Think this isn’t important? Think back to all the novels you started but didn’t finish. If it’s fantasy, we need to see some hint of magic. If it’s science fiction, make sure we see something scientific-y. If it’s a romance, bring in something romantic. But I don’t trust anyone when it comes to that kind of information, and since I have little to no control over titles or covers, I want to make sure my readers are not duped on the first page. Set the genre of your novel: You can hope that the publishing company gets it right and gives you a title and cover that will clue any reader into what genre you’re in. I don’t recommend this for most authors, but like I said, if you can do it well…)Ģ. The first page was pretty, but made no sense. You MUST have something that makes your reader say, “Why?” or “How?” or, if you can do it very very well, “What?!” (The “What?!” approach is what made me read The Book Thief. Maybe your manuscript gets incredible on page 37, but if they don’t read page one, they’ll never get there. If you don’t grab them in the first page, you’re done. Plant your hook: While in a bookstore or library, chances are that the reader is going to give your novel the one-page test. Let's discuss the bane of every writer’s existence: Your first page.ġ.
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