Although each publishing house has their submission guidelines, there are always parts of the query letter and synopsis that are left undefined, or perhaps it is assumed that everyone is in agreement that they should be professionally presented, yet again, this is often undefined.
So we at Castle Gate Press would like to give you a glimpse into our minds, so you can see the type of things that we are–and aren’t–looking for in submissions to us.
In a query letter we like to see…
1) an indication that the author has spent time reviewing Castle Gate Press’s website.
2) that the submission is for a novel that meets our guidelines (submission guidelines are available at: http://www.castlegatepress.com/submissions/)
3) A well-written letter with few or no obvious errors.
4) An introduction to the novel.
5) An introduction to the author
In a query letter we don’t like to see…
1) a letter written in all caps.
2) a letter full of errors
3) the author stating that his novel is the next bestseller (or the next (fill-in-the-name-of-the-best-selling-author-of-choice))
4) indication that a story hasn’t been revised and polished (i.e. I just finished writing my first novel)
In the synopsis we like to see…
1) a succinct description of the plot
2) an introduction to the main characters
3) indications of tension and conflict (what are the stakes?)
4) the ending of the story (we MUST have this to properly evaluate a submission)
In the synopsis we don’t like to see…
1) a long ramblings about the story, the plot, and the characters
2) teasers (we need to know what will happen)
In the first couple of paragraphs we like to see…
1) some type of tension, conflict, or a burning question
2) a little bit of the setting
3) the name of the POV character
4) realistic dialogue
5) writing that makes us feel like we’re in the story with the POV character
In the first couple of paragraphs we don’t like to see…
1) overuse of “was” (or “is” in a present tense story)
2) a dream sequence
3) lots of description
4) lots of information
5) backstory
6) omniscient POV
7) prose that tells what’s going on instead of showing it
8) episodic action (the humdrum type of things that go on every day)
In the first ten pages we like to see…
1) a little more information about the POV character (shown not told!)
2) the story line flow from the hook at the beginning into the story itself
3) some information about the stakes/motivation of the POV character (shown not told!)
4) emotions and inner thoughts (but in moderation and shown as much as possible)
5) strong hooks at the end of each chapter
6) storytelling that draws us into the story
7) a clean style
In the first ten pages we don’t like to see…
Everything listed for the first couple of paragraphs, plus…
1) flat or superficial characters
2) action or tension that flattens out or becomes episodic, descriptive or telling
3) details that the readers don’t absolutely have to know in order to understand the story
4) inaccurate information/lack of research
5) overuse of participial phrases
6) overuse of common words (looked, talked, moved)
7) small actions that are read into other actions (reaching for something, walking to something, etc.)
8) passive voice
9) the progressive tense (was going, was driving, is studying, etc.)
For information on how to determine whether you have any of these issues, check out our regular feature, Revision Prompts at: http://www.castlegatepress.com/?s=revision+prompt)
If you manage to keep our attention past this, there is a good chance we’ll ask to see the full manuscript.
Pam Halter says
Great information! Question: telling … can you tell us the times telling is okay? Because we all need a balance.
Suzanne Hartmann says
Great question, Pam. The first thing that comes to my mind is that telling is acceptable as a way to fill in time gaps. For instance, in my first novel, Peril, I wrote the following: “The three months of additional treatments passed quickly,” then described the symptoms he experienced again. Looking back on it, however, I see that I could have shown this in reverse, by showing that he no longer experienced these symptoms. While I’m not necessarily against little bits of telling like above, I think a purist could do a good job of arguing that if an author tries hard enough, everything can be shown.
Do you have any specific examples of telling that you feel are appropriate or where showing would add inappropriate emphasis or get too wordy?
Heather Rath says
I am aware of these excellent points you have published but it’s good to see them all in one place. A keeper. Thank you!
Suzanne Hartmann says
So glad you found this helpful, Heather! Providing useful resources for authors is a part of our vision here at Castle Gate Press.
Debbie says
Thanks for this synopsis. It’s informative and simple to understand. I’ll definitely make use of it as I continue to revise my novel and dive into writing my first query letter.
Suzanne Hartmann says
You’re welcome, Debbie. Easy to understand is something I strive for in my self-editing instruction. Most of the time, it’s easier to understand grammar issues and writing techniques than English textbooks and writing manuals make it seem.