| name | editorial-package |
| description | Creates the complete market-facing package a finished manuscript needs: logline, back-cover copy, editorial synopsis, query letter, and cover brief. Use in Book Genesis delivery phases or whenever a manuscript is ready for agent, publisher, beta-reader, ARC, or launch preparation. |
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:
- logline
- back-cover copy
- editorial synopsis
- query letter
- cover brief
- submission checklist
- 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:
- hook: the situation that creates immediate interest
- context: what kind of book this is
- distinction: why this book, not a generic version of the premise
- 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:
- genre and word count
- premise
- protagonist and desire
- central conflict
- escalation
- climax
- ending/resolution
- market positioning
- 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:
- hook
- compact book pitch
- market positioning and comps
- author relevance
- practical details
- 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.
