Distillation isn’t easy. Diminution isn’t fun.
But don’t despair or quiver, queasy. Let us get ’er done.
Distillation isn’t easy. Diminution isn’t fun. But don’t despair or quiver, queasy. Let us get ’er done.
There are plenty of great writers with plenty of great concepts, but agents are never looking for “great.” They’re looking for “freaking fantastic.” Sure, your story may be riveting from the jump, but agents want to know that it stays that way, and these people regard time as everyone should: a precious, finite commodity. Most outfits will only request ten to fifty pages of a manuscript, so guess what document they’ll be looking to if you catch their tentative interest. That’s right: the synopsis, which serves as a (one-off) chance to establish how well your book was planned out. It’s a helicopter view of the whole, glorious machine and how each moving part fits together—spoilers galore, climax included. Take ’em on a full-circle spin, and maybe your work won’t land in the bin. That’s Publishing 101.
We know what you’re thinking: “How unfair. I already spent years composing the Great American Novel, and now I’ve gotta lay down the Great American Synopsis too?” We feel your pain, but—buck up—this is where many fantastic authors drop the ball pen and blow their shot at success. Feel that rewriting your story in CliffsNotes form would be a drag? Not even sure where to start? Drop us a line. Your lines. Your book. We’ll carry you through to the finish.
Synopsis Edit — $50
If you have a synopsis that you’d like dolled up, consider us your cosmetic surgeons. We’ll smooth out wrinkles, tuck the tummy, and provide (tasteful) implants wherever necessary. Last, we’ll add the maquillage and scintillating sequin dress to pull it all together.
A synopsis doesn’t have to be a dry document. In fact, it can’t be—at all. This overview is a crucial piece of your pitch, and nothing less than stellar should be settled for. As such, we’ll do far more than furbish up blemishes. Encompassing a synthesis of sales-savvy, artistic flair, and thick-rimmed logophilia, our job is to make your manuscript come across as it must: irresistible. That being said, it’s a job we enjoy, and working over your overview, no stop shall remain unpulled.
Edits don’t include a full reading, so the nitty-gritties will need to be there, but, beyond those, we’ve got you covered. Any questions whatsoever? Conjure us up with a message.
Synopsis Creation — $150+
(with Full Reading)
Here’s another fun puzzle for ink slingers: there exists no industry standard to guide us in terms of synopsis length. Fancy that. Every literary agency and publishing house maintains its own submission guidelines, which run the gamut from outright vague to “hypersnickety.” (Our coinage, but, really, have at it.) To wit, some places make no specification about how long the document should be, and others ask for a single page—no easy task when you’ve got fifty prominent characters in your sprawling sci-fi opus. (Note: our editing services do address matters of dramatis personae.)
So where does this leave us? At a crossroads, clearly. It’s our belief that a proper (i.e., phenomenal) synopsis can’t be written by way of notes alone, so we’ll definitely need to read your book. (As for the charge there? Depends what style you’re rockin’. Charlotte’s Web or Finnegans Wake . . . ?) Then, there’s the lingering question of length. If you feel that a longer synopsis may work better for your story, we’ll be happy to create alternate versions—one that’s up to three thousand words, another around five hundred. (This would mean an extra fee, but being ghosts, we understand that worldly wealth is overrated. Don’t expect a gouging.)
You could guess what the conclusion is. Send us your manuscript, let us know if you’d like one (short) synopsis or a “power pair,” and we’ll be back shortly with two free quotes: the price, along with a pertinent passage—maybe one attributed to E. B. White or Joyce. Our choice. We’re kinda fun like that.
