Short Story Book Synopsis - Writers Forum

cafka · 10-20-2006, 09:21 AM

I would like to ask, let's say you're working on getting a book with numerous collection of short stories published, what or how do you begin on the synopsis?

imrhati · 10-20-2006, 10:19 AM

i have seen ones where they gave a example synopsis of one of the stories.

Fantasy of You · 10-20-2006, 10:24 AM

You won't get a collect of short stories published. It's that simple.

Mike C · 10-20-2006, 11:24 AM

FOY's right, sadly. Unless your name is Dave Eggars, or you have a substantial previous publishing record, your collection is dead in the water.

mammamaia · 10-20-2006, 11:46 AM

yup!... sad, but true... you'll have to get some/most of those stories published in reputable paying mags first and get your name known for good writing and great stories, before any book publisher will pay you to put them out in a collection...

lisajane · 10-21-2006, 02:42 AM

This comes from Penguin Group Australia, an major publishing company in Australia, with general advice on publishing books of short stories and poetry:

"In the case of poetry and short stories, if you are an unpublished author, you have a greater chance of success approaching a book publisher with a complete collection and an established readership of work. For this reason it is adisable to seek publication intially in magazines or literary journals. Check libraries and bookshops for these magazines and follow their specific submission guidelines"

In other words, get your several of your short stories published in other magazines so to get your name out there, then approach an agent or publisher. I've had about six-seven poems and short stories published in literary journals, but not quite ready to have them published in a complete book by me

SilkFX · 10-21-2006, 08:57 PM

I agree with lisajane re getting your work out in literary journals.

Despite what the rest of this thread says, short story collections ARE still being published. No, they may not be as common on the shelves or as popular as novels, but they're still out here.

Don't let people (editors, agents, writers, readers, forum members, etc.) prejudice you against working in the form YOU want to work with. Agents WILL publish a short story collection they feel is strong enough to succeed.

To answer your original question: Look at how short story collections are described on the back cover: Often they talk about characters, language, themes...just as with a novel. You don't need to describe each and every story in detail. Presumably there's a reason why you're putting this particular set of short stories together...there's some commonalities there that you can (briefly) discuss. For example, hopefully your stories have strong characters, so you might want to pick out some of them (e.g. "From a mother whose cancer is literally causing her family to disintegrate, to a pastor who uses artillery to battle atheists in his own backyard, the characters in these stories..."). As with a novel, you have to set the hook for the collection as a whole.

Hope this helps.

mwd · 10-21-2006, 10:33 PM

Edit: Wow, after posting this I realized I misread your post, SilkFX. At first I thought you said you disagreed with lisajane about getting your work out in literary journals. What a difference one syllable can make, LOL, but I edited it so it makes more sense now..

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilkFX

Don't let people (editors, agents, writers, readers, forum members, etc.) prejudice you against working in the form YOU want to work with. Agents WILL publish a short story collection they feel is strong enough to succeed.

This is true, just it will probably be from a small or university press, and even then they'll probably be hoping you write a novel as well so that you can sell both as a package deal. It's possible to get a collection of short stories published (in the same way it's possible you'll be hit by lightning tomorrow, or win the lottery), but you have to be really good--better than if you were writing a novel. Also, it helps if you're writing literary fiction. I can't imagine someone who is writing genre short stories having any chance at all, unfortunately.

Literary journal publication credits will also help. A lot. If your work isn't good enough to get published in literary journals, no agent will want to pick it up, so it's a good way to "test the waters", as it were.

(And for the record short stories are my favourite form to write in. I'm certainly not suggesting anyone switch to novels just because they're easier to get to market. But it helps to be realistic about the popularity of short stories. Most people just don't buy them.)

mammamaia · 10-22-2006, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Agents WILL publish a short story collection

agents DON'T publish anything... and they generally won't 'represent' short story collections by unknown new writers, for the same reason publishers won't take them on... i.e., there's not a big enough market for such collections, unless the writer is already well-known or the writing is so exceptionally brilliant that it's a shoo-in for the nyt list [next to never happens, but the extremely rare exception does exist]...

Aqua · 10-22-2006, 02:41 PM

I agree with the idea that it's best to approach potential agents or publishers once you've spent some time in magazines. Without credits, people are less likely to take a chance on you. But if you can place a couple of stories in 'big' journals, or many in small to medium-sized lit mags, you'll be able to point to those as signs of experience, and you'll be more likely to get your work looked at.

Merforga · 10-23-2006, 09:57 AM

Rarely if not never will a publisher even consider to publish a short story collection from an unknown writer. You'd have a btter chance if you were to have most of your stories published via magazine. Then have a go at the collection again.

cafka · 10-26-2006, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilkFX

I agree with lisajane re getting your work out in literary journals.

Despite what the rest of this thread says, short story collections ARE still being published. No, they may not be as common on the shelves or as popular as novels, but they're still out here.

Don't let people (editors, agents, writers, readers, forum members, etc.) prejudice you against working in the form YOU want to work with. Agents WILL publish a short story collection they feel is strong enough to succeed.

To answer your original question: Look at how short story collections are described on the back cover: Often they talk about characters, language, themes...just as with a novel. You don't need to describe each and every story in detail. Presumably there's a reason why you're putting this particular set of short stories together...there's some commonalities there that you can (briefly) discuss. For example, hopefully your stories have strong characters, so you might want to pick out some of them (e.g. "From a mother whose cancer is literally causing her family to disintegrate, to a pastor who uses artillery to battle atheists in his own backyard, the characters in these stories..."). As with a novel, you have to set the hook for the collection as a whole.

Hope this helps.

Hello there LisaJane,

Your reply does carry a lot of interesting info worth looking into, however from my side of the world, it's quite hard finding such publishig houses, even when using the net.

Mike C · 10-27-2006, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cafka

however from my side of the world, it's quite hard finding such publishig houses, even when using the net.

I'm sorry, I really don't mean to be rude, but that's just ignorance, and you don't deserve to get published.

Unless you're in China, where internet access is limited to non-approved sites, you have all the facilities available to you that I have in the UK or anyone in the US or anywhere else in the world has. I submit to UK, US, European and Australian magazines without leaving my armchair.

Things only happen if you make them happen.

Fixed · 10-27-2006, 06:09 AM

if you think you can get published this is just an example of a synopsis... generally they're all very short

This collection of short stories brings you exciting and "write emotion you want them to feel from the short story" in the "write genre type". Over "how many short stories you got" for "age group"

and add in any small number of info

generally it would be wise to have the same genre for all the short stories you got, perhaps even set them all in the same world and not have completely different short stories on after the other