One of my least favorite parts of the querying process (for those of you who are not writers, the process of trying to find an agent to represent you and your novels in the publishing world) aside from the waiting—which I established in an earlier blog that I am not good at—is trying to summarize my novel into one or two paragraphs in a query letter. Write a 75,000-100,000 word novel? Not a problem! Take said novel and condense it down to 1,000 words or less . . . Gulp.
When I started the publishing process, I thought to myself, “Yes! I am done writing summaries!”
I was wrong.
I learned that I needed at least three, possibly four, summaries or descriptions of varying lengths for my book.
Perhaps if you are publishing through a traditional publishing house or doing a different kind of self-publishing, someone else writes them for you or you don’t need all of these. But, if you, like me, thought you were done paring down your novel into a few short sentences, perhaps it’s better to be prepared.
So, what kinds of summaries do you need and what do you need them for?
Back of book or inside flap: Of course some sort of summary is needed on your novel’s cover to help sell the book and give readers a preview. I think this summary (and the one following) are closest to the description used in a query letter. At first, I tried using my query letter pitch and pieces of my synopsis, but I was unhappy with the results and so started from scratch.
When it came to length, I had a three paragraph limit, and I found that vague limit less then helpful, so I decided to make this summary the same as the second one I needed (see below) because it had a 1,000 character count limit, and that meant there was one less summary I had to write—this is also the same summary I use on my website for my novel. I wrote at least 5 different summaries of this length (that I kept anyway) and then had several friends read them and vote for their favorite.
Things to think about: Obviously, you main character’s name is needed in such a summary, but what else needs to be crammed in those three paragraphs/1,000 characters? Here are some things to consider including—posed as questions—along with a few of my choices.
- Time period: If you’re writing historical fiction, this is a must, I feel. But how do you work it in? As a statement? (Boston, 1775.) Or as part of a sentence? How exact do you need it to be—just the general time period (American Revolution) or exact date (April 19, 1775)?
- Character’s age: I don’t know that this is necessary—I left age out of mine—but it is something to consider.
- How to begin? Do you start with a quotation from the novel? A catchy one-liner? Do you start each paragraph with a hook (at one point I had my three paragraphs beginning with: Ghosts only she can see. Secrets she must keep. Lives only she can save.)? I played around with several ideas, but ultimately decided to go with the four themes that shape the novel and the series—and I intend to start the summaries on the next two books in the same way. I saw this used on Rachel Gillig’s The Shepherd King series (the three words she uses are: Maiden. Monster. Martyr.) and I really liked that idea. I thought it was a great way incorporate the themes and the progression of the storyline as well.
- What key words/ideas: I think narrowing down the key words or ideas you must have is essential. There is no way to encapsulate the entire novel in three paragraphs or 1,000 characters, so deciding which aspect or aspects of the novel you’re going to focus on helps make writing this a little less overwhelming.
- Can you work the title in? I think this depends on your title. I wanted my title to be part of the description, but that meant careful wording and rewording to make it work.
- Let it rest. As with everything one writes, I think it is helpful to step away from it for a little bit and then come back to tinker some more. I also found it helpful to have others read and vote for their favorite (a tactic I used for all summaries) because they caught errors I hadn’t and their votes also told me how I really felt about each summary and which was my favorite.
Amazon: No matter your feelings about Amazon, our current reality means you book will probably be sold there. Amazon has a 1,000 character limit, which is why I used the same summary here and for the cover of my book.
Catalogue Description: If your novel is going to wholesalers and booksellers, you also need a short description for catalogues, and this has a 350 character limit. If 1,000 characters was difficult . . . I am fairly certain I just stared blankly at my notebook/screen for a while before attempting this one. The only advice I can give is try to use pieces from your longer summary/summaries to create this one.
Here is my final catalogue description: The American Revolution opens in blood, and surgeon Whitley Endicott is up to her elbows in it. Disguised as male and haunted by the dead, Whitley earns the trust of General Montgomery and Colonel Benedict Arnold as they invade Canada. To protect the lives and secrets of those depending on her, Whitley must ask herself, who is worthy of trust?
Sales handle/Logline/By Me sentence: At only 143 characters (Yikes!) this was either the easiest or the hardest to write. One sentence that tells people why they should buy your book—so no pressure. Depending on how you started your longer summary or what you did for your query or synopsis or any conferences you’ve gone to, you may have one of these already.
Here is my final sales handle: Trusted by generals and haunted by ghosts, fifteen-year-old female surgeon Whitley Endicott strives to save lives in the American Revolution.
As with anything book related, it never hurts to read examples before attempting your own. Take a look at your favorite books or books from the same genre and how they did their summaries. The internet has countless examples of loglines and advice on how to write them. Write multiple versions of each one; I found having options helpful, and the more I generated, the easier they were to write. If you are writing summaries, good luck!