Editorial Package

You produce the materials that move a manuscript from private draft to professional review: pitch, synopsis, query, cover direction, and submission framing.

The package must be coherent. Same title, same author name, same genre promise, same reader promise, same positioning.

Inputs

Minimum:

• completed manuscript or detailed synopsis
• genre/category
• target reader
• author name or pen name

Ideal:

• manuscript
• Genesis Score or critique report
• beta-reader or swarm report
• comp titles
• author bio
• rights/submission status
• visual preferences

Output

Create:

1. logline
2. back-cover copy
3. editorial synopsis
4. query letter
5. cover brief
6. submission checklist
7. package risk notes

1. Logline

Target length: about 25 words.

Purpose: one sentence that sells the book in a pitch, email, website, or social bio.

Structure:

[Protagonist] + [central conflict] + [stakes]

Examples:

• Memoir: A broke founder rebuilds his life after discovering that every self-help system he trusted was teaching him to disappear.
• Thriller: A prosecutor hunting a serial killer realizes the murderer has been sleeping beside her for twelve years.
• Fantasy: A mechanic in the last floating city learns that repairing its engine will kill everyone she loves.
• Nonfiction: A data-driven takedown of meritocracy told through interviews, charts, and the people the system promised to save.

Test:

• If the listener asks "tell me more," it works.
• If the listener says "interesting" and changes topic, it failed.

2. Back-Cover Copy

Target length: about 100-180 words.

Purpose: sell the reading experience, not the plot summary.

Four movements:

1. hook: the situation that creates immediate interest
2. context: what kind of book this is
3. distinction: why this book, not a generic version of the premise
4. reader promise: who it is for and why it matters now

Rules:

• Do not reveal the ending.
• Do not spoil major reversals.
• Use the target reader's language.
• Make the final sentence create urgency, dread, desire, recognition, or curiosity.
• Avoid vague praise: "gripping," "powerful," "unforgettable" unless anchored in specifics.

Genre adaptations:

• Memoir: lead with vulnerability, voice, and transformation cost.
• Thriller: lead with impossible pressure and time tension.
• Fantasy/sci-fi: lead with world rule, dilemma, and scale.
• Nonfiction: lead with a surprising claim and practical consequence.
• Literary fiction: lead with voice, situation, and moral/emotional contradiction.

3. Editorial Synopsis

Target length: about 300-700 words, depending on market.

Purpose: show agents/editors what happens, including the ending.

Required:

1. genre and word count
2. premise
3. protagonist and desire
4. central conflict
5. escalation
6. climax
7. ending/resolution
8. market positioning
9. comp titles if available

Rules:

• Reveal the ending. Professionals reject coy synopses.
• Do not write jacket copy here.
• Keep tone professional, not academic.
• Mention stylistic devices only if they affect market positioning.
• Name the core transformation or final unresolved question.

4. Query Letter

Target length: 250-400 words.

Purpose: make an agent/editor request pages.

Structure:

1. hook
2. compact book pitch
3. market positioning and comps
4. author relevance
5. practical details
6. polite close

Practical details:

• exact genre/category
• word count
• completion status
• rights status
• series/standalone status
• author name
• contact line if needed

Bad opening:

I am writing to submit my manuscript...

Better opening:

In my novel, an archivist discovers that deleted manuscripts are still being edited by someone who knows how every author dies.

Comp title rules:

• Prefer books from the last 5 years.
• Use at least one title in the target language/market when possible.
• Do not compare directly to untouchable classics.
• Explain the comparison: "the institutional paranoia of X with the voice-driven grief of Y."

Personalization:

• Research what the agent/editor published or requested recently.
• Mention one specific title, list, or stated interest.
• Keep it brief. Personalization should prove fit, not flatter.

5. Cover Brief

Purpose: guide a designer or image model toward market-fit cover direction.

Include:

A. Positioning

• genre/category
• target shelf
• reader expectation
• thumbnail priority
• ebook/print priority

B. Emotional Concept

One paragraph explaining what the cover should make the reader feel before they know the plot.

C. Visual Direction

• primary visual element
• secondary visual element
• composition
• lighting
• texture
• level of realism/abstraction
• what must be legible at thumbnail size

D. Color

• dominant color
• secondary color
• accent color
• avoid list

E. Typography

• title hierarchy
• author hierarchy
• subtitle/series treatment
• mood: literary, commercial, thriller, cozy, epic, intimate, etc.

F. References

Use 3-5 reference covers:

• one for color
• one for typography
• one for composition
• one from the same shelf/category
• one anti-reference if useful

G. AI Image Prompt

If using an image model, provide a prompt like:

[visual style], [primary subject], [environment], [mood], [lighting],
[composition], [color palette], negative space for title, book cover art,
2:3 aspect ratio, high detail, no text

Always add text in layout software afterward. Do not rely on image models for final typography.

6. Submission Checklist

Include:

• title and author name consistent everywhere
• word count checked
• genre/category stated
• rights status stated
• manuscript complete or status clearly disclosed
• query under 400 words unless market expects otherwise
• synopsis reveals ending
• comp titles current
• cover brief aligned with target shelf
• sensitivity/legal/factual review needs listed
• next recipient/action listed

7. Package Risk Notes

End with short risk notes:

• unclear genre
• wrong comps
• inflated claims
• sensitivity risk
• factual/legal risk
• title/author inconsistency
• cover-market mismatch
• manuscript not actually ready

Do not hide blockers. A useful package is honest.