Samstag, 9. Februar 2008

I wrote earlier about the lady with an agent who is furiously toiling day and night to find a deal for her trilogy.
Well, I've had an idea. Actually, Richard from Struggling Authors had the idea, but it's my Blog so I'll claim it as mine and to hell with the copyright!

I'm going to ask teresa, (her name) if she could give me some pointers on my synopsis.
The thing with a synopsis is that there are no definitve guidelines to say how it should be written and presented. Some Agents want a brief, one page jobby, some require a chapter by chapter account of all the action and others just need a three page summary that glosses over the main points.
So basically it's all down to what information one has about what the agent/publishing house you're going to send your tome to requires.

What do you think? Stay with the synopsis tactic I'm using now, (i.e. spicing it up a bit) or waiting to see if the Lady with the agent can come up with some interesting, world beating pointers?
I'll ask her and see what she say's, it can't harm, can it?
If you're interested her Blog is at:

http://tgeering.blogspot.com/

Why isn't anything easy? The literary path is such a jungle and the people you think are the Tarzans nearly always end up being the Witchdoctor headhunters... whatever that's supposed to mean.

Tara, enjoy Teresa's blog.
Reg. :-)

2 Kommentare:

R Grayling hat gesagt…

@ :-)

Between the two of you I expect at least a 6 book deal by the end of the year!!!

Cheers

Richard
Struggling Authors

Anonym hat gesagt…

Hello there to all the "R's" in your name including Richard SA. 6 book deal eh.....wouldn't that be cool?
Well it's Mad Tee here. I'm just getting the hang of this going from link to link malarkie and I just read your blog.Will put your blog on mine as soon as i work out how to do it. It really cheered me up after a c**p day. I'm still smiling. Then low and behold you started to talk about me. Wow fame at last then.
Right then.......... in answer to your plight. At least I hope so matey.

1st: Always prepare your manuscript in double spacing. They like that and it gives them loads of room to keep writing c**p everywhere. Or this sucks etc. I do a single sheet front cover with the title in the centre or where ever is pleasing to your eye. My name and address at the bottom left with copywrite symbol and the date and year.
I always do a header and footer on each page. Oh and they like to see FOLIO 1 etc. as opposed to PAGE 1. (Pass on that)

Right here comes the good bit - Sucking eggs time! If you haven't got one you get yourself a copy of "Writers and Artists year book". Read everything concerning publishers and literary agents. Then start at the "A"'s in publishers until you get fed up with the rejections. (I'm given to understand JK Rowling had 16 rejections!!!) Then you go on to the literary agents section and start with the "A"'s. (Be prepared to pay - they are doing the donkey work after all)
Well I got up to the "I"'s in literary agents.You get the picture?
When you send your manuscript put it in bubble wrap envelopes with a s.a.e. inside. Expensive but a requirement. Also a hardback white card, front and back for support. Send an accompanying letter as per the example letters in W. & A. Year bk.
Follow the publishers/literary agents requirements to the letter. They look for any reason to reject. I figure if you have fulfilled all their requirements and they still reject then it's our writing style they dislike or just a bad hair day...I could go on and be decadent... They will state whether they want the whole manuscript or three chapters or whatever.
So the synopsis:
THE BIGGIE:
Well I pondered on this a long time as nothing I had sent seemed to work. Eventually I just did a teasing outline.... Will their time travelling love ever be in the same time zone? Will Shasta actually get back to her time zone?Padded out of course.
If it helps I will put my synopsis on my blog when I get a minute. Hopefully over the W/end.
Hopefully this will help.
Now if I can work out how to actually get it on your blog in between all the German which I don't speak.......