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Trilogy
Synopses
by Vicki Hinze ©
The
following question is in regards to writing a trilogy
synopsis to an editor. Does the author only explain about
the first book and ignore what the other books will
entail?
The short answer:
no.
Not if the goal is to contract the trilogy at once, which
it usually is because of non-competition clauses in
contracts. (If you sell Book #1 to SZY publisher, then
you can't sell a competing work (Books #2 and #3 to EEE
Publisher.)
If you're pitching a trilogy to the editor, then you'd
normally handle it in one of two ways. If you're a new
writer, you'll need to write the first book and then
prepare three separate synopses--one for each book.
Normally, your submission packet would look like this:
1. Cover letter
2. Book #1 in its
entirety along with a synopsis.
3. Synopsis on Book #2
and the first three chapters (a proposal)
4. Synopsis on Book #3
and the first three chapters (a proposal)
An editor/agent responding
positively to a query is expecting that you'll have this
much done on the project you're trying to contract.
Can you possibly sell with less? Of course. Is it likely?
It depends on the topic matter, your special
qualifications for writing it, and the mastery you
exhibit in what you do submit. It's rare these days,
however, for an editor to offer a three-book contract
without a book and two proposals in this situation. Not
impossible, but rare.
If you're an established author in a different genre,
then you'll need to prepare the same amount of work as a
new author to get the best offer on a contract. Why?
Because the editor knows you can write a book. S/he
doesn't know you can write a book, much less three books,
in a different genre. Odds run high you'll have to prove
it. So be prepared to do so by having invested in this
much of the work before submitting. (It proves too that
this isn't a fluke move, you are invested and dedicated
to it.)
If you're an established author in the same genre, then
you'd typically prepare:
1. Cover letter
2. Proposal on Book #1
(Synopsis and first three chapters)
3. Synopsis on Book #2
4. Synopsis on Book #3
Many authors will also do
a one-page pitch, which gives a basic overview of the
trilogy. (Example: 100,000 word contemporary, romantic
suspense novels set in Washington, D.C. Three Secret
Service, Special Detail Unit covert operatives protect
the country from economic terrorists and find love.)
Think of a TV blurb, expanded to cover all the basic
novel elements: (setting, character, plot, time-frame,
theme, etc.)
© Copyright Vicki Hinze. All Rights
Reserved
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Vicki Hinze is an award-winning,
best-selling author who routinely shares her expertise at
national writers' conferences, online, and through her
writing guides. Her latest non-fiction book is ALL
ABOUT WRITING TO SELL, from Spilled Candy Books for
Writers. This 589-page ebook covers everything you need
to know about the craft of writing, the publishing
business, and the secrets to getting published. ALL
ABOUT WRITING TO SELL is available at www.SpilledCandy.com as a download or
disk.
Or you can visit Vicki's author site at www.vickihinze.com
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