I want to be clear – writing an 80,000 word novel is not an easy thing. (No, I’m not one of those writers who hates the act of writing, and not I’m not about to lament how difficult the process of novel writing it – I flippin’ love it. What I hate is that I don’t have more time to do it. Or a comfier chair to do sit in while I write…I really should get on that.)
The thing that no one told me is that the further into the writing/publication process you get, the fewer words you get.
First up – write a query package. Write out the entire synopsis of the plot of your 80K novel in one page. (Or two pages. Or a thousand words. Length all depends on the agent you are querying.) I mean, it took you 80K the first time – and by now, you have fallen in love with all your side characters and can’t possibly leave any of them out of the synopsis! So you write and you slash and you slash some more and you wrangle that 80K story into a single page.
Then you have to write the query letter – where you get maybe 250 words to explain the arc, make the agent fall in love with it, and end on a cliffhanger that makes them want to read more.
You’d think that would be enough torture. But then there’s the back blurb – something to entice a myriad of readers, not just this single agent that you have researched and know what they are looking for and can therefore tailor the letter to them. This now had to be something so specific to your story but open enough not to make your audience too niche – and it all needs to fit on the back of the book.
But wait – that’s not all. You still have the logline. Yes – one sentence to sum up an entire 80K story that’s intriguing enough to get them to even read the back blurb, which is in turn hopefully interesting enough to get them to read the book.
But no pressure, right?
Well, my book finally has a logline and a back blurb that I get to share with you. 🙂
All Falling Things by Ami Maxine Irmen
Finding your way means sometimes getting lost…
She left her perfect life behind. He’s trapped in one he never wanted.
When their worlds collide on a Chicago sidewalk, both will discover that falling apart might be the only way to become whole again.
Alice Hart has always done what was expected—steady job, steady man, steady future. Until one impulsive decision sends her two thousand miles from home, armed with nothing but two suitcases and a stubborn hope that life can be more than “fine.”
Stanley Hoppenworth has the corner office, the tailored suit, and the hollow ache of a man living someone else’s dream. The last thing he needs is a distraction—especially one with blue eyes, wind-tangled hair, and a habit of asking dangerous questions about happiness.
As their chance encounter turns into something real, Alice and Stanley must choose between the safety of who they were and the risk of who they could become. Because love doesn’t just catch you when you fall—it shows you how to land.
Now I need to figure out the ten-second pitch for when it’s time to sell the thing…
Ami Maxine 