writing summary guidelines

[ChrisGreaves]

I know how to write summaries in general, but right now I cannot find a LibriVox Guide for Writing LibriVox book summaries.
If anyone knows of the Wiki page I would appreciate a link to the article.

Specific characteristics of a summary might be some LibriVox recommended standards such as Maximum and Minimum length, Selling points, Style, Reading level, Comprehension, Empathy and so on.

You might see that a Summary of a business letter, a PHD thesis, or a computer program will differ widely.
Thanks
Chris Greaves

[annise]

I'd suggest reading some summaries in the catalogue. There are no rules about summaries except they be PD - it depends on the project, it depends on the writer of the summary. You must have had a reason for reading the project, maybe you want someone to listen to it so sell it, who knows what you want to do. It is part of being a BC, if you want just say "This is a book of poems"

Anne

[david wales]

I'd like to put in a plea to include the publication date of the work. I think that's an important piece of information. Writing about WWI in 1915 is very different from writing about it in 1920; short stories written in the 19th century are quite different from stories written in the 20th century, etc. Thanks for listening.

[philchenevert]

Another thing is not to give spoilers that may give away plots and things like that if it is a novel. Hints are good.

[mightyfelix]

I'm not against adding a guide in the wiki for this. But I do think it would be very short, as guides go. If I were writing it, it would be something along the lines of:

Our requirements for book summaries are very simple. They must be in the public domain (in general, that means written by you or taken from the book itself or another PD work). They should also avoid spoilers, if the work is fiction.

[knotyouraveragejo]

The directions on the project template pretty much cover it -

Brief summary of the book (No spoilers! Must be in Public Domain!)

[Peter Why]

We'll sometimes tell readers who are nervous about their abilities to read as if they were reading to a friend.

You could say the same for a summary. How would you describe the book/story to a friend without giving too much away?

Peter