Article synopsis

Wordy

An editor I approached by email a couple of months ago has suddenly responded requiring a synopsis of the article I suggested. As I sent quite a detailed outline in my original query I am not sure how much more I can tell him without sending the complete article but have decided on a basic list corresponding roughly to paragraphs and hope that is what he wants. I often simply send articles on spec and have a pretty good acceptance rate but was not sure if this publication accepted freelance work or wrote everything in house. Has anyone else ever been asked to send a synopsis?

I did ask for submission guidelines if available and guidance on the preferred format for photographs but had no response to those queries.

Carol

We had this mentioned on a thread last year, and it seemed to be uncommon, but someone had experienced this.

Wordy

Thanks for that Carol. I will see if I can work out how to search and see if I can track the thread down. I have certainly never been asked for one before.

Claudia

Wow, that's a tough call Wordy if you've already given them an outline. I've never been asked for a synopsis since, like you say, what more can you say without sending the complete article? In fact, I'd be tempted to do just that! Otherwise, a brief breakdown of the paragraphs seems like the only other option. How curious!

Wordy

Thanks, Claudia. Interesting to see that others think it unusual, too.

DeneBebbo

What's the difference between a synopsis and outline? I usually send an outline to magazines first so as not to waste time writing an article they're not interested in. The outline is the first paragraph, bullet points of what the article will cover, and a general statement about number of words, any photographs etc.

dorothyd

that's all you need for an article. A synopsis is usually for a longer work, novel or full length non fiction book, which details all the story/chapters/whatever.

Wordy

I am still not sure about the difference, Denebebbo. When I send a query I generally only write a short paragraph as in the outline you describe above. In the end for the synopsis I expanded this into a sentence or two for each planned paragraph and added a list of photographs available. When I received no response after two months to this I simply went ahead and sent the article itself. (The editor had indicated he thought it sounded ideal for the magazine but there would not be a slot available until later in the year.) Two months later again he emailed asking for the pictures and the article appeared last week so I must have done something right!

Col B

Synopsis = a brief summary of the general gist from start to finish - the bare bones (to prove you have potential to finish).
Outline = chapter by chapter analysis of the book detailing the most prominent parts (bigger than the synopsis).

Confused? You soon will be! ;)

Good luck.

DeneBebbo

Wordy, just out of curiosity, which magazine was your article published in?

Wordy

Col B. Thanks for the clarification. In this case I was just wriitng an article and had never been asked to provide a synopsis before, especially as I had already sent an outline. Not sure I'd have the stamina for a book.

DeneBebbo - The article appeared in the monthly magazine that accompanies the Oxford Times, a weekly newspaper.

Col B

Yeah, sorry, mate. I realised that after I'd posted.
It sounds like a mistake to me...surely you can only break it down paragraph (or point) by paragraph - like an outline with the chapters of a book - so how can you possibly provide something different? Unless they mean they want the 'plot', meaning how the article leads logically to its conclusion, rather than step by step facts...tricky one.
I think I'd get in touch in case the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing where you've sent your article.

Wordy

Presumably the editor must have been happy with what I sent as he went ahead and published the article, Col B. but I have never before been asked for a synopsis for an article. At least I will know what to expect when approaching this editor again.