Synopsis

A synopsis is "a 1–2 page document that lays out your book's full narrative arc from opening to ending," one that "guides the reader through every major plot turn," "spoilers included." Where the query sells, the synopsis proves: "Literary agents and publishers use it to quickly assess whether your manuscript is structurally sound, coherent, and ready for the market." It is "typically sent alongside your query letter."

The discipline is compression without withholding: every major turn, ending included, in a page or two, which makes the synopsis a structure test as much as a submission document. Writing one is covered in how to write a synopsis; the spoiler-free teaser is the blurb, and the one-line core of both is the logline.