THE ONE-PAGE BOOK SUMMARY

T he purpose of the One-Page Book Summary is to force you to take off your writer’s
hat and start thinking like an editor, a reader, and an entrepreneur whose product is
about to go out into the marketplace. As you answer these questions about your
book, imagine your story as a finished product sitting on a bookstore shelf. Try to
really see it.

Defining your book in this way – and on just one page – can be enormously comforting when
you are deep into your revision and moving things around. One glance at this One-Page Book
Summary can bring you back to your story’s basics and your purpose for writing it.

Don’t cheat on this exercise by starting to write pages and pages of content; we really want
you to keep it to one page, which means that for most of the questions, you should aim to
write answers that are only a few sentences. Working with a complete manuscript can be a bit
overwhelming, and having a one-page summary is a great way to feel like you can hold the
whole thing in your head at one time.

As you work on your whole book revision, you can change the One-Page Book Summary to
reflect any new directions your story might go in.

There are 11 elements you will consider. They are as follows:

Title

Select a working title for your book.

Genre

Note the genre of your book. If you need help, look at the genre designations
at goodreads.com.

Point

What is the point of your book?

All novels make a point and before you revise, you must be clear on what that point is. Think
of this as the takeaway of your story – what your reader will believe about human nature when
they get to “the end.” It’s the argument you are making, the “bumper sticker” message for
the book. If it sounds like a cliche, you are probably on the right track. Your writing is what
makes it specific.

Another way to think about this question is to ask: What are you offering your readers?
Insight? Inspiration? Solace? Delight? Explain what you are offering.

© Author Accelerator • www.authoraccelerator.com !1

 Main Character Arc

Who is your main character? Give a quick ID using the following points:
• Before the story starts, what does she want?
• Name the external things – money, a home, a prize, a mate, etc.
• Name the internal things – confidence, faith, peace, belonging, etc.
• Why does the story happen TODAY and not any other day? What, in other words,
pushes your main character to act?
• When the story is over, how has she changed? Who is she now?
• Does she get what she wants? And does it make her feel the way she hoped it
would?

Main Conflict

What is preventing your character from getting what he/she wants?

• Name the external things – an evil overlord, dire circumstances, asteroids from
space, someone with superior skills or assets, etc.
• Name the internal things – fear, a sense of unworthiness, a belief about her place
in the world, etc.

Plot Summary

What happens in your book?

Knowing what you know about the point, the character arc and the main conflict, summarize
the entire book in just four or five sentences. This may seem impossible, but it is a skill you will
need to develop. A short summary is used when pitching, when writing copy for Amazon
entries, and at cocktail parties when people ask you what your book is about.

Target Audience

Who is your ideal reader? Describe her in terms of why she is hungry for what you are
offering. Will she tell her friends to read your book? What exactly will she say? We want to get
at what the story might mean to your ideal reader.

Competitive Titles

Who are the big players in your genre? The bestselling authors? Go to your local bookstore,
or to goodreads.com or Amazon to do some research. Start making a list.

• What other books will yours sit next to on the bookstore shelf and on your ideal
reader’s bedside table? Add these to your list.

© Author Accelerator • www.authoraccelerator.com !2

 • Pick two titles and briefly explain how yours will appeal to the readers of those
books and also offer something new. Placing your book in the marketplace like this
will help you think like an editor and a bookseller.

Ideal Book Review

Write one sentence you dream a critic would write about your book. One of the goals of the
revision is to make sure you have written this book!

Nightmare Book Review

Write one sentence that would appear in your worst nightmare of a book review. One of the
goals of the revision is to make sure you haven't written a book that warrants this review!

Take Action

Complete the One-Page Book Summary for your book. Post your summary where you can
refer to it as you revise.

Update it as you work forward so that the summary reflects the current state of your story. If
you decide to pitch to agents, this will be a fabulous start to your query letter and book
summary.

© Author Accelerator • www.authoraccelerator.com !3

 THE ONE-PAGE BOOK SUMMARY
Q UI CK GU IDE
TITLE
Select a working title for you book.
BY L I NE
By saying “By [YOUR NAME],” you are claiming
authority over this story. You are the god of your
story!
GE N RE
Note the genre of your book. If you need help, read
through the genre descriptions at GoodReads.com.
ID EAL R EADE R
Who is your ideal reader? Describe her in terms of
why she is hungry for what you are offering. When
she tells her friends to read your book, what exactly
will she say? You want to get at what the story might
mean to your ideal reader.
CO M P E T I T I V E T I TLES
Who are the big players in your genre? The
bestselling authors? Do some research. Pick two
titles and briefly explain how your book will appeal
to the readers of those books and also offer
something new.
P O IN T
What is the point of your book? All novels make a
point, and before you revise, you must be clear on
what that point is. Think of this as the takeaway of
your story – what your reader will believe about
human nature when they get to “the end.” It’s the
argument you are making, the “bumper sticker”
message for the book. If it sounds like a cliché, you
are probably on the right track. Another way to think
about this is to ask: What are you offering your
readers? Insight? Inspiration? Solace? Delight?
ID EAL B O OK R E V I EW
Write one sentence you dream a critic would write
about your book.
© Author Accelerator • www.authoraccelerator.com
MAIN CHARACTER ARC
Who is your main character before the story starts?
What does she want?
• Name the external things – money, a home,
a prize, a mate, etc.
• Name the internal things – confidence,
faith, peace, belonging, etc.
When the story is over, how has she changed? Who
is she now? Does she get what she wants? And
does it make her feel the way she hoped it would?
MAIN CONF LI CT
What is preventing your character from getting what
she wants?
• Name the external things – an evil boss, her
family’s expectations, etc.
• Name the internal things – fear, a sense of
unworthiness, etc.
TIME LINE
How long a period of time does your story cover?
What happens at the start that triggers the story to
happen TODAY and not any other day? (What, in
other words, pushes your main character to act?)
And what happens at the end to make the story
resolve?
PLOT S UMMARY
What happens in your story? Knowing what you
know about the point, the character arc, and the
main conflict, summarize the entire story in four or
five sentences. This may seem impossible, but it is a
skill you will need to develop. A short summary is
used when pitching, when writing copy for Amazon
entries, and at cocktail parties when people ask you
what your book is about.
NIGH TMARE BOOK REVI EW
Write one sentence that would appear in your worst
nightmare of a book review.
!4