There are some publishing industry terms that are designed to confuse us. It's like the people who created the terms did it deliberately, determined to make all of us scratch our heads and question the sanity of those around us.

Today's term is doubly confusing, because it has different meanings depending on the context.

Blurb and synopsis. Two words that can have the same meaning, but have completely different meanings at the same time. (I did mention how some terms were designed to confuse us, right?)

Let's break this down and define these terms.

A Synopsis for Submissions

This is the most common usage of the term synopsis. When talking about a submission synopsis, you are referring to a full description of what happens in your story. It's a spoiler alert. All points are included, including how the story ends and any key plot twists in the middle.

In today's market, a submission synopsis is anything between 400 to 600 words (sometimes longer, but not by much). Because of the small word counts here, you need to stick to your main story thread and your main characters only. But there are some additional little quirks and conventions associated with a submission synopsis that you should be aware of.

Writing a submission synopsis:

1. Regardless of the narrative voice used within your manuscript, a submission synopsis uses third-person, present tense.
2. The first time you mention a character by name, pull that character's name in ALL CAPS. Every instance thereafter reverts to normal Title Case conventions.
3. A submission synopsis is loaded with tell. Leave the show for the manuscript.
4. The number of characters in a submission synopsis is normally restricted to three characters: the protagonist, the antagonist, and the love interest (or other significant character). If you use more characters, there better be a good reason for it.
5. Stick to the main plot only. All subplots are insignificant and ignored.

Editorial Synopsis

An editorial synopsis is often asked for by the acquisition editor for books yet to be optioned (purchased). Like the submission synopsis, they are a full spoiler alert about everything that happens in your story, but they also commonly include subplots.

The format of an editorial synopsis varies widely. Historically, it was 1 page for every 10,000 words (i.e., historically, you were expected to turn in a 10-page synopsis for a 100k-word proposed manuscript).

I also work with editorial synopses, teaching clients how to use one to assess the story structure and macro-pacing. The advantage of an editorial synopsis used for editing purposes is that they can be as detailed and formatted however you like.

Check out this post for more information on an editorial synopsis.

The synopsis for cover letters and queries

This is the one that really confuses people, because it's not a synopsis at all. It's actually a blurb (defined below).

The blurb (as it applies to cover letters and queries)

A blurb that is found in a cover letter or query is an enticing description of the story and its premise. It's also called "back cover copy", "flap cover copy", "advertising copy", just to name a few. Hence, you will also see the blurb in the description sections about the book.

To best understand how to write one of these, look at the "About this book" section on Amazon for your favorite books. You are including just enough detail to tell us who the main character is, what problem they are facing, and what's at stake if they make the wrong choice. However, it's a cliffhanger that entices the reader to actually read the book (or manuscript).

A back cover blurb (notice that adjective that I'm using here to help avoid confusion) is typically 2-3 paragraphs, and they are a nightmare to write at times. Yep… Distilling the essence of a 100,000-word manuscript into something that is only 200 to 300 words long is terrifying. A hint that was given to me years ago that makes the task so much more… less terrifying… is to write your blurb based on the first 50 pages (12,500 words) of your manuscript.

The blurb (as it applies to published book covers)

This blurb is not to be confused with the back cover blurb. No. This form of blurb consists of those statements of endorsements obtained from other people that are included on the cover (either on the front cover or the back cover).

"This book is a rollercoaster from the first page. Couldn't put it down." Fammy Peep (author of Poppy Book)

Well-known writers are often sent an ARC copy (advanced reader copy) and asked to blurb the book. Those snippets or endorsements (which are called blurbs, just to totally confuse everyone) are then used within promotional material for one book or the next book in a series.

There are protocols for obtaining author blurbs about your book (noticed that I added the adjective of author to blurb to help make the distinction here), which includes having those ARCs ready to go months before the book is sent to the printers. The recommendation is to give authors at least three months (ideally six months) to read your book to give you that one-sentence blurb.

Bonus term: Logline or elevator-pitch

Imagine that you have somehow managed to step in the elevator with a big shot acquisition editor and they ask you what your story is about. You have the ride between floors to get the idea across. This is where the logline or elevator-pitch comes in.

This is the 1-3 sentence description of your story. (You thought writing the bit for your query letter was hard? Have fun with this one!)

I know that it's frustrating as hell that the terms synopsis and blurb do not have the same meaning right across the board, but it is what it is.

In general, if someone comes to you and asks for you a synopsis or blurb, if the context isn't clear, then ASK. Seek clarity.

If an agent is asking for you to send them a synopsis with your query (the scenario that leads to the most confusion), you need to be clear whether they are asking for the variant that goes in the body of the query (a back cover blurb) or the separate document that is the spoiler alert. They are different.