A lot of agents and some publishers require a query letter, a few pages, and a synopsis.
The truth is that this is simply “stupid.”
Look, I know more than most, that agents and publishers are looking for a reason to NOT request more material. But, it is flawed thinking.
How do I know more than most? Well, when I am not writing under my nom de plume, I am an editor and tiny, miniscule, publisher. Despite our size we get a lot of queries. Yet, we turn most down (mainly due to size and bandwidth, not that many are not good). However, when I wear my writing hat I realize that I SUCK at writing a synopsis. Writing a synopsis is a bit like writing a short story. It takes, in my opinion, a special gift. That gift is not the same as writing a novel.
While flawed, I think that reading the first twenty to fifty pages is a much better indicator.
Maybe (probably) I am just making excuses for my own inadequacies. Yet, when I scan some of our own submissions (where we do indeed ask for a synopsis) the synopsis becomes less of a tool for selection and more of a tool for editing and cross checking the big arc. I don’t look for writing STYLE in a synopsis. Just the arc. Ah, well. The sour grapes I have when I wear my writing hat is the filter when I wear my editing hat. It truly helps me handle rejection on my own and gives me full empathy for all authors going through the submission process.
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