I have a synopsis. I'm working on my cover letter and I realise I need a hook. Only problem is some places advocate a hook should be no longer than a couple of lines. I was reading Miss Snark, and these hooks appear more of a synopsis. The only difference is they have more of a selling edge. Can anyone clear up this confusion? What is the difference between a hook and a synopsis?Do you need both? Is it the same as the blurb on the back cover?
Kat

Yup, you need both, but the hook to the agent could be different from the book's hook to the reader, ie there might be a reason why you can tell this story better than anyone else.

The hook is really, in the smallest possible space, what your book is actually about, and what makes it different from other books in the same genre. The synopsis is how the novel delivers that hook and gives a more in depth view of what the book is about.

There is frequent discussion over how detailed a synopsis should be. I'm on the side of the fence that says it should give a good overview of what the book is about without giving too many names or getting lost in detail - a summary in about 200 words that you could deliver to someone in a pub without boring the pants off them. Rather than giving every detail, the ending and how all the loose threads tie up, I see a synopsis as a way of saying to the agent, "you've had a taste, now read the full script and find out the full story". So my take on a synopsis is to make it sell the script, much like a blurb. I know that most books on the subject say otherwise, but each to their own, eh?

Colin M

Here's my take on it:

In the US, it's customary to query agents before submitting anything. The query contains the hook, so it's a mini-synopsis in the cover letter - a paragraph or two where you try to interest the agent. Then when the agent requests the manuscript and synopsis, you obviously send the full synopsis.

In the UK, you normally send first three chapters plus synopsis with a query, but you still put a hook in your cover letter. Maybe it's less important for it to tick all those Miss Snark boxes (introduce protagonist, introduce antagonist, etc) because you have your full synopsis enclosed. I don't know, though. It's still likely to be the first thing that gets read, so I suppose you want it to be as intriguing as possible.

I don't really know the answer to your question, but I hope that helps.

Good luck!

Luisa

The hook is more akin to the cover blurb – it’s a teaser to make someone want to read the story. It’s what you use to attract an end-user reader. So you give them a taste of what they might encounter, without giving away the end.

The synopsis is the story, but told in a highly condensed nuts&bolts way. It’s what you use to attract an agent or publisher, and its purpose is to show them you have a complete story. A synopsis doesn’t need to include every twist and thread, but it should demonstrate that your story has a middle and an end (the sample chapters will show the beginning), and enough interest to keep someone reading. In that respect, you have to tell them how it ends. Don’t try teasing them with a ‘You’ll never believe how this ends!!!’ type of synopsis because the strong possibility is that they’ll just chuck it back at you. They need to know it’s something they can confidently sell and, if they're going to invest time in reading your full ms, they want to know in advance that it has a plausible and satisfactory ending.

Dee

Ooooh, bugger.

I didn't use a hook when I submitted. I just told them what the story was about, and hoped that was enough.

Mind you, when I went to meet my agent, she told me my synopsis was rubbish.

<Added>

If I were an agent, I'd probably only give the synopsis a cursory glance. I'd read the first page of the writing, and in that, all my opinions would be formed.

I just told them what the story was about

I bet that was a hook, though!

<Added>

And I agree with you about the first page being all-important. That's how I decide what to read when I chose books in a bookshop - I rarely read the back cover blurb.

And I agree with you about the first page being all-important. That's how I decide what to read when I chose books in a bookshop

I used to do this, until it dawned on me that, well, of course the first page is great. That's the writer trying to seduce you inot reading the book. So now I open it to a rando page in the middle, and if the prose is still ace and the narrative seems engaging, I'll get it.

I'm reading 'We were the Mulvaneys' by Joyce Carol Oates at the moment, which I selected using the above method. It's utterly gripping. It's been years since I felt this lost in a book - you know, without feeling I need to look at all the 'hints and tips for writers' that I feel are contained in the text.

To think I once believed that when you had completed your novel, that was it. You sent it in and sat back and waited for the verdict. Those were the days!
Thanks everyone, I now have a pretty good idea of what is needed.
Kat

Ha ha. I started sending out my first three chapters to agents thirteen months ago.

And I'm still here: waiting, waiting, waiting . . . . . (though to be fair, I did spend five months re-writing the book once I'd been signed).

That's a long wait, I can't bear the idea of another rewrite.I'll be happy to make alterations, but if anyone mentions the word re write it will be headed for Cornerstones or the bin!
Thanks everyone.
Kat
x

Oh, I thought I couldn't bear the idea of a re-write, but of course you can, when Someone in the Know tells you to do it.

I agree, still don't want to think about it though.
Kat