Hi, I am currently trying to write the synopsis for my children's picture book but am struggling on what to write. The story itself is less than 300 words. Is it normal for a synopsis to be very short too? Or should it be as long as the book, or longer? I have written everything that needs to be included in it, genre, age range, storyline, educational, rhymes. And that is could be the first book in a series of books teaching children about animals around the world and other themes. Can anyone help me out at all? Thanks Mrs R x
A synopsis is by definition is a brief description, and will almost automatically be shorter than the finished work. That being said, unless someone like a publisher or professor has asked for a synopsis by name, just write what you need to get where you're going and don't worry about what it's called. There are comic book writers who produce long scripts filled with excessive, florid prose when all that is needed is the dialogue and a brief description of the the panel for the artist to use as a guideline. If, on the other hand, you have been asked to turn in a synopsis specifically, you probably want to avoid extraneous information and keep it short. There are specific style guidelines and formats used for these sorts of things, and you should be able to find them with a Google/Bing search. Unless you've been given submission rules, always use standard formatting when you can. (If you can't find info on children's books, go with what you can find for novels.) If you're submitting to publishers, it's worth knowing that (from what I've read) publishers can be super picky down to the typeset with submissions, and each has its preferences. Check out a publisher's website for submission requirements. Some might not even read synopses, and only accept manuscripts. Hope that helps.
