Synopsis Template

What a synopsis is

A synopsis is a summary of the whole book, ending included, written for an agent or editor who wants to see that the plot works. It is different from a query letter, which sells the book and keeps the ending back. Many agents ask for a synopsis together with the first chapters, and they ask for different lengths: a single page of about 500 words, two pages of about 1,000, or occasionally a longer one. Always check the submission guidelines, and have a version at each length.

How to write it

Write in the present tense and the third person, even if the book is in the first person or the past tense. Put the title in capitals at the top with the genre and the word count. Name the main characters in capitals the first time they appear, and use only the names that matter to the main plot, not more than four or five. Tell the story in the order it happens, from the inciting event to the ending, and say what changes at each stage.

The sheet is arranged the way a synopsis is built: a line that hooks, a short cast list, then a beginning, a middle, a turn, a crisis, a climax and an ending. Write one tight paragraph for each box, and join them.

What to keep and what to cut

Keep the spine of the plot and the emotional beats: what the protagonist wants, what stops them, what they decide at each turn, and how they change. Leave out subplots that do not affect the main plot, minor characters, and the worldbuilding that a reader of the sample pages will pick up for themselves. If you must choose between a plot event and a feeling, show the feeling, because a synopsis that is only a list of events reads as flat.

Give the ending in full, including who wins and what it costs. An agent cannot assess a plot that stops at the climax. If the ending is a twist, say so plainly and explain how it was prepared, because the agent wants to judge whether it is earned and cannot do that from a hint.

Voice and polish

A synopsis should still sound like your book. A comic novel can have a light touch in its summary, and a thriller can be tense and quick. Avoid questions, avoid adjectives that praise the book, and avoid phrases such as the story follows. Show what happens and trust it. Read the finished synopsis aloud, then check that every character you mention appears again, and that every turn is caused by something earlier.