Most literary agents and publishers require an author to submit a 3-5 page synopsis. Some want a longer synopsis, while others want a one-pager or a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline. My advice is to create a 3-page synopsis since that will suffice most requests and customize it as needed, but always keep the original 3-pager as a template.

The format should be much like the manuscript itself, double-spaced, one-inch margins, a header with page numbers, and a font in Times Roman N...