Everything ! (But the Book)

So, I have begun looking for an agent. Getting published is an exhausting process, designed to weed out the serious wannabees from the sorta wannabees. A lot goes into selling a book (and yourself). Besides the actual complete and worth-it novel, you need to write a query letter, a synopsis, and a chapter by chapter synopsis.

Each takes time and practice to craft.

First there is a query letter. It contains some specifics about the book (genre, number of words), and then a few catchy paragraphs - what you'd read on the back of a book. This is the writing equivalent to approaching a girl at a bar. You don't have much time to get her interested, and saying the wrong thing means instant rejection.

Then comes the synopsis. A synopsis is an ugly, cliff's notes version of a book. I've just written a 400+ page novel, and now I have to condense it into one page and still make it sound interesting.

In one page, I have to describe thecharacters, their story arcs, the plot, and the ending in such a wayit makes a person want to read it. This was not easy. Every word matters. I stared atsentences over and over again, shifting and replacing words andreading them out loud to see how they sounded.

Its tough, because my style involves using foreshadowing and mystery, and I stress character development. These things take time to unfold. For any of the work to have gravity, you have to go on the journey.*

Next is a chapter-by-chapter synopsis. You get one paragraph for each chapter. Ever try to explain an awesome movie to someone? You know that awkward moment that happens while you're explaining it and getting a blank stare back? Then you realize you're ruining it, maybe making the person not want to see it now, which is the opposite of what you wanted? Yeah, that's how a chapter-by-chapter synopsis is.

And if you screw any of the above up, the agent or publisher will reject you without ever actually reading the book. Now, this is not their fault, they get dozen of these every day, they can't read every wannabee's book. It's just frustrating knowing you have a great book but not being able to get the right people to read it.

Query letter, synopsis, chapter-by-chapter synopsis. And we're still not done. Next is the research. Now you have to look into agents. This is the person who is your advocate. As a writer, they represent you and sell your book to the publishers. It has to be someone you think would be a good fit for you and your work, as well as someone you think can sell your book. And they actually have to be looking for new, unproven authors. Then you have to tailor the above materials to that agent's sensibilities - whatever you think those may be.

In the process of becoming a published author, writing the book has been the easiest part.


* Where that asterisk is, that's one page, the length of a synopsis.