Super-editor Margaret knows that a really good proposal always scores.
Last week a friend of mine asked me about the business of getting a book into print. My first reaction when I get such questions is to try and reduce the whole process to the very bare minimum, so that I don't bore people stiff, I don't make them feel stupid for asking and I don't write an email above six thousand words. By the time I sent my reply, I gave in to the powers of Mother Nature, for it was evident that a little article about proposals and synopses was long overdue.
I've heard in the past that props and synos, as I shall call them from now on, are one and the same and that writers shouldn't really worry about them because it's the manuscript that counts. I am drinking Pimm's as I write this dear reader and I can feel my stomach back-flipping through exhilarating gas bubbles on account of having typed that most moronic statement. First of all, a prop and a syno are two different documents and second of all, if you think that a manuscript alone (and often one that isn't complete yet) is going to get you the deal, well, good luck to you. I'll crawl on broken glass with a rose through my teeth humming a tune if you can get a non-fiction deal without a prop.
The Proposal: a document which includes extensive ancillary information about where in the market your manuscript fits, what you can do to promote it, why you're even qualified to write it and more such stuff. Your prop is the business plan that will get your book on the shelves and that, most importantly, will help it to stay there year after year after year, in multiple re-prints and in many different languages too. You need a proposal if you're writing non-fiction. You don't need a proposal if you're writing fiction.
The Synopsis (pl: synopses): a document which includes a detailed description of the contents of your book, chapter-by-chapter and in the projected finished order of publication. You need a syno if you're writing non-fiction and also if you're writing fiction.
A prop therefore always includes a syno,
but a syno never includes a prop.
In practice this means:
if you write fiction--> you only need a syno which will list all chapters and a summary of what happens in each one of them. An agent or publisher who requests a sample of your manuscript (usually the first two or three chapters) is also extremely likely to ask for the complete syno as well. It pays to keep this up-to-date as you're developing your novel so that the document is ready to go, and the best it can be, when someone wants to see it;
if you write non-fiction--> you need a very clear idea of what you're going to write in your book chapter-by-chapter and therefore you too should work on your syno. However, it doesn't stop here. An agent or publisher will want to see a very strong selling package to substantiate your offering. This is the reason why your prop becomes, pow-ka-pow, more important than your manuscript. Remember that non-fiction books are commissioned on the strength of their proposals when only three chapters, or fewer, exist.
We can all write a decent enough syno provided we know what is going to happen to our characters (and if we don't, the syno is the process that consolidates the structure and the development of the novel; start yours right now). A proposal, on the other hand, sends many writers screaming for the hills, usually on the basis that 'I am not a business person! I have no idea about market share! I am shy, I cannot promote the book! I just want to write!'. These protestations annoy me because as a professional writer you must also become business savvy, for if you're not, you're just an amateur. There is no shame in being an amateur, but if you want to jump to pro, then you must work as the pros work.
Props are stupidly overlooked and grossly underestimated; if you cannot dedicate your full attention to it (say, writing isn't your full-time job), you should expect your prop to take between two to three months of in-depth research and structured writing aimed at refining your business pitch over five thousand words or thereabouts. A good prop will include among others:
- concept and appeal;
- chapter breakdown (the syno);
- market;
- competition;
- promotion;
- production.
As for the syno above, it is the process of the prop that becomes vital to you, long before the product is sitting on your printing tray ready to be kissed good luck. Researching your market (down to detailed segmentation and percentages, I know, scary) or your competition (down to sales figures, even more scary) is going to test your commitment to your project like not even the project itself can. It will spotlight gaps in your knowledge; it will elucidate the structure, the presentation, and your understanding of your readers before you even have them. In short, the very raison d'être of your book will be under scrutiny for an extended period of time. People jack in books at proposal stage: if you yourself cannot write a proposal for your own book, your publisher will surely as hell be unable to sell it.
Much more could be said about this intriguing topic because success cannot be measured by the number of times you aim at your target; it's only the hits that count and you need a proposal in order to score. Out of all of the writing tasks we face, there is nothing I personally love more than working on a prop, for it sits on the cusp of creativity and business; I guess many years in management consultancy have taken their toll somehow. I am currently developing an e-course which, over ten weeks, will analyse every necessary section so to yield a prop that sells. Register your interest and I'll see you next time.
Hi Steph!
I love the simple way you break down the difference between synops and props! Great job!
Posted by: Jody Hedlund | 20 April 2010 at 14:56