How to Write a Synopsis for a Book: A Quick Guide (+ Examples)

The road to getting published is a long and tiring one. You first have to write your book, then revise it several times, and then choose your publishing route. If you decide to contact a traditional publishing house, then you’ll need to query an agent. When they respond, they might ask for a synopsis of your book. This is a business document that summarizes your book.

There’s just one problem: synopses have a reputation for being difficult to write. Not only are you condensing your whole book onto one or two pages, but you also need to use a simple, direct writing style. That’s why learning how to write a synopsis is an important step in your publishing journey. There is no way around it.

So, why not face the challenge head-on? In this article, you will find all the information you need to start writing your synopsis. You’ll also find a couple of examples that can help you get a clearer picture of a basic synopsis.

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What Is a Synopsis of a Book?

A book synopsis is a short, concise summary of the main elements of a book. These elements are the premise of your story, the main characters, and all the important events. Together, these components provide a brief yet detailed overview of the core parts of your story.

Why You Might Need to Write a Synopsis

A synopsis gives agents, publishers, editors, designers, and even marketers a bird’s eye view of your book. So, at least one of the publishing professionals you’ll be working with will ask for one.

For agents specifically, your synopsis helps them decide whether or not they want to invest time and effort into your book. For other publishing professionals, a synopsis means less time spent understanding your book and more time designing covers or crafting marketing campaigns.

Synopsis vs. Blurb: What’s the Difference?

Similarly to a synopsis, a blurb summarizes the main elements of your book. Because of this, many people tend to get confused between the two. However, there are several major differences between them, which we will talk about in the table below:

What Are the Key Components of a Novel Synopsis?

Before you start writing your synopsis, you need to know its main elements. If one of these is missing from your document, then the literary agent might ask you to revise your manuscript, or they may even reject it completely. To help you get it right, here are the five main components of a well-crafted book synopsis:

1. The premise of the book: Write a sentence or two (without exceeding 50 words) describing the main concept behind your novel. This helps your agent get a quick idea of what your book is about.
2. Main characters: Your synopsis should very briefly introduce the main characters of your story as they appear. A common practice is to capitalize every letter of their name during their first mention. Alternatively, you can format the main characters’ names in bold throughout the synopsis. Just keep in mind that you should not exceed three to five named characters so that your agent can stay focused on the main ones.
3. Main conflict: You should also write about the main conflict present in your story. While you’re not expected to describe everything that happens, make sure the conflict is clear and no essential details are missing.
4. Main story events: Besides the conflict, you should also briefly describe every important plot event from start to end. Yes, that includes the ending of your story and any plot twists or red herrings that are crucial for understanding it. However, avoid writing out long scenes that can be summarized in one or two sentences.
5. Main character arcs: Finally, don’t forget to tell your agent how your character changed or evolved over the course of the story. This is important because readers form attachments to the characters, not the events of the story. By including character arcs in the synopsis, you’re showing a comprehensive view of your book instead of separate puzzle pieces. Readers become invested in characters, not plot points, so character arcs are essential. Show how your characters evolve throughout the story to give your agent a comprehensive view of your book.

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How to Write a Synopsis for a Novel: Dos and Don’ts

Now that you know the core elements of a synopsis, let’s learn how to write one. In this section, you’ll find a list of pointers that will help you write your own synopsis from start to finish.

Synopsis Contents:

As you’re getting started, you first need to understand how a synopsis is structured. In other words, you need to know which plot points to include as well as how to introduce the characters and world-building elements. That’s what we’re going to explore here.

Below, you’ll find helpful tips that can help you improve the body of your synopsis:

• Include characters’ emotions and reactions: Writing the events of your plot is not enough to convince agents that your story is worth their time. You also need to incorporate character arcs and show how characters are affected by these events. This is what gives meaning to the story and captures readers’ attention, in addition to being part of an agent’s evaluation criteria.
• Use common nouns to describe side characters: If you absolutely have to mention side characters, use common nouns such as “nurse” and “firefighter.” That way, the agent can focus on the main characters whilst also acknowledging the presence of others.
• Write a brief summary of your world’s important concepts: If your fictional world is rich and full of new concepts, write about the essential ones in a brief paragraph at the beginning. This can help prevent any confusion if you mention these concepts later in the synopsis.

Writing Style and Formatting:

Now that you have a basic idea of how your synopsis should be structured, let’s talk about how to format it. The synopsis usually follows universal formatting rules that most agents and publishers adhere to. We’ve listed the most common rules below:

• Write 500 to 1,000 words: The generally accepted length for book synopses is 500 to 1,000 words maximum. However, some agents or publishers may have different requirements. If nothing is specified, then try to keep your synopsis 500 words long or less.
• Use a direct, concise writing style: Your synopsis should be simple, clearly written, and descriptive. Avoid using fancy vocabulary or long sentences as this will make it harder to keep the document short.
• Add in a strong hook at the beginning of the synopsis: Your writing style should be attention-grabbing in general, but especially so at the beginning. Even as you’re setting up the world or introducing your protagonist, make sure to add an extra kick to your words.
• Write in the third person and present tense: While writing in the third person and present tense is the standard, using the first person is also acceptable if you are writing a memoir.
• Use single spacing: Make sure to use single spacing for your synopsis document. Otherwise, you may not be able to fit it in two pages or less.
• Follow your agent’s preferred formatting guidelines: Before you submit your synopsis, make sure you’re following the formatting guidelines of the agent you’re sending it to. You can check their website to find out these guidelines.

How to Make the Process Easier:

Even if you know how your synopsis should be written, you might still find the actual process of drafting it difficult. For instance, you might find it hard to condense a large novel into less than 1,000 words. That’s perfectly normal, and many writers go through the same struggles. So, here are a few pieces of advice we’ve gathered to make things easier for you:

• Start from a basic story outline

Don’t try to write a synopsis out of your whole manuscript. Instead, take your outline and build on it. This will help you keep the synopsis short and to the point.

• Write a summary of each plot event separately then put them together

If you don’t have an outline, then you can summarize each plot event individually and compile these summaries into one document. That way, you can feel less overwhelmed at the prospect of summarizing your story. Once you’re done, you only have to adjust the overall flow of the synopsis and add proper transitions.

• Write a synopsis before you start the story

This tip is optional and may not work with everyone. Still, you might find it helpful to draft a synopsis of your story before or during the writing process. After all, having an overview of the whole book nearby can keep you focused and on track. However, this can be limiting or even distracting for some writers, so try experimenting first to see if this method works for you or not.

Mistakes to Avoid While Writing a Synopsis:

Just as we covered the best practices of writing a novel synopsis, we also have to cover common mistakes to avoid. Fortunately, they’re fairly easy to spot and remove. Here is a list of them:

• Don’t add side plots to the synopsis: Subplots and side plots generally do not belong in the synopsis. The only exception is if they are closely related to or affect the main plot in major ways.
• Avoid discussing the themes or tone of the story: Avoid discussing or selling your story’s themes in the synopsis. You can write about them in your query letter or rely on the story to convey them.
• Remove unnecessary details that don’t affect the plot: You don’t need to describe trivial information such as the main character’s eye color or height if they have no relevance to the plot. These details belong in the story itself, not the document that summarizes it.

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How to Write a Synopsis for a Non-Fiction Book

Writing a synopsis for a non-fiction book is similar to writing one for fiction but with a few notable differences. Instead of summarizing a plot line, you’re introducing your agent to the topic of your book in a brief but well-structured document. This time, you’ll be splitting your manuscript into three parts: the hook, the body, and the conclusion.

Here is a set of steps to help you create an eye-catching synopsis for your non-fiction book:

1. Start with a hook: The first sentence of your synopsis can be a provocative question, a surprising fact, or a bold statement that conveys the core idea of your book. This is the introduction part of your synopsis.
2. Introduce the main topic: The body of the synopsis begins when you introduce the main topic of your book. You can write a brief paragraph about the importance of this topic or its impact on the intended audience.
3. Outline the structure of the book: Provide an outline of each chapter in the book along with a summary of its subtopics. This helps your agent understand the flow of your book and see its contents at a glance.
4. Highlight key points: List the key points, arguments, or themes that you talk about in the book. Then, explain how these points contribute to the purpose of your work.
5. Showcase your perspective: Make sure to mention any unique insights or research you’ve conducted yourself. This can help set you apart from other authors in your field.
6. List the supporting evidence: Provide a list of case studies, examples, or experiments that back up your research. This can be a good way to credit the original authors of any studies you mention and add credibility to your own work at the same time. All you have to do is cite the author’s name and the date of their work’s publication within the text it’s mentioned.
7. Write a strong conclusion: Finally, it’s time to conclude your synopsis. You can do this by summarizing the key takeaways of your book in a small paragraph or two. As with the rest of your synopsis, this conclusion should be concise and demonstrate the potential impact of your book on readers.

Final Thoughts

Yes, writing a synopsis can be hard. However, it gets easier with time and practice. Plus, you might find it fun to write about your story as if you were reporting about it. More importantly, this document saves your agent a lot of time and helps speed along the publishing process.

Authors and agents, do you have any insider tips on writing a great synopsis? Let us know in the comments!

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