Query and Synopsis
Writing a query and synopsis can be tricky and it's a very important step in getting noticed by an agent or publisher. It's your introduction to yourself and your novel. You have one chance to make a good impression so take the time and effort to put your best foot forward.
Below is what I consider to be a great query/synopsis. This is from an actual client of mine and you will see that he's chosen to combine his query and his synopsis in one letter which is the way I prefer them to be submitted.
(I have made some tweaks to his original submission to provide an example of what I like to see.)
Dear (insert agent's name)
I would like to submit for your consideration my novel titled Retribution. It has a word count of 118,395 and is complete and has been professionally edited. It would best fall into the genre' of suspense or thriller.
Although I have not yet been published, I have completed two previous novels and I'm currently working on a fourth.
Retribution
When notorious child abuser, Kate Montalvo, is released from prison, and subsequently murdered, other known child abusers begin to die off. The killings mirror the crimes that they’ve committed. Jennifer Reilly, a new social worker, begins to suspect a group of her colleagues for the murders.
The group of suspects identify themselves as the Karma Klub, since the murders occur after the victims have been discussed at their weekly alcohol fueled encounter group. Each member of the group has either discussed wanting to inflict harm on child abusers, or they have strong motivations to inflict revenge for crimes in their past. Only twenty-three, Jennifer is coaxed into joining the Karma Klub where she meets love interest, Joe Carpenter, at her first gathering. As their relationship develops so does their suspicion of the group, and they decide to investigate. When the victims mount, so does the evidence against each member and the group, collectively. Through their investigation, no one is ruled out, and the ending holds a surprise culprit(s).
This work of suspense has a little something for everyone including: romance, thrills, mystery, suspense, humor and well-placed, clandestine, social commentary. It also includes verbal and non-verbal clues to both assist and confound the reader while figuring out who might be the culprit.
I have a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology, and I’m a practicing Marriage and Family Therapist. I currently work for the County of San Bernadino.
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You will notice that this synopsis/query has all the basic information. It includes a word count, genre and an adequate story description. He does not go on for pages about his novel but he provides enought information to make me want to read it.
You will also notice that he states that he's an un-published author. He does state though that he's got two other books that he's written and is working on another one. You need to let an agent know if you have been published or not in the past. If you have other books that you've written, let the agent know. An agent wants to know if you have other works completed or in the process.
It should also be noted that this author gives a short bio of himself. If nothing in your background pertains to the subject of your novel or you knowledge of the subject you are writing on, you should leave out any personal information.
In this particular case, the writer has professional experience in the area in which he is writing. Therefore; a short bio is a good addition. If you are writing about domestic abuse and have lived through this, include a short bio. If you are writing about crime, mystery, suspense and you are a police officer or have been raised in a home with law enforcement, then you should include a short bio.
When I say short bio, I do mean short. Keep it to two or three sentences.
Sample of a very bad query letter
Hey my name is Jane Doe and i'm the author of Name of Novel its my first novel and i'm attaching the first 3 chapters Im sure i have alot of grammer errors throughout the 3 chapters but this is just a sample so you can see if my book has the potential to be a bestseller..
What has this author done wrong? Everything! This is an actual query letter that I recieved. I've made no alterations to this other than to replace her name and the title of her novel.
She has used bad grammer, no puctuation or capitlization. She's attached the first three chapters when I specifically say not to do that and even worse: she's acknowledged that her manuscript is filled with errors! Like I said earlier, you have one chance to make a good impression and she made a terrible one. Needless to say, I sent a 'no thank you' reply to her and never bothered to open her attachment. Why would I bother to open it? She proved to me right off the bat that her writing skills were shoddy at best.
Do your research.
It's very important that you know how to write a proper query and synopsis. You should also know the proper format for your manuscript. One of the web sites that I've found that is particulary helpful is Preditors and Editors. There is alot of helpful information on this site and I'll include the link here for everyone to go by and check out the information offered.
Edit!
It's important that you edit your manuscript to the best of your ability. I do get the whole starving artist thing and understand that not everyone can afford a professional editor. However, many editing companies do offer pricing plans for writers. It might take you longer as you will pay by the chapter, but it's worth it. If this is just not in your budget though, at least have several members of your family or friends read your manuscript with a subjective eye. Perhaps you know someone who is a school teacher or english major. Ask them to look at it.