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3rd out of 9 books
—
7 voters
The First 50 Pages: Engage Agents, Editors and Readers, and Set Up Your Novel for Success
by
Jeff Gerke
Mass Market Paperback
Published
(first published October 5th 2011)
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4.5♥s Jeff Gerke begins the first 50 pages of The First 50 Pages with a review of the submissions process. Then he moves on to the meat of the book, which is "What Your First Fifty Pages Must Accomplish." I found this section engaging, easy to read, and inspiring. My highlighter flashed across the pages. My pencil filled notebook sheet after sheet with ideas sparked by Gerke's lessons. Do I agree with every tiny point in The First 50 Pages? No. Did I make a tremendous amount of progress on my WI...more
Although this book is titled "The First 50 Pages," it really is about perfecting the entirety of your book, using the tools to get you noticed by an agent in the first 50 pages. What I admired most about the book were the straightforward examples. Many 'how-to-writing' books have too much fluff in them, and the examples, if any, are not clearly stated, weighted down with off-tangent personal experiences, or say what we already know.
Jeff Gerke uses techniques, such as "Can the camera see it?" in...more
Jeff Gerke uses techniques, such as "Can the camera see it?" in...more
"The First 50 Pages" gives great advice and direction on how to make sure your work will make it onto an editors desk and survive. Jeff Gerke is writing from the perspective of many years experience writing and editing for traditional publishers. However, this book is not just for those interested in using the traditional publishing market. In the first part of his book Mr. Gerke walks his readers through a the proposal process with advice on how to avoid rejection. The second part introduces a...more
Between the dorky jokes, Gerke, successfully sells his thesis of how important set-up is in a novel.
Gerke covers: character, setting, first lines and initial suspense building - something that stood out from other 'writers on writing' is that Gerke goes to the effort of explaining how to follow the advise he espouses. For example rather than just saying "your character needs to be sympathetic" we are provided with methods of achieving this.
In short, a must read for those struggling through the w...more
Gerke covers: character, setting, first lines and initial suspense building - something that stood out from other 'writers on writing' is that Gerke goes to the effort of explaining how to follow the advise he espouses. For example rather than just saying "your character needs to be sympathetic" we are provided with methods of achieving this.
In short, a must read for those struggling through the w...more
Beginnings are arguably the most difficult part of any story. We have to accomplish so much in such a short amount of time. No wonder some of us are driven to drink! Fortunately, Gerke has done us all a good turn by applying his many years of editorial experience to boiling down the demands of the first fifty pages into a straightforward and manageable checklist. Although I disagree with some of his conclusions, all in all, this book couldn't be more spot-on. It offers help for everything from t...more
I've just recently started to try a write a novel. In preparing to submit my story for a contest, I had a friend review it and quickly learned that there is a lot more to writing than just putting ink on paper. So, I bought this book thinking that anything could help me and so far this book is a home run! Jeff takes the reader through the whole process of what an editor is not wanting that I have already revised my manuscript and it is a much better story now.
Thanks for all the great insight!
Thanks for all the great insight!
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Are you a budding novelist? Make this one of the first books you buy as you venture into writing. Gerke answered several questions I had on how to begin, what to include, etc. In addition, he answered several questions I didn’t know I had. Not one single page wasted my time. That is rare.
This book is really good, and is helpful in fleshing out parts of your novel. Written by a screen player the entire take is different from other books on the craft.
Excellent book on setting up your first 50 pages. Very informative. Jeff spells things out perfectly, and gives examples of his suggestions. A must read for new and seasoned authors.
Great How to book. To read my full review go to www.virginiagruver.com
had great advice,but contradicted itself sometimes
An invaluable guide to beginning your book. This is one for my keeper shelf. I know at some point I'll be reading and referencing this book again.
Worth every penny I paid for this book. I learned so many helpful tips, tricks, and tactics. Recommended for writers, novices or professionals.
Immensely helpful. I read this at a point in my revision process when I knew my manuscript needed a new beginning and I didn't want to waste any time doing it wrong. Again. Even though it focuses on the first 50 pages, the advice given is certainly not so limited in its scope. Now, however, I feel like I'm ruined when it comes to reading sub par openings. I will never look at first sentences the same way again.
Some really good pointers and ideas. Gets the creativity flowing as to how to start, and lets you know what the people on the other end will be thinking. Invaluable if, like me, you're not sure how to start.
Very very helpful!
Jun 15, 2013
Tatiana
marked it as to-read
May 30, 2013
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