Hi guys, I just got my first response from an agent that wasn’t a straight-out rejection. In fact, it was nicely positive and asked for some pages to read. So that’s good.
Unfortunately for my nerves, he also asked for “a good outline” of the rest of the story. Now, I included my latest 3-page synopsis along with the original query letter, so I’ve got to assume he’s seen this. In fact, I’ve put so much work into writing and re-writing that synopsis that I assumed it was this that finally got me some interest. But now he wants “a good outline”.
So, was my synopsis not a good outline? Is an ‘outline’ something different from a synopsis? (It’s not a word I’ve come across in my extensive reading on what to send agents.) Or did he ask for the partial on the basis of the one-paragraph summary in the query letter and not notice, or read, the three pages attached?
Does anybody have any suggestions?
This kind of stuff drives me crazy (as you’ve probably noticed). How can something so important hang on the interpretation of a single word?
Big congratulations on the progress! Sorry, i can’t help about the “outline’; like you, I assume the three page synopsis should be enough.
And who are you?
Yes, a dilemma. In my experience, what constitutes a ‘good’ synopsis or outline is usually in the eye of the beholder. I’ve had one publisher ask for a full two pages, outlining every single plot event (v. hard to do), while another wanted nothing more than a 200 word pitch.
However, I think if you’ve sent a 3 page synopsis and the agent has still asked for a ‘good outline’, then maybe you need to rethink and retool what you have. You have to assume that he has read the synopsis you’ve already sent him, and that he wants something else. Don’t let the reference to ‘good’ stuff you up too much – that doesn’t automatically mean what you’ve already sent him is ‘bad’ – but realise that what he wants in an outline, may not be what you’ve given him.
hmm. this is tricky. it sounds like something more detailed than your synopsis is required, and i think luke has a point with the plot point idea. maybe you can use your synopsis as your starting point, checking if all the plot points are there (ie turning points in the story that move the plot along). chances are, you’ve probably summarised or missed out some of the plot points for brevity.
list all the plot points in your book and then expand each one into a paragraph explaining who what where how etc. i think that’ll give you a pretty good outline.
Thanks guys. I’ve done something like what you’ve suggested j-a. I didn’t start with the sysnopsis but did it from scratch (so, Luke, definitely something else). It’s much more a blow-by-blow summary of the book now rather than the original, more impressionistic synopsis. It’s also more than twice as long.
Whatever it is, it’s going in the mail tomorrow.
Then I can stop obsessing and get back to my new novel for a while.
Wow. I might be naive and i haven’t yet broken the market – but surely at that point, you can pick up the phone and call? Seems a shame to waste all that work without knowing what the assignment is…