Writing a Plot Summary

Some, but not all, agents will ask for a plot summary, or synopsis, which is the same thing. Based on my research, agents requiring a plot summary usually do so because they want to see how your story develops beyond the few sample pages in your submission, and whether it’s the type of book that suits their fancy. Most importantly, in my opinion, a strong plot summary is indicative of a writer’s style and skill at condensing and writing persuasively.

That said, I hate doing plot summaries! I find them as difficult to write as the novel itself and even more challenging than writing query letters. With COME THE HARPIES, I had 670 words to describe a 97,000-word novel! That’s right, you get two double-spaced pages to describe your story, including spoilers and the ending of the book. Your plot summary has to introduce your most important character, describe what he/she wants, the personal and external barriers to achieving his/her desires, how he/she is changed by the experience, and how everything in the book ties together in the end. 

In 670 words…or less!

Notice the emphasis on character in the summary. It seems that, while agents are interested in unique and clever plots, what they really crave are fascinating and realistic characters, which is why the personalities in my book are the central focus of my summary. However, it is up to you to figure out the main thrust of your narrative and which subplots and side-stories to leave out to stay within the word count. So hard!

I toiled for weeks on mine and when it was reviewed by an agent at a workshop that I attended, it came back with a bunch of comments that would require further expansion of the summary. I’m still trying to figure out how to implement those changes within the word count restriction.  But this is the type of challenges that we writers frequently have to overcome. 

To help guide you in writing a plot summary, again go back to the back-cover copy of books in your genre to see how the pros capsulize their plots. But unlike your query letter pitch, whose only role is to entice agents to sample your book and leave them hanging, your plot summary should lay out your primary story, including how it ends. But your writing personality and style should shine through in your summary, because it’s another opportunity to demonstrate your brilliance and professionalism.

As with my query, I’m not going to pass along my plot summary in this blog until it has helped garnered the interest of an agent. Until then, here are some very fine plot summaries from Wiki Summaries of several Harry Potter books.  

Writing My Query Letter

The first point of contact with an agent or publisher is your query letter. A good query letter should be one that causes an agent who fields dozens of such letters every day to stand up and take notice of yours.

As noted by the authors Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry in The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, “Your query letter should be information-packed yet concise, complimentary without being obsequious, powerful without being overpowering. Be professional, but make sure the letter reflects the best of your personality and style.”

A query letter has essentially three parts: 1) the Opening, which explains why you’re contacting the agent, 2) your Book Pitch, 3) a brief Bio.

The Opening. Here’s where you make a connection between your book and the types of books the agent represents. If you’ve done your research, you know the types of writers the agent represents and what he or she is looking for. You can find this information on the agency’s website; Guide to Literary Agents; Writers Digest; Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents; as well as agent blogs, and Twitter feeds. Refer specifically to the books the agent has represented and what they mean to you and how your book fits their specific client criteria. Obviously, each query must be personalized since agents instantly discard mass query mailings. The key is to make a warm, human contact in the opening paragraph.

Your Pitch. Here’s where you describe your book and make it sound as tantalizing as possible. You should be able to describe your story in a couple of paragraphs, using as models the back covers and dust covers of books similar to yours. The idea of the pitch is to make the reader want to see more of your work. Your pitch is not a book report. It’s pure marketing. As Eckstut and Sterry say, “Your pitch is our audition to show us what a brilliant or romantic or authoritative writer you are.” You will use your pitch over and over again, not just in your query letter, but also whenever anyone asks you, “What is your book about?”

Your bio. This is a list of your accomplishments, awards (if any), other books you’ve written, or anything else that might interest a particular agent. If this is your first novel, maybe something about your education or background that’s salient to the themes in your book. Even something that you may share in common with the agent you’re soliciting, such as a love of cooking, playing a musical instrument, or any quirks that present you as an interesting personality.

So that’s it. Your query letter is super critical and super difficult to write. Every word in it is important. I’ve lost count of the number of drafts my query has gone through. But you must totally commit to writing a perfect query letter or you just won’t gain any traction in the publishing world. I would like to share my query letter, but I’ve only just started sending it out and I don’t want to present it here until I’ve snared some agent interest in it. Until then, I’ll share some successful queries collected by NY Book Editors that eventually resulted in a book contracts.  

Preparing the Submission Package

Once your manuscript is as perfect as you can make it and has gone through a developmental and copy edit, it’s time to seek an agent. You need an agent if you want your book published by one of the major publishers and for the myriad other services an agent can offer to help make your book a success.

The goal with my book, Come the Harpies, is commercial publication. I don’t intend to self-publish this one and I do not want to work with a book packaging firm that you pay to publish and market your book, or any combination of those latter two approaches. There is nothing wrong with those alternatives, but I want to see if I have the stuff to make an agent and editor fall in love with my work enough to offer a publishing contract. So this blog will only focus on the steps I’m taking to achieve that goal. 

I’ve tried to take a structured and disciplined approach to my “journey.” I’ve attended a writer’s workshop that covered publishing fundamentals and have read the "bible" on how to get a book published. 

Most recently, I participated in an on-line “Boot Camp” run by a major New York City literary agency that focused on preparing my submission package. Following a two-hour webinar, I was given three days to perfect my submission package and submit it to the agency for a professional critique. With any luck, they’ll like my package enough to request more pages…and maybe take me on as a client. 

Submission packages vary from agency to agency, but my research indicates some commonalities that exist among agencies. A submission package usually includes a:

·     Query letter. A one-page introduction indicating why you’re contacting the agent, a brief pitch describing your book, and some biographical notes.

·     Synopsis. A brief (no more than two pages double-spaced) plot summary, including spoilers and how your story ends. I found this the most difficult document to write!

·      Sample. Actual pages from the book. It seems an agency will request anywhere from the first 5 to first 50 manuscript pages. Always submit the beginning pages, because most people decide whether to buy a book based on the first couple of pages, so that’s what most agents look at.

My next three posts will cover each of those elements in more detail, including samples of a successful query letter and synopsis. Please note, the submission package I’ve described is only for fiction. Submissions for nonfiction are different and involve writing a proposal and chapter outlines. Those elements are outside the scope of this blog because I really haven’t studied them.

Coming up later this week: What goes into a Query Letter?