a book synopsis that proves you know how to craft a character and story.

Once the agent (and eventually publisher) sees that you know what you’re doing, then they’ll invest the time to read the full manuscript.

How to Structure a Good Book Synopsis

Your book synopsis structure depends on the type of book. For fiction and narrative nonfiction , present the following information in this order:

• State your genre and subgenre.
• Write the pitch line —a one-sentence summary of your overall concept and hook.
• Note: These first two ingredients often go together. (“Frankenstein is a gothic science fiction novel about an ambitious young scientist who reanimates a human corpse, only to create a vengeful monster he must now destroy.”)
• Introduce your protagonist and setting as they are when your book opens. Keep it simple. (“A curious and defiant orphan, Jane Eyre (10) struggles through life at her late uncle’s dreary estate, where she is unwanted, abused, and neglected.”)
• Continue telling your story through to the end. If your story jumps back and forth between timelines, present story beats in the order they appear in your book.

As for nonfiction :

• Introduce the problem your book solves. Make sure the benefit to the readers is super clear.
• Introduce yourself. Why are you the person to fix this problem?
• Provide a short description of each chapter. This should give the reader a clear understanding of how this book follows through on its promise to guide readers.

How to Format a Good Book Synopsis

Now to make this thing look professional.

‍ Typically , your book synopsis format should include:

• The title + “Synopsis” at the top. (Ex: “LORD OF THE FLIES Synopsis”)
• “By” + your name beneath the title. (“By William Golding”)
• Double spacing.
• Times new roman font, 12 pt.
• 1-inch margins.
• Indented paragraphs.
• Character names in either bold or all caps when first introduced.
• Protagonist’s age in parentheses behind their name upon introduction.
• Page numbers in the top right-hand corner (unless it’s a one-page synopsis).
• Correct grammar and punctuation .

Finally: check the agent or publisher’s requirements for formatting and length. At the very least, they will ask for a specific word or page count. Give the people what they want.

What to Include when Writing Your Book Synopsis

How are you supposed to boil this great masterpiece of yours down to one or two pages? What do you keep and what do you discard? For fiction and narrative nonfiction , your reader wants to know:

• The category and genre of your book.
• What motivates your protagonist.
• The world of your story.
• Who the major side characters are. (Try to keep the number of side characters you introduce to a minimum. Major players only.)
• The central conflict.
• The narrative arc.
• Major twists or reveals.
• How the story ends and how your character has changed through their journey.

Nonfiction authors, you want to include:

• The problem you are solving or knowledge gap your book fills.
• Why this information is life-changing, relevant, or timely.
• Who this book is for.
• Why you are the best person to write this book.
• A broad overview of each chapter.

Ideally, your book synopsis also provides a sense of tone and narrative voice.

What to Avoid When Writing a Book Synopsis

Heads-up: any of the following missteps could make an agent think you’re not a serious candidate:

• You write your novel synopsis in first person. Even if your novel is written in first person point of view , the novel synopsis is always in third.
• You write in past tense. A book synopsis should be written in present tense. The only exception is for memoir.
• You talk about your book instead of telling the story. (Don’t do this: “The book then transitions to act three where Burt storms the castle.” Do this: “Newly motivated, Burt storms the castle.” )
• You add too much —a dozen side characters, a lot of details about the trees wavering the breeze, an in-depth psychological profile of your protagonist, etc.
• You disregard the preferred word count. Keep two or three synopses of varying lengths on file to meet differing guidelines.
• You leave them with unanswered questions. Agents and publishers need to know the surprise twist, the powerful resolution, or your secret to making seven figures on Etsy.
• You give your file a vague name, like synopsis.doc . Slap a title on there. Maybe your last name. Don’t let it get lost in their download file.
• You praise your own book. Don’t call your book a “tour de force.” Don’t promise a bestseller, envision film options, or claim to be the next JK Rowling. It’s the agent’s job to imagine those possibilities. Your job is to tell a great story with the potential to fulfill their professional fantasies.

How to Write a Book Synopsis for a Fiction Book or a Narrative Nonfiction Book

Now you know all the do’s and all the don’t-you-dares. How do you actually make it happen? Like all things writing, time and practice will reveal the best methods for you. In the meantime, I recommend tackling your novel or narrative nonfiction book synopsis by shifting your perspective.

Stop thinking about your book synopsis as an abbreviated version of your book. Instead, start from the core concept and build out.

This is what I mean:

Write your pitch line

Example: “(Title) is a (genre/subgenre) about a (protagonist) in a (setting) who has a (motivation) to achieve a (goal) despite an (obstacle.)”

Write an outline of your major beats

Flesh that outline into a synopsis that meets your reader’s word count requirements.

The trick is to add details that make the major beats more vivid. Help the reader understand how the protagonist evolves through each twist and reveal. Pro tip: Dabble’s plot grid is a great tool for nailing down those major beats . If you used Dabble to write your novel, return to your original plot grid, identify the big plot points, and use your notes to create a synopsis. If you haven’t created a plot grid for your story, make one now!

How to Write a Book Synopsis for a Nonfiction Book

The nice thing about writing a nonfiction book synopsis is that you haven’t written the book itself yet. You’re still planning; you don’t have the novelist’s struggle of getting hung up on minor details that now feel essential to the telling of the story.The challenge you do have as a non-narrative nonfiction writer is that you have to make an argument for the book’s marketability. This means you need to do a lot of research on your readership, your topic, your field, competing books, or anything else that helps you answer the questions:

• Why this topic?
• And why me?

Once you can answer those questions, you want to pack them neatly into one paragraph. Remember to avoid gushing about your own genius. Don’t tell the agent or publisher this book will be a bestseller. Do tell them about your 500,000 newsletter subscribers.

Then, spill your secrets using the same structure you plan to use in your book. Will each chapter explain the next step in the reader’s roadmap to financial independence? Will your daily meditations be categorized into subtopics like gratitude and forgiveness?

If it helps, start with an outline, then add the most essential details, clarifying the contents of each chapter in a short paragraph.

Once you have it all down, read over your nonfiction book synopsis. Ask yourself: Am I convinced? Does this sound like a book that will stand out in its market? If not, workshop and revise. Lean on your writer friends to help you out.

Above All, Write Well

Your book synopsis is not just a summary of your book.

It is the tool that helps you turn a file on your computer into a book on your local bookstore’s New Releases table. So take your time and write well. Consult great book synopsis examples and turn to your writing community for feedback. Even though you have to lose a lot of the details that make your book magical, you can still create a sense of narrative voice in your synopsis.

You can find ways to stir emotion, inject humor, or inspire connection. Easier said than done? For sure. But you pulled it off when you were writing your manuscript, and though the process is different, the purpose is the same.

You’re telling a story… a story only you can tell.

Give it all you’ve got.

‍ Need a little help structuring your story , writing your book, or keeping track of all seventeen versions of your synopsis? Dabble has all the features you need to simplify the authoring process. Click here to start your 14-day free trial.

Abi Wurdeman is the author of Cross-Section of a Human Heart: A Memoir of Early Adulthood, as well as the novella, Holiday Gifts for Insufferable People. She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. On occasion, Abi pretends to be a poet. One of her poems is (legally) stamped into a sidewalk in Santa Clarita, California. When she’s not writing, Abi is most likely hiking, reading, or texting her mother pictures of her houseplants to ask why they look like that.

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Nathan Bransford | Writing, Book Editing, Publishing

Helping authors achieve their dreams

How to write a synopsis for a novel

August 8, 2022 by Nathan Bransford

Of all the things you will write throughout the publishing process, a synopsis may be what you dread the most.

It’s not fun to have to shoehorn an entire novel into a relatively brief one-four page summary. But if you follow just a few relatively simple steps and follow the guidance in this post, it may still be a pain, but it won’t be endlessly hard.

Writing a synopsis: Not as terrible as you might think!

If you need personalized help with your synopsis: REACH OUT TO ME FOR EDITING!

In this post I’ll cover:

What is a synopsis for a novel?

What about a nonfiction synopsis, how to write a good synopsis, why it’s important to summarize through specificity, use a consistent voice, don’t worry about spoilers, how to format a synopsis, a sample synopsis for jacob wonderbar and the cosmic space kapow, why you shouldn’t overthink a synopsis.

A synopsis is a 1.5 to 4 page single-spaced summary of what happens in your novel. That’s it. It’s an end-to-end summary of the plot from start to finish.

Don’t worry about spoilers. And do include how it ends.

Agents and editors typically use synopses as reference documents. They use them to get a sense of the overall plot. They also sometimes use them later on as handy refreshers when their memories fade about character names and plot points. Agents don’t typically rely on them to decide whether to pass on a book project barring significant red flags. The query letter is typically far more important, so I’d devote most of your energy there.

If a publisher is considering a multi-book deal, you may also have to write synopses for future installments of your series to give an editor a sense of where you want to take the narrative.

Authors sometimes feel like they shouldn’t have to be bothered summarizing their work. And sometimes they want to pay someone else to write their synopsis.

“It’s a different skill!” they yelp to me. “I’m a good writer but I’m a bad summarizer!”

But think about how many times you’re going to have to summarize your work during the book publishing process:

• When you friends ask you about your book, you have to summarize your book.
• When you talk with people in the book business, you have to summarize your book.
• When you stand up at a reading, you have to summarize your book.
• When you become massively famous and are on a talk show, you have to summarize your book.

Get used to summarizing your book. Better yet: get good at it . Take responsibility for this part of the process. Make other people want to read your book.

While I’m more than happy to help you edit your synopsis , I refuse to write first drafts for authors out of principle. You need to take ownership over this step and take the first crack at synthesizing the plot.

For memoirs, the “rules” of writing a synopsis are typically the same as for a novel. Because memoirs unfold like novels, you can apply the guidance for fiction and just give an end-to-end summary of what happens.

For other types of nonfiction, in book proposals there is usually a chapter-by-chapter summary that essentially functions as a synopsis.

However, there aren’t universal standards for synopses within the industry and an agent may still ask you for a synopsis for nonfiction. If they do, just remember that the goal is to provide an end-to-end summary of what’s in the book (or what’s going to be in the book if you’ve just written a book proposal).

How do you do that?

Start by writing your query letter. I have a query letter template that is a good place to start, and those same key ingredients (setting, complicating incident, villain, protagonist’s quest) should be present in the synopsis.

Think of a synopsis as a longer query letter that includes how the book ends. You have more room to include more detail and depth about the plot and key subplots, but the synopsis should still cover the arc of the book in a relatively succinct way.

As in a query letter, ditch all discussion of themes and what the novel  means . Focus on what  happens . You don’t need a meta-summary or log-line at the start of the synopsis. Just start where the novel starts and end where it ends.

Here are some key elements that set snappy synopses apart from dreary ones.

Just as in a query , the more detail and specificity you can infuse into the synopsis, the more it will come to life and the clearer it will be. “Nathan was over-caffeinated” and “Nathan was so amped he scraped the silver off the Red Bull” may describe the same moment, but one has a lot more life to it than the other. (And uh. No. That didn’t happen why do you ask.)

Some summarizing will be necessary, but those little moments where you show what makes your characters, events, and setting unique will make the synopsis sparkle. Don’t devolve into generalities and largely-meaningless abstractions like “A fight ensues.” Be very specific about who is doing what and why, and describe action with precision. Swap out “A fight ensued” with “Nathan swats the mutant bat invader with a tennis racquet and banishes it from the apartment.”

Don’t pre-package the events into abstract psychologizing where you’ve already digested the events for the agent and tell them what it means, like “Nathan’s fear of intimacy rears its head.” Instead, show what that zoomed out summary is actually describing: “Nathan leaves three of his crush’s texts on read.”

Particularly for science fiction and fantasy, make sure you’re pausing to provide crisp, clear context for any concepts a reader would be unfamiliar with. Don’t just drop in a mention of a Silver Thingamabob without telling us what that means in the world of your novel. You must find a way to see what is and isn’t on the page and what the reader has sufficient context to understand.

And above all: Make sure your protagonist’s motivations and the stakes are clear. What happens if the protagonist succeeds or fails? Infuse the synopsis with that information so the agent knows why they should care about the events of the novel.

If you wrote a novel with multiple POVs or if it has a unique or nonlinear structure , it may be difficult to figure out how to organize a synopsis. You don’t want to write a synopsis that constantly zigzags between different plot lines and characters or you’re going to bewilder the reader.

Instead, don’t be beholden to the precise sequence in which events unfold in your novel . You don’t have to follow an alternating-character structure in the synopsis that mimics the novel. Try as much as possible to “get above it” and focus on describing the essential events in a way that’s clear to the reader. Err on the side of being clear rather than constraining yourself to how the novel precisely unfolds.

That could mean sticking to one character per paragraph, or it could mean describing the plot from a gods-eye perspective.

Write your synopsis in third person present tense even if your novel is written in first person or past tense. (First or third person is acceptable for memoirs, but I usually prefer third person for memoirs too).

Whatever you do, optimize for clarity and cohesion rather than being a stickler for mimicking how the novel is structured.

Agents and editors know they’re going to read your book many times over the course of the publication process. They’re not worried about spoilers.

In fact, agents and editors read so many books and are so well-acquainted with the sausage-making of writing that…

• They probably aren’t going to be surprised by even the surprise-iest of endings. Surprises are for mortal readers.
• They are experienced enough to do the mental jujitsu of judging whether an ending will be surprising to someone who has never read the book even though the agent/editor knows exactly how it ends . They can put themselves in another reader’s shoes and judge it that way.

So yeah. Spoil away.

Unlike the way manuscripts are formatted , synopses are single-spaced, and are 1.5 to 4 pages long depending on the length and complexity of the novel. The sweet spot is usually on the shorter side: 1.5 to 2.5 pages.

Sometimes agents will ask for a “short” or “brief” synopsis, and unfortunately there isn’t really a universal standard on what they mean by that. Short synopses are typically less than a page, and some authors decide to write short and long versions of their synopses to accommodate individual agents’ preferences.

Unless otherwise specified, the default is 1.5 to 2.5 pages.

Put your book title and your name at the top and include the word “Synopsis” so an agent can easily see what it is.

As with manuscripts , Times New Roman 12pt font is standard. Use 0.5″ indents and, again, single -space the rest. Don’t include any extra spacing before or after paragraphs, and it’s not necessary to break up the synopsis into chapters or parts.

Make sure you have a footer with your name and the page number in case the agent prints the synopsis out.

Sometimes authors capitalize character names the first time they’re mentioned, but in my experience that’s optional.

Fun fact: I never actually wrote a synopsis for my middle grade novel Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow , which went on to be published by Dial Books for Young Readers at Penguin. Like many authors, I dreaded writing a synopsis. So I decided I would write one only if an agent asked for one. No one did!

But in order to give you a sense of how I would approach writing a synopsis, I wrote one anyway. You’re welcome haha.

Here it is: My synopsis for Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow

To download it to use as a template, go through the File menu within the doc and download it as a .docx file. Please do not ask me for Edit permissions on the Google Doc.

At the end of the day, it is highly unlikely that an your book is going to be made or broken by how well you write a synopsis. It’s not something that will likely see the light of day beyond your agent or editor. Compared to a query letter or, ya know, the actual manuscript, it’s not likely to factor highly into whether you book sinks or swims.

So don’t spend months on it.

Still: have fun with your synopsis and use it as valuable practice for summarizing your book in a most-awesome way.

Need help with your book? I’m available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching ! For my best advice, check out my online classes , my guide to writing a novel and my guide to publishing a book . And if you like this post: subscribe to my newsletter !

Art: A Vanitas by Evert Collier

Reader Interactions

October 31, 2017 at 1:12 pm

This is wonderful! I am in the camp of “it is as terrible as you might think” though, I find it super painful and never feel like I have it just right. Up there with writing cover letters. But this helps.

October 31, 2017 at 3:39 pm

“Agents and editors will use synopses to get a sense of the overall plot of the novel (and also as a handy refresher when memories start to fade through time on certain character names and plot points).” Handy for us authors too! Forgetting one’s characters’ names might seem a terrible faux pas, but Stan Lee, for example, gave his comic book characters alliterative names like ‘Peter Parker’ so he could remember them more easily.

And thinking of the synopsis as an expended query more than a shrunken novel sounds like a good approach.

Surprises are for mortal readers? So agents and editors are immortal, like vampires? How very seasonal!

Thanks for this, Nathan, and Happy Halloween!

November 1, 2017 at 1:35 pm

Thanks for this post. I’ve been struggling with writing a synopsis to use as a guideline for finishing my manuscript.

November 7, 2017 at 9:43 am

Nathan – Three words, ‘Dread the Most’. Yes I do. Nathan – Four words, ‘Get Good at it’. Yes I will.

November 7, 2017 at 9:45 am

[Thumbs up emoji]

November 29, 2017 at 9:16 am

I hardly ever comment on the same article twice but this is the exception. I have a question: It looks like you have a forum. Would my synopsis be a good place to take it to? I think I have a good one but I’ve been wrong on these gut feelings before. I’m kind of on the fence with this.

February 2, 2022 at 10:23 pm

I am grateful for what you do for writers seeking publication. I’d started checking out agents, and discovered agents want more than 10 pages and a query. A synopsis, and it all goes into an online form, OMG.

Thank you for your guidance on how to…

I have subscribed to your newsletter. For backstory, I found your post on Facebook. Thank you.

June 14, 2022 at 2:37 pm

You mention that we don’t “need” a log line at the beginning of a query, but should we avoid it? I always come up with one and wonder if it’s a good or bad idea to start a query with it between the salutation and body of the query. Since I’m querying 2 novels at the moment, I’d really be interested in hearing your thoughts on it.

June 29, 2022 at 11:20 pm

Part of my confusion with a synopsis is some publishers/agents are specific about length while others make no mention of it. Sometimes it’s one page, and at other times it’s five. Many publishers/agents make no mention of length which leaves me wondering what to do.

June 30, 2022 at 12:58 pm

1.5-2.5 single-spaced pages is the “default,” if other agents ask for a different length you may need to adapt accordingly.

April 5, 2023 at 2:00 pm

This was written a while ago, but I was hoping you might be able to answer a question.

I keep getting confused about the synopsis, because some people say it’s basically what you’d read on the book jacket, and others say it’s literally a full length synopsis. Which is it really? How can I know which one the agent is asking for?

My book follows three protagonists who, though largely connected, spend time apart, obviously, so I feel like it would be difficult summarizing the overlap, and the word count would extend significantly.

April 5, 2023 at 2:15 pm

Have you read the post?

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Home / Book Publishing / What is a Synopsis? Definition and How to Write a Good One

What is a Synopsis? Definition and How to Write a Good One

There are many types of synopses (the plural of synopsis). If you're surfing Netflix looking for something to watch, the little description of each movie or show could be considered a synopsis. You could even say that the “blurb” you peruse when choosing something to read is a book synopsis.

But if you're looking to get published by a traditional or hybrid publisher , then you'll need to know all about a different type of synopsis. And that's just what we'll uncover as we answer the question: What is a synopsis?

• What differentiates synopses.
• What to include in your book synopsis.
• Tips for writing a great synopsis.

Table of contents

• What is a Synopsis?
• What is a Blurb?
• Why Would You Need to Write a Synopsis?
• What to Include in Your Synopsis 
• Step 1: Write it All Down
• Step 2: Focus on Conflict
• Synopsis Example
• Step 3: Spend Some Time on RoadBlocks and Character
• Step 4: Go For Broke
• Step 5: Revise and Repeat
• What is a Synopsis: Conclusion

Getting Your Synopses Straight

With all the different types of “blurbs” or synopses out there, it can be hard to figure out which one is right for you. After all, there are synopses for all kinds of things—books, video games, films, and even academic papers. And that's not even including things that many people think of when they think of a synopsis (like the Netflix analogy in the introduction). 

But in order to write a good synopsis, you first need to understand how they differ from a “blurb” or description.  

A synopsis is a brief yet thorough description of a piece of work. It includes the major conflict, plot points, character arc, story arc, setting, themes, major characters, genre, and style. A synopsis is designed to give the reader an accurate idea of what the story is about—and this includes major spoilers in works of fiction. In nonfiction, it outlines how the author goes about answering the overall question the book poses. 

A blurb or description is a brief summary or teaser of a book designed to get the potential reader to purchase it. Unlike a synopsis, it doesn't include major spoilers and provides no details on how the story shakes out. Essentially, a blurb is supposed to create intrigue, giving readers a hint at what awaits them in the pages.  

Pro Tip: Check out our article on writing a compelling blurb here . 

Formatting Has Never Been Easier

Write and format professional books with ease.  Never before has creating formatted books been easier.

A synopsis is a way for literary agents to determine what a book is about without actually reading the entire thing . In the movie-making world, a film synopsis does the same for producers, directors, or actors who may be interested in the project. 

As you can see, this is why a well-written synopsis will include major plot points, the entire narrative arc, and major spoilers. If a literary agent reads your synopsis and likes it, then they will probably go on to read the first several pages of the manuscript. And if they like that, they will read more. And before you know it, you may have an offer for representation from a literary agent!

After that, your synopsis will see more use as your agent shops your book around at publishing companies. But it all starts with the synopsis. This is why nailing it is very important if you want to take this publishing route.  

How to Write a Novel Synopsis

Writing a great synopsis is very different from writing a novel or even a blurb. But it's always important to check for specific requirements from literary agents , publishing companies, etc. Some require synopses to be as short as 500 words, while others expect around 800 to 1000 words. As a general rule, it's good to have both a shorter one and a longer one ready to go.  

To start off, you'll need to know what to include. 

Most literary professionals will expect to see a number of things in your synopsis. If you don't cover them all, then you decrease your chances of getting a publishing deal.  

• The five W's – Who (protagonist/antagonist), What (genre), Where (setting), When (present tense?), and Why ( character motivation ). 
• Major plot points – Inciting incident, roadblocks, rising action, climactic confrontation, and the resolution.
• Character arc – How your protagonist is changed from beginning to end. A story without a character arc often lacks intrigue. 
• Voice/Style – Although the synopsis is very different from writing a narrative, you should still convey your style and voice.  

Writing Your Synopsis

This may seem like a lot to include, but the steps below should help you make a plan and then write your own synopsis. 

Write down everything from the section above. The five Ws, the major plot points, and the character arc. They don’t have to be in any particular order. For that matter, you can type them in a blank document or write them freehand. You just want to have them down for easy reference so you don’t have to think about your whole novel as you write. 

The trick here is brevity. Write everything down, but only go into enough detail that someone who knows nothing of your story would be able to follow it . In a synopsis, the name of the game is tell, don’t show.  

Now that you have everything written down in as few words as possible, it’s time to start with the first paragraph of the actual synopsis. Within two or three sentences max, you want to tell about your main character’s “ ordinary world ” and then introduce the inciting incident. No matter what point of view your narrative is in, you’ll want to use third person and present tense for your synopsis. 

Using Die Hard as an example, it could start off something like this:

JOHN MCCLANE, a rough-around-the-edges NYC detective, is visiting his estranged wife in Los Angeles for a holiday party at her company’s headquarters. The Christmas Eve festivities are violently interrupted when a group of terrorists invade the skyscraper and take hostages, HOLLY MCCLANE among them.

In just the first sentence, we get a sense that the marriage is struggling and that McClane maybe isn’t the easiest person to be around. That’s all we need to know before getting into the inciting incident, which, in this case, is the terrorists taking over the building.  

You may also note that we get several of the Ws out of the way. Who: John McClane. Where: a skyscraper in Los Angeles. When: Christmas Even, present-day (because it’s not otherwise specified). We also get a glimpse at the protagonist’s character arc; in the end, John and Holly reconcile, which was why he flew out to LA in the first place.   

Pro Tip: Put character names in bold or capitalize them upon their first introduction in the synopsis. This helps the reader navigate.   

The bulk of your synopsis will be the stuff that happens between the inciting incident and the climax . This is where your protagonist and antagonist lock horns and the stakes increase. You can and should spend some time on this chunk of the main plot. Hit all the major plot points, including twists, if you have any.  

This is also where the antagonist’s power will become apparent (even if the antagonist is something like a harsh environment and not a “Big Bad.”) The bad guy puts up roadblocks and the good guy has to move past them. Tell about this, but gloss over the stuff that doesn’t really matter. Just make sure to include information about the character arc. 

Using the Die Hard synopsis example, I would include the fight John and Holly have right before they’re taken hostage and separated. This is important later because it weighs on John and he laments not getting to say he was sorry.

Pro Tip: Stick to only four or five named characters in the synopsis. Secondary characters can be referred to as the role they play (i.e. struggling actress or burly cop).  

Don’t forget to give everything away by the end of your synopsis. Every major plot point, every major plot twist, and the nitty-gritty of how the good guy wins (or loses, if it’s that kind of book). Don’t hold anything back.  

After you go for broke with the climax, provide a sentence or two on the resolution. Remember to add something about character development to round out the synopsis and put a nice bow on it.  

Once you’ve written your first draft, set it aside and try another version. Revise and edit. Play around with tone a bit to make sure your writing style is there (but not overpowering). Try writing the shorter synopsis. 

Once you think you’ve got a good one done, let it sit for a day or two before coming back to it and looking at it with a critical eye. Remember, if they don’t get past the synopsis, they won’t see how good the book is. 

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When you’re ready to start sending submission packages or query letters out, double-check that you’ve followed all of the agent’s (or publisher’s) submission guidelines . Some agents prefer single-spaced Times New Roman and 12-point font while others prefer double-spaced and 13-point font. Don’t forget to put [Title] Synopsis at the top of the page, along with your name. While getting a traditional publishing deal is a worthy way to go, consider self-publishing. Not only do you get to keep more royalties (like a lot more), but you also get to control your own destiny as an author. Check out this guide on the basics of self-publishing to learn more.

Dave Chesson

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Marissa Meyer

6 steps for writing a book synopsis.

Confession: I enjoy writing query letters. I know that most writers loathe them, but I always thought the query letter was kind of a fun challenge. The challenge of trying to distill your novel down to its essence, giving just enough information to draw the agent or editor in to the story, but without giving away so much that the manuscript loses all sense of mystery.

However, I feel quite differently about the second-most dreaded item of many submission packages: the Synopsis .

The book synopsis is that three- or four-page snapshot of the book, that essentially tells your story from beginning to end, while seemingly stripping it of any intrigue, humor, or emotional resonance. To me, writing a synopsis that could leave a reader still wanting to read the actual manuscript always seemed like a much bigger challenge than the query letter.

Unfortunately, it turns out that getting published does not necessarily mean we don’t ever have to write a synopsis again.

Last January, when it came time for my agent and I to start talking with my publisher about My Next Book (which was the Super Secret Project I wrote during NaNoWriMo last November), the submission package we pulled together was remarkably similar to the package we’d used to sell the Lunar Chronicles:

– A pitch letter (similar to a query), illustrating the concept and major conflict of the book.

– The first 50 pages, edited and polished to a glowy sheen.

– The synopsis of the book (although some plot points are subject to change).

So rather than whine and complain about how much I hate writing synopses, I decided to take the opportunity to embrace the synopsis writing challenge, and figure out a process for writing the synopsis that didn’t seem quite so painful and intimidating and, in the end, left me with something I was pleased to show my editor.

I’m not allowed to really talk about my new project,* so I’m going to use examples from the synopsis I wrote for CINDER way back when.

Step 0: Write the book!

If the book isn’t written yet, I feel like you’re writing an outline, not a synopsis, and I’ve talked about outline writing at length in previous blog posts. For the purpose of this synopsis-specific guide, let’s assume you have the book drafted out, or even completed.

Step 1: Skim through the manuscript, noting the important events of each chapter.

Try to boil every chapter down to just one or two sentences. What is the point of this chapter? What is the most important thing that happens?

Some chapters will be significantly longer than a sentence or two, particularly the opening chapters (as they tend to introduce a lot of information about the world and the main characters) and the climax (which could revolve around lots of complicated reveals and twists).

And yes, include the ending! From who wins the final battle to whether or not the protagonist hooks up with the love interest in the end. One of the main purposes of a synopsis is to show the full arcs of your plot and subplots, so don’t leave out those all-important resolutions.

Step 2. Embellish the beginning.

Just because you can’t use pages and pages to set up the world and protagonist’s character in the synopsis doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give the reader a little bit of foundation to stand on. The first paragraph of the synopsis should give the same basic information you convey through the book’s first chapter: where and when does this story take place, who is the protagonist, and what problem are they facing right off the bat?

Example: LINH CINDER is a cyborg, considered little more than a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother, ADRI. But her brain-machine interface has given her a unique skill with mechanics, making her, at sixteen, the best mechanic in New Beijing.

Step 3: String your short chapter summaries together, using standard synopsis formatting.

Here, it will begin to look like a story, but an incredibly sparse and drab one. Don’t worry about that. Just focus on getting all the technical formatting stuff figured out so you don’t have to re-write it all at the end.

Standard Synopsis Formatting

– Written in third person, present tense, regardless of what POV or tense the book is written in.

– The first mention of each character’s name is put in all-caps (so that they can be easily spotted).

Example: When she arrives home, she discovers her two stepsisters—arrogant PEARL and vivacious PEONY—being fitted in ball gowns.

Step 4: Read through, with a focus on plot.

Distilling each chapter down into just a sentence or two can lead to lots of apparent plot holes and lost information. Read through what you’ve written and check that every event in the story naturally leads into the next. Imagine beginning each sentence with a Because / Then structure, and insert further explanation or character motivations as necessary.

Example: Cinder is worried that if she doesn’t fix the hover, Adri will sell off IKO in order to pay for the repairs herself. That night, Cinder goes to the junkyard to find replacement parts…

(Could be read as: Because Cinder is worried . . . then she goes to the junkyard…)

Step 5. Read through, with a focus on character arc.

Now that the plot makes sense from beginning to end, check that you’re adequately showing how your protagonist evolves as a result of the events in the story. Do readers get a sense of who they are at the beginning and how they’ve changed by the end? Look for those Big Moments in the story that change your protagonist’s attitudes and goals. Indicate how those moments effect the protagonist emotionally, and show how their goals and motivations change as a result.

Example: Without Iko and Peony keeping her tied to Adri, Cinder vows to fix up the abandoned car she saw in the junkyard and run away.

Step 6. Trim and edit.

Now that you have all the necessary information, read through a few more times and trim it up as much as you can. Be ruthless when it comes to removing excess words and phrases that don’t help you tell the story. Choose your descriptive words carefully, ensuring that you’re using words that carry a lot of weight. My book synopses for CINDER and New Secret Project both came in around the 1,500-2,000 word range, and that’s not a lot of room to work with! So edit, edit, edit.

Happy synopsisizing, everyone!

* Okay, what I CAN tell you about my Super Secret NaNo 2012 Project is that YES, Macmillan did buy it, woot! That must have been one heck of a synopsis, right? 😉 More information to come… someday.

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The Angel of Death Has Some Reservations About His Job

Joy Williams distills much learning — from philosophy, religion and history — into 99 stories about the guy who takes your soul.

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By Dwight Garner

CONCERNING THE FUTURE OF SOULS: 99 Stories of Azrael , by Joy Williams

Last month, at the Vatican, Pope Francis told a group of visiting comedians that it was OK to laugh at God, so long as the joke didn’t hurt the feelings of believers or the poor. I grew up Roman Catholic; half of me was staggered by this news. The other half of me wondered if the pope had been dipping into the fiction of Joy Williams .

Williams is the daughter of a Congregational minister. Her work is shot through with flinty and anarchic varieties of religious experience. In her last book of short fiction, “ Ninety-Nine Stories of God ” (2016), the Lord wandered the planet as if he were Jeff Bridges in a floppy bathrobe in “The Big Lebowski.”

He drove a pink Jeep Wagoneer. He stood in line to get a shingles shot. He was a naturalist who thought Home Depot was for wimps. He attended a hot-dog eating contest and called it “the stupidest thing I’ve ever witnessed.” He longed to be in a demolition derby. He probably has $10 on the Mets this weekend.

Blasphemous? In Williams’s fiction, nearly everything she values is a) too important to take entirely seriously and b) fair game for sharp but mostly playful abuse. The abuse is proof of her love. Don DeLillo said it in “Underworld,” and I feel it keenly in my own life: The highest currency that can pass between certain friends is “the stand-up scorn that carries their affections.”

Williams, who turned 80 this year, resembles Mark Twain in the wildcat nature of her literary scorn. One of the best things about Twain’s nonfiction is that he will stop everything and criticize the hell out of a bird or a plant, deliver an absolute drubbing, simply because it happens to be in front of him. Thus, in “A Tramp Abroad,” “the average ant is a sham,” cats have lousy grammar, the Edelweiss flower is beastly ugly and so on. His original rants are longer and vastly more fun. On audio, these will make you stop in the street and bend over, laughing like a fool.

Williams writes with more feeling about nature than any writer I know — or, at least, with more feeling than any writer whose preciousness doesn’t make me want to refund my lunch into my shirt pocket — but like Twain she knows there are more weirdos in the natural world than Audubon can count. When a fern appears in her fiction, for example, it will sit there looking “crazier than hell.” It won’t “have much of an emotional life because it is insane.” Kids? They’re “fickle little nihilists.”Williams and Twain: They’re name-calling peas in a very small American pod.

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An Antidote to the Cult of Self-Discipline

A new novel sees procrastination as one of the last bastions of the creative mind.

Procrastination, or the art of doing the wrong things at one specifically wrong time, has become a bugbear of our productivity-obsessed era. Wasting resources? Everybody’s doing it! But wasting time? God forbid. Schemes to keep ourselves in efficiency mode—the rebranding of rest into self-care, and of hobbies into side hustles—have made procrastinating a tic that people are desperate to dispel; “life hacks” now govern life. As the anti-productivity champion Oliver Burkeman once put it , “Today’s cacophony of anti-procrastination advice seems rather sinister: a subtle way of inducing conformity, to get you to do what you ‘should’ be doing.” By that measure, the procrastinator is doing something revolutionary: using their time without aim. Take to the barricades, soldiers, and when you get there, do absolutely nothing!

The novel has been sniffily maligned throughout its history as a particularly potent vehicle for wasting time—unless, of course, it improves the reader in some way. (See: the 19th-century trend of silly female characters contracting brain rot from reading, which Jane Austen hilariously skewered with Northanger Abbey ’s Catherine Morland.) Which makes Rosalind Brown’s tight, sly debut, Practice , a welcome gift for those who dither about their dithering. It presents procrastination as a vital, life-affirming antidote to the cult of self-discipline, while also giving the reader a delicious text with which to while away her leisure time.

In Practice , Annabel, a second-year Oxford student, wakes long before sunrise on a misty Sunday morning “at the worn-out end of January.” The day holds only one task—to write a paper on Shakespeare’s sonnets—but Annabel is a routinized being and must act accordingly: “The things she does, she does properly.” So first she makes herself tea (coffee will rattle her stomach) and leaves the radiator turned off to keep the room “cold and dim and full of quiet.” She settles in with a plan: a morning spent reading and note-taking, a lunch of raw veggies, a solo yoga session in the afternoon, writing, a perfectly timed post-dinner bowel movement. A day, in short, that is brimming with possibilities for producing an optimized self. Except that self keeps getting in its own way: Her mind and body, those dueling forces that alternately grab at our attention, repeatedly turn her away from Shakespeare. Very little writing actually takes place in Practice ; Annabel’s vaunted self-discipline encounters barrier after barrier. She wants to “thicken her own concentration,” but instead she takes walks, pees, fidgets, ambles down the unkept byways of her mind. She procrastinates like a champ.

Read: How to spend your time ‘poorly’

Brown’s novel elevates procrastination into an essential act, arguing that those pockets of time between stretches of productivity are where living and creating actually happen. Which makes procrastination one of the last bastions of the creative mind, a way to silently fight a hundred tiny rebellions a day. Screwing around, on the job and otherwise, isn’t just revenge against capitalism; it’s part of the work of living. And what better format for examining this anarchy than the novel, a form that is created by underpaid wandering minds?

Practice is technically a campus novel, but it makes far more sense as a complement to the recent spate of workplace fiction that wonders what exactly we’re all doing with our precious waking weekly hours. Some Millennial novelists, born in an era of prosperity and then launched into adulthood just as the usual signposts of success slid out of reach, have fixated on the workplace as a source of our discontent. Many of us were told in childhood that we can do anything we want, that “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Work was supposed to be a promised land of fulfillment, a place where your aptitudes would flourish and— bonus —you’d get paid. But no job could live up to such a high standard. It doesn’t help that a torrent of systemic issues—inadequate health care, drastic rent hikes, underfunding of the arts—have left members of this generation feeling like they’re dedicating 40-plus hours a week to treading water.

Recent literature has been flush with examples. In Helen Phillips’s The Beautiful Bureaucrat , a 20-something spends her workdays entering inexplicable series of numbers into “The Database” at a labyrinthine office. The job itself turns out to be vital to humanity, but compensation, explication, and basic human dignity aren’t on offer. Halle Butler’s The New Me features a 30-year-old working as a temp at a design firm, the kind of place populated by ash-blondes in “incomprehensible furry vests.” Her try-hard personality keeps her from climbing the office social ladder, which in turn leaves her pathetically shuffling papers and slipping further into loneliness, both at work and in her personal life. The young narrator of Hilary Leichter’s barely surreal Temporary takes gigs as a mannequin, a human barnacle, a ghost, and a murderer—but all she really wants is what she and the other temps call “the steadiness,” an existence in which work and life feel benignly predictable. According to these novels, the contemporary workplace turns us into machines, chops our intellect into disparate bits, and hands our precious attention over to the C-suite.

What’s missing in each of these characters’ lives is the space for rumination, the necessary lapses our brains need to live creatively, no matter our careers. Brown exquisitely spells out how procrastination is intrinsic to the imaginative process. Despite her professed allegiance to a schedule, Annabel interrupts her own routine early and often. Just after waking, she opens a window and then immediately wishes she could experience the feeling of opening it again: “She wants to know exactly how the cold blue light feels when it begins to appear, she doesn’t want to miss a single detail of the slow dawn , the reluctant winter morning .” While settled at her desk under a cape-like blue blanket, she spends as much time considering how to spend her time as she does actually spending it. She imagines her old tutor advising her to “look away from the text and out the window if you have to, try and pause your mind on the one thing.” Sure, she jots down occasional adjectives to describe Shakespeare and the mystery lover he courts in the sonnets, but most of Annabel’s focus is in the moment, in the rabbit hole of lightly connected memories and notions her brain accesses when it’s drifting off piste. Rather than turn her ideas into a work product, she listens to a robin sing, thinks through an unconsummated relationship from the past year, and fondly recollects her time studying Virginia Woolf—a writer who herself dwelled in the interstices of passing time.

Read: Procrastinating ourselves to death

Like Woolf, Brown understands that life is lived in the in-between moments, and that buckling down to produce a piece of art does not necessarily have the intended effect. (Anyone who has sat at a desk, desperate for the words to come, can affirm.) It’s no surprise, then, that Annabel admires Woolf, whose churning novels of the mind revolve around ordinary activities that are often waylaid by characters’ fancies and distractions. Mrs. Dalloway’s party planning ends up on the back burner as she considers alternate versions of her life; the Ramsay family fails to reach the tower at Godrevy in To the Lighthouse because their musings intervene; the children of The Waves spend as much time dallying as they do putting on their play. Similarly, Practice places Annabel’s decision making—what to write about the sonnets, whether her much-older boyfriend should visit her at college—on the same footing as her daydreams.

What Annabel senses, and Brown beautifully drives home, is that it’s the strange mental collisions between the thinking mind and the wandering mind that yield the most interesting results. These are the moments when artistry sneaks in unbidden; Annabel understands that if art is created out of life, the latter has to have space to happen. She copies out a line from the poetry critic Helen Vendler: “A critical ‘reading’ is the end product of an internalisation so complete that the word reading is not the right word for what happens when a text is on your mind. The text is part of what has made you who you are.” The creative life isn’t about doling a self out into different portions—it’s about sitting in the stew that a whole life makes and offering your perspective on it.

Annabel’s day turns extraordinary, albeit in small ways. She breaks a treasured brown mug, the one thing she’d rescue in a fire; this slash through her routine almost makes her cry. She finally decides whether to invite her boyfriend for a weekend, and maybe invite him deeper into her life. A tragedy in the bedroom next door jerks her toward the understanding that all lives are as complicated as her own. She also ends the day with no more than some notes and a few words on Shakespeare’s poems: “slick — bitter — nimble.” Who is to say if she’s been productive or not?

The art of procrastination requires confrontation—with our inefficiencies, with the allure of easy pleasure, with the fact that time will someday end for us. But we can melt into it. We can let ourselves float in the in-between. Perhaps with a meaningful, self-aware novel.

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Books | The Book Club: “Demon of Unrest” and more short…

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Books | the book club: “demon of unrest” and more short reviews from readers.

“Wish You Were Here,” by Jodi Picoult (Ballantine Books, 2021)

Most of us remember where we were when the world shut down on March 13, 2020. But what if, on March 14, an unprecedented virus arrived and challenged our version of what is reality, and what is real only to you? Diana, who lives in New York City, leads a sensible life, with the perfect fiance and a promising career as an art broker. But a solo trip to the beautiful Galapagos Islands has her questioning the trajectory she has so carefully planned out, as she is trapped there and isolated like many of us were at home, wondering how it could be that we were so vulnerable and unprepared. In her usual style, Picoult throws in a twist about halfway through that has the reader questioning his or her own memories of the early pandemic, what we have learned and how we each have evolved since. Are we the same as we were before it began, and would we want to be? — 3 1/2 stars (out of 4); Karen Hartman, Westminster

“The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War,” by Erik Larson (Crown, 2024)

How exactly did the U.S. Civil War really start?  That was the question that Larson set out to answer in this, his latest work of nonfiction. Larson’s exhaustive research drew on countless letters, telegrams and diaries, as well as historical and military documents. He highlights the opinions, actions and thoughts of political, military and everyday figures from both southern and northern states to portray dramatically the many threats and actual events that led up to the attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861, kicking off our Civil War. A riveting story rife with human errors, miscommunication, plenty of bluster and both moral and amoral individuals. It’s also a bit of a cautionary tale about underestimating extremists. — 3 1/2 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver

“The Paris Apartment,” by Kelly Bowen (Forever, 2021)

This novel has the misfortune of sharing a title with at least three other books. The Bowen version is the one I prefer because it contains several compelling and related stories, with characters and plotlines embedded in World War II and post-war. Aurelia inherits an opulent Paris apartment from her grandmother with a hidden treasure trove of famous art and couture gowns. She wants to return stolen items and starts working with Gabriel, an art restorer. Was Granny a schemer and opportunist, or a silent heroine? Why did she die sitting on all this wealth? The timelines and relationships across generations, along with mysteries from the Nazi period, keep readers eagerly following clues to solve puzzles and cheer for the good guys. — 2 1/2 stars (out of 4);  Bonnie McCune, Denver (bonniemccune.com)

“Flight of the Wild Swan,” by Melissa Pritchard (Bellevue Literary Press, 2024)

A fictionalized account of the life of Florence Nightingale, this novel portrays its subject as a willful child, adolescent breaker of norms and tenacious adult who overcomes many obstacles in her drive to effect improvements in the then-new field of nursing.  Her time in Crimea was particularly grim. Nightingale’s passion for her work and unyielding persistence earned her fame during her lifetime and worldwide recognition thereafter as a nursing pioneer.  An awe-inspiring story. — 3 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver  

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‘The Imaginary’ Review: What’s a Pretend Friend to Do When His Human Creator Outgrows Him?

Adapted from a British kids' book, the fanciful second feature from Studio Ponoc continues the lively tradition of its Ghibli-trained creators, but falls short in other respects.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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A decade ago, legendary director Hayao Miyazaki retired, sending Studio Ghibli’s team of animators to seek employment elsewhere. Those were dark, uncertain times for the industry, which explains why veteran Ghibli producer Yoshiaki Nishimura picked the word “ponoć” (which means “midnight” in Croatian) for his new studio: He wanted to convey a new dawn for some of the medium’s most talented artists.

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The story centers on a blond-haired kid named Rudger (Louie Rudge-Buchanan), who doesn’t really exist; he’s a figment of the imagination of young Amanda (Evie Kiszel), whose mother owns a bookshop — a place ripe for creativity. A few months earlier, Amanda’s dad died, and she willed her loyal pretend friend into being. All “imaginaries” (as the film calls them) are born for a reason, and Rudger was Amanda’s way of coping with that loss. It should be said that Japanese culture doesn’t have an equivalent for the Western idea of imaginary friends, which means the movie must establish the concept before putting Amanda’s make-believe buddy in peril.

To that end, “The Imaginary” opens with a spectacular demonstration of the power of Amanda’s creativity: She conjures an adventure-filled dream world of magical creatures, impossible physics (water flows upwards) and the sort of better-than-perfect skies one sees only in Mamoru Hosoda movies. At less than three minutes, this awe-inspiring amuse bouche is plenty to win us over, but also something of a tease — not nearly enough time to spend in Amanda’s make-believe domain.

Nearly all of what follows takes place in the real world, where a bald man with a bulbous nose and a flashy aloha shirt is on the lookout for imaginaries. Introducing himself as Mr. Bunting (Jeremy Swift), this sinister stranger is accompanied by a ghostly long-haired girl with pale skin and hollow eye sockets — obviously his own imaginary, though she looks like she might have escaped from a J-horror movie like “The Ring” or “The Grudge.” Though Mr. Bunting could pass for a clueless tourist, he’s in fact a centuries old villain who has achieved immortality by feeding off other children’s imaginaries. Once he gets a whiff of Rudger, he’s determined to consume Amanda’s make-believe companion.

Amanda and Rudger have a three-pronged pact: Whatever happens, never disappear, protect each other and never cry. But Mr. Bunting is hardly the only threat to their friendship. All around them, in the normal course of growing up, other children are abandoning their imaginary friends, who start to fade the instant their creators forget them, dissolving into clouds of yellow pixie dust. Though Amanda and Rudger’s bond seems stronger than that, it’s put in jeopardy when she’s hit by a car early in the film. The accident lands her in a coma, and leaves Rudger in danger of erasure — at which point, the narrative leaves Amanda and follows her endangered imaginary.

It should be no surprised that a movie called “The Imaginary” all but erupts with whimsical ideas, and on that front, this fanciful offering works. But it falls short in other fundamental ways, from the voice work (Studio Ponoc produces its own English-language dubs, but only Atwell breathes real personality into her performance) to the anime characters’ limited range of expressions. Too often, cookie-cutter faces freeze, unblinking and inscrutable but for their flapping mouths. Adapting a pre-existing novel gave Nishimura and Momose a solid starting point, but next time out, they’d do well to lean more on their own imaginations.

“The Imaginary” opens in limited U.S. theaters on June 28, followed one week later by a streaming release via Netflix, where both English- and Japanese-language versions are available.

Reviewed at Netflix Tudum Theater, Los Angeles, June 23, 2024. In Annecy Animation Festival. MPA Rating: PG. Running time: 108 MIN.

• Production: (Animated – Japan) A Netflix release of a Studio Ponoc production. Producer: Yoshiaki Nishimura. Executive producers: Yoshiaki Nishimura, Satoshi Suzuki, Nobuyuki Iinuma.
• Crew: Director: Yoshiyuki Momose. Camera: Susumu Fukushi. Screenplay: Yoshiaki Nishimura, based on the novel by A.F. Harrold. Editor: Toshihiko Kojima. Music: Kenji Tamai, agehasprings. Animation supervisor: Kenichi Konishi.
• With: Louie Rudge-Buchanan, Evie Kiszel, Hayley Atwell, Sky Katz, Jeremy Swift, Kal Penn, LeVar Burton, Jane Singer, Ruby Barnhill, Roger Craig Smith, Courtenay Taylor, Miles Nibbe.

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Book Reviews

'cue the sun' is a riveting history of reality tv.

Carole V. Bell

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Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorke r critic Emily Nussbaum first conceived her sweeping chronicle of the rise of reality TV in 2003 — shortly after the debut of The Bachelor and three years into Survivor . But back then the reception from fellow writers was as icy as public attitudes towards the genre. “You better write that one fast,” she recalls a friend warning her. “Reality television was a fad… a bubble that would pop before I could get anything on the page.”

Twenty years later, Nussbaum’s Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV is a near definitive history of the genre that forever changed American entertainment. The book’s 20-year journey to publication is a tiny mirror of its subject’s rise to the center of American culture. As Nussbaum shows, “Critics had written off reality programming as a fad back in the 1940s, when mouthy civilians first shook up the economics of radio; and in the 1970s, during the flareups over An American Family and The Gong Show ; and then again in the 1990s, when Fox and MTV set out to disrupt the major networks.” The dismissive pattern continued for decades – and critics were wrong every time. The much maligned reality genre has “always been a trap” for someone in Nussbaum’s profession— as a critic you would either “clutch your pearls,” failing to “see the fun in it” or succumb to the temptation to “treat reality too lightly.”

Across 14 chapters, Nussbaum successfully walks a tightrope. Avoiding censure and trivialization, her narrative keenly captures the reality genre “through the voices of the people who built it” — “step by step, experiment by experiment” in riveting, energetic detail. Determined to see it as the makers and audiences did, and to translate the genre’s diversity, appeal and significance to the page, Nussbaum conducted interviews with a staggering 300 people who worked in every conceivable capacity – from network executives to show creators to crafts people and cast members – on some of the most important reality shows.

From these interviews, Nussbaum fashions a compelling oral history, transforming the scattered highs, lows, and tipping points of a genre constantly in flux into a cohesive exploration of the invention, evolution and importance of the modern reality show.

As juicy and provocative as it is analytical, Cue the Sun! exposes the seamy underbelly of reality TV where that’s needed but also corrects unduly negative, and unfounded, assumptions. For example, on the motivations of the people who become the casts of these shows, Nussbaum concludes: “For many people, doing this kind of television wasn’t a naïve misstep at all – it was a conscious choice to participate in an extreme sport, one whose risks they embraced.” This insight emerges as a common theme across most of these chapters in the voices of wildly diverse on-screen participants – across programs as disparate as the 1970s An American Family , Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire , and Survivor .

While many critics have painted reality TV in broad strokes, Nussbaum captures fascinating complexity and nuance. Perhaps the most poignant chapter focuses on PBS’s pioneering precursor to modern reality programming. The tip of the spear in an emerging genre dubbed the “dirty documentary,” in a single season An American Family exploded the traditional nuclear ideal through California’s prosperous Loud family. Putting a microscope to five teenage kids and two parents at odds, for seven months, the show delivered a microcosm of America’s rapid cultural shifts as the Louds navigated infidelity, a son’s sexuality, and divorce. While the filmmakers played it straight, according to Nussbaum, the Louds felt stung by the 24/7 cameras and scathing public reaction. It was a startling precursor of what was to come.

Decades later, with the possible exception of a Dating Game contestant who turned out to be a serial killer, perhaps no episode is as jaw-dropping as the story of Survivor . Nussbaum’s storytelling reaches the height of its powers in a blow by blow of Survivor season one that will give you the creepy crawlies: fleas under the skin, snakes on the belly, parasites in the intestines. But it’s hard to figure what’s more treacherous, the wildlife or the humans committed to making compelling TV at any cost.

Despite the book’s strengths, at crucial times the accounts of insiders prove insufficient; context and a critical counterpoint are needed. But in its commitment to handing the mic to the makers, the book eschews outside perspectives. There are exceptions: With An American Family, we gain insight into the challenge of being gay man on TV in the 70s through snippets of contemporaneous media and viewer letters. The book also nods to criticism of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy from the gay community.

But when it comes to the situation with race on The Bachelor franchise , Cue The Sun! is noticeably quiet. It acknowledges that creator Mike Fleiss stepped down after an internal investigation into allegations of racial discrimination led to a “racial reckoning.” And Nussbaum spoke to one of the two Black contestants from The Bachelor 's first season, LaNease Adams. Following her stint on The Bachelor, Adams buckled under relentless public scrutiny and racist online attacks, with mental health concerns eventually sending her to the hospital . Still, she blames herself for being "naive about racism" and defends the show's treatment and handling of race. Adams’ comments are fascinating, but not exactly illuminating.

Nussbaum declines to explore the perspectives of Black critics and viewers. Given that The Bachelor’s racial conflicts were legion , and Black women are both a vibrant part of the audience and of the critical community, that seems an odd choice. In a complex chapter with plenty of controversy about gender, ethics, and exploitation, maybe there wasn't room, but it still reads like something is missing.

Despite that blind spot, overall Cue the Sun! is both entertaining and enlightening — full of eye-popping insight and rollicking prose. An enthusiast herself, Nussbaum makes even a reality-show-skeptic understand the appeal. She describes The Bachelor as “a schmaltzy, sexist carnival that doubled, for viewers, as a swoony stunt, the Evel Knievel canyon leap of matrimony.”

And she writes just as vividly about how Queer Eye led to the reinvention and precipitous rise of the Bravo network as executive Lauren Zalaznick “gentrified the sketchy neighborhood of reality programming, with all those basic bachelorettes and bug-eating contests,” transforming it into a “glimmering Tribeca of the mind.” There are dueling interpretations of how this new Bravo emerged from the invention of Queer Eye. But the brilliance of the show, as Nussbaum smartly highlights, is that it was – in the words of Queer Eye Director of Photography Michael Pearlman – “a pleasant change of pace: a reality show that was all about empowerment, rather than humiliation.”

Bravo’s successes might be the ultimate symbol of a sunnier story about the genre that upended television. But Nussbaum ends in a darker place, explaining how the genre remade American politics by reinventing Donald Trump on The Apprentice . Love it or hate it, that titillating and consequential tale is the writer’s mic drop to a virtuoso performance.

A slow runner and fast reader, Carole V. Bell is a cultural critic and communication scholar focusing on media, politics and identity. You can find her on Twitter  @BellCV .