Ask the Book Doctor: What Agents and Publishers Want

By Bobbie Christmas

Q: I just received an encouraging response from an agent I queried regarding my manuscript of fiction. The agent is requesting, among other things, a description (approximately one-page summary) and a synopsis (approximately two- to five-page-summary). 

I don’t want to blow it now. What do you think the agent is looking for in the description? Do you think it’s supposed to be just a more condensed version of the synopsis?

A: Congratulations on getting an encouraging response from an agent—a rarity!

A description is a summary of a novel, and like a teaser, it should entice a reader to want to read the story. Here’s a brief imaginary summary: 

What happens when a forty-seven-year-old woman finds herself divorced and destitute in Chicago? In 1942 Mary Devine, rather than become homeless, turns her abode into a house of ill repute. In 80,000 words The Escapades of Madam Devine, a quirky, irreverent novel, covers Devine’s adventures, challenges, setbacks, and triumphs with several hilarious twists.

The description might go on to compare the book to one by John Irving or some other humorous writer.

A synopsis, on the other hand, covers the entire plot from beginning to end. The synopsis never talks about the book, only about the story itself. It never asks questions, compares the book to other books, or teases the reader the way a description can.

Q: I’ve written a self-help book for people living with a specific chronic disease. Now I don’t know what to do next. I’d rather not self-publish because I’ve heard that a traditional publisher is more likely to get the book into bookstores. What’s my next step, though? Do I just send the manuscript to lots of publishers and hope for the best?

A: If you hope to find a traditional publisher, don’t send the manuscript anywhere until an agent or publisher requests it. You now need to know how to get them to request it. I’ll explain. You have a few major steps to take before you submit anything anywhere.

Your next step is to write a strong query and a full proposal. The proposal is a big undertaking, and before you start, research and learn how to write a proper book proposal.

Once your query letter and book proposal are ready to send out, research publishers that are interested in the genre of your manuscript. Although you can perform a search online, what worked better for me was to go to a bookstore. There I found the shelf that held books in the same genre as my book. I noted the companies that published them. I then researched those publishers to determine how they preferred to accept submissions. If they don’t accept unagented submissions, you’ll need to find an agent, which is another large and complicated step. If their information indicates that they accept unagented queries or proposals, send them whichever item they accept. If they respond and request the manuscript, only then should you send the full manuscript for consideration.

Yes, even though you may have finished writing your book, you have to write a query or proposal, and that’s a big step and a learning curve for new writers.

Here's a bonus for those who haven’t yet completed their nonfiction book. Some publishers will buy your book based on a strong proposal and give you time to complete your book. Your proposal will have to include a few sample chapters, as all book proposals do, but you can state in the proposal how long it will take to finish your book.

Always keep in mind that when a publisher shows an interest in your book, almost everything is negotiable. If the publisher offers you an advance against royalties, the amount may be subject to negotiation. If your proposal says you’ll complete your book is six months and the publisher wants the book in three months, you may be able to negotiate to a time closer to your original completion date.

Two final warnings: 

1. Traditional publishers never contact you before you contact them. Those that do may possibly be scammers. 
2. Beware of any publisher that asks you to pay for anything. The ones that ask for money are not traditional publishers. If you pay for any part of the production, you are self-publishing.

I’m not disparaging self-publishing; I’ve done it myself, but you said you don’t want to self-publish, so my information is for those who hope to sell a nonfiction book to a traditional publisher.

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Bobbie Christmas is a book editor, author of Write In Style: Use Your Computer to Improve Your Writing, and owner of Zebra Communications. She will answer your questions too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or BZebra@aol.com. Read Bobbie’s Zebra Communications blog at https://www.zebraeditor.com/blog/.