So you’ve written a great query letter and the agent or editor you submitted to has requested material. Now what?
So often partials I request have a great hook, but the final product is far being fully realized. This may be a result of a few issues: (more…)
Your query letter, and subsequently your synopsis, set up expectations for the reader. If you mention a hook, minor characters, or climactic points in these two the manuscript has to deliver these expectations. If there are inaccuracies they are often due to writing the query or synopsis based on your original outline. Or, writing a query or synopsis for the book that you idealized to write, not the product you are delivering into an agent or editor’s inbox. Conversely, go back to the manuscript and pull out the essence of the text (the key themes, characters, questions) and be honest with yourself and your reader. Also, it does no good to mention trendy themes, buzz words, or tack on genres that are not delivered in the sample material.
