You’ve finished your novel, done revisions and edits, friends have read it, you have had it professionally edited and it is looking all fine and shiny. You are very proud of this hard work. It was a long haul and you have learnt much along the way.
But whoa there, that was just step one! Now comes the business side of the project: Getting published. Welcome to a whole new and steep learning curve. Put aside those hours of delightful creativity, the fascinating subject research, the careful fine-tuning of your wonderful manuscript. Now comes the business work!
This is my trajectory and I even allowed myself time to relax and enjoy my beautiful 90,000 words. Well, Julia, that was no time to slack off! Do you ever want this book to be published? Get at it. Back to the library (as best I can during Covid). Back to that close relationship with monsieur Google and get researching. Get that advice and see what you need to do!
It became clear in my two-pronged endeavour to get an agent and get published, that there were two vital documents. Just short ones mind you, but your life depends on them. There are some very helpful websites for wannabe-published newbies such as me. And they speak with one voice about the two most important tasks: writing the Query Letter and the Synopsis.
The Query letter: well first of all “You MUST get it right” and “There are no second chances”. This is a do-or-die for your future as an author. It must be engaging, honest, suggest the storyline, conflicts and the main characters, reflect the tone of your book, no bragging or promoting your book as ‘the best thing to cross their desk this millennium’. Keep it short and tell them about yourself and what inspired you and in what section of the bookstore your novel will find its home, and suggest comparable books. And keep that to one page please of perfect prose.
Phew, after countless drafts, you’ve got the Query letter under your belt. What’s next? Oh, you asked – that would be the Synopsis. And if the Query letter is life and death, one of the helpful sites qualifies the Synopsis as the most despised document you may have to write! So take your 90,000 words and make that a snappy 500. And don’t be coy, no clues just tell the whole story, the arc, the trigger points the emotions and how it all works out in the end and of course well written, please.
So I hope you got all that Julia, up and at it!
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