The Query and The Synopsis, Those Devilish Details

After five years of agony and obsession, I have finally said finis to my first novel, "Bloody Hollow Summer" and sent it out into the world to be loved or hated.

The process of submitting a manuscript to an agent, requires a great deal of attention to detail. You might think you know what you're doing, but until you do the research, you're probably going to miss an important point or two. Prepare to spend hours searching agents' websites for submission requirements.

Literary agencies can be a one-man or -woman operation, or large multi-agent businesses. The top five "brand name" agencies should probably not be your first move. Not that they are not open to new writers, their client lists are just so long that only something spectacular will catch their attention. There are many smaller agencies more open to considering the work of new writers to fill their client lists. The smaller agencies, however, have the same basic submission requirements as Doubleday or Random House, those gods of the publishing industry.

First, they want finished work. Don't query an agent if you're still writing or editing the manuscript unless your last name is Atwood, Patterson, King, or Koontz,  Some agents do consider book proposals, but only if you are already well- and widely-published. They prefer to know that you can actually write a whole book without getting bored or sidetracked by your massive collection of video games. Or if you're addicted to Facebook and Pinterest.

Second, be very sure of your genre before you submit. It's a good idea to take a look at the writers your chosen agent already represents. Mysteries? Historical? Young adult? An agent whose website says she accepts romance, science fiction, and fantasy is not going to read your crime drama. She's going to mutter "Are you serious?" as she deletes your query from her screen or dumps your hard work into the round basket on the floor beside her desk.  Which leads to another important tip: Do not send an email query if the agent's site specifies snail mail submissions. Although this is rare, there are agents who accept either. And don't annoy a busy agent who doesn't want email queries because you think the quicker you get it out there, the quicker you'll become a published author, and your friends and family will accept that you were serious about writing a novel. And bake you a cake, maybe.

Agents don't have any illusions that you're sending your query to them exclusively. They expect you to spread the good news to multiple agencies that you've written the greatest book ever written. (Seriously, don't ever say that in your query, not only will you look unprofessional, but stupid, too.) Don't send your query to more than one agent per agency. It's tacky and might get complicated if two agents at the same agency decide that your book will be profitable enough for them to buy that hot tub they've been wanting.   

Now. Format. Every agency has particular requirements for receiving queries. They all want a clean, professional query letter with just the pertinent details about you and your work. Briefly explain the material you want to submit, a general, but short, description of your manuscript. Don't fill your query with the names of family members who love your book, or friends who tell you that you're another Joyce Carol Oates or Lisa Gardner. However, if you're a member of Romance Writers of America, or other prestigious writing organizations and groups that clearly reflect what you write, very briefly mention it. Example, if you're an attorney writing crime dramas, or an investigator with a journalistic background who now writes fictional legal thrillers, you could probably blow that horn as background info. Anything that backs you up as a writer, such as a musician writing a fictionalized tale about your world tour would show that you know the journey and the characters firsthand.

The second most important piece of writing for an agent submission is the synopsis. Writing a synopsis is harder than writing the novel. You're condensing a 100,000 word story into a one-page description. And I assure you that at least once while writing this one-page explanation, you will angrily shove your chair back from your desk, stand up and yell, "I give up. Can't be done, by God. I'm going back to selling insurance." Later you'll sit back down and try again two or three times, maybe four. And eventually you'll get it done. Because you're a writer.
      
Some agents will request sample chapters either with initial contact, or after reading your query and synopsis. Make sure they're formatted properly, just as you would for submission of the entire novel.

There are many informative websites that can help you write your query and synopsis. Here are three that I found particularly comprehensive and helpful.

writersdigest.com
"38 Query Letter Tips from Literary Agents"

reedsy.com
"How to Write a Killer Query in 7 Easy Steps"

query-letter.com
"How to Write a Query Letter/Query Letter vs Synopsis"

So do your research and carefully study these last steps in writing your story, then get busy on that query and synopsis. They're not going to write themselves.