Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
31st out of 321 books
—
503 voters
The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile
by
Noah Lukeman (Goodreads Author)
The First Five Pages
Editors always tell novice writers that the first few pages of a manuscript are crucial in the publishing process -- and it's true. If an editor or agent (or reader) loses interest after a page or two, you've lost him or her completely, even if the middle of your novel is brilliant and the ending phenomenal. Noah Lukeman, an agent in Manhattan, has take...more
Editors always tell novice writers that the first few pages of a manuscript are crucial in the publishing process -- and it's true. If an editor or agent (or reader) loses interest after a page or two, you've lost him or her completely, even if the middle of your novel is brilliant and the ending phenomenal. Noah Lukeman, an agent in Manhattan, has take...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
January 20th 2000
by Touchstone
(first published January 1st 2000)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
2,712)
Lukeman presents several methods for the beginning writer to examine and edit their work in a careful, methodical manner. By examining the mechanics of good prose, Lukeman provides solid advice on strengthening not only the first few pages of a novel, but also the entire work. He breaks his book into convenient sections, the first dealing with raw text and problems of presentation, adverbs and adjectives, sound, comparison, and style. The second section deals with the mechanics, strengths, and p...more
This is by far the best book on writing I have ever read. The writing itself is tight and direct, and the advice is encouraging. I personally agree with everything Lukeman said, as he touched upon many of my own pet peeves as a reader.
His perspective as an agent is especially enlightening, since he will flat out say "if you do this, you will probably get moved to the rejection pile."
Also, this book is especially dear to me because I felt like I have the same perspective on writing that the autho...more
His perspective as an agent is especially enlightening, since he will flat out say "if you do this, you will probably get moved to the rejection pile."
Also, this book is especially dear to me because I felt like I have the same perspective on writing that the autho...more
This was pretty good. A few gems made the read worthwhile, especially since it was a quick one. Not sure I would recommend it to anyone.
My main complaint is that he gives plenty of examples of rejection-worthy writing, but not a lot of examples of good writing. I can fill in the gaps reasonably well, but it would have been helpful to have an idea of what to strive toward, rather than just what to avoid.
Also, did anyone notice that the quotations at the beginning of each chapter bore no significa...more
My main complaint is that he gives plenty of examples of rejection-worthy writing, but not a lot of examples of good writing. I can fill in the gaps reasonably well, but it would have been helpful to have an idea of what to strive toward, rather than just what to avoid.
Also, did anyone notice that the quotations at the beginning of each chapter bore no significa...more
This book is probably the only resource out there that spells out (using egregious examples) all the bad habits your editor keeps scribbling all over your manuscripts that you look at and go "WHAT? What does this MEAN?"
None of these bad habits are unique to writing how-to books. Every book out there (and I've read a lot) TELLS you to eliminate these bad habits. Eliminate unnecessary adverbs. Show don't tell. Blah blah blah... But this is the only book out there that teaches you to SPOT these bad...more
None of these bad habits are unique to writing how-to books. Every book out there (and I've read a lot) TELLS you to eliminate these bad habits. Eliminate unnecessary adverbs. Show don't tell. Blah blah blah... But this is the only book out there that teaches you to SPOT these bad...more
Written from the perspective of an agent, Lukeman goes topic by topic-- from the physical presentation to pacing and progression-- and tells us what agents toss, why, and solutions to each topic so as not to be tossed.
Lukeman has a great way of getting to the point, stating the problem, solution and exercises if one has trouble with that area. Some people really love this book and some found it discouraging because it focuses on what not to do and all the many ways they reject. I found it highly...more
Lukeman has a great way of getting to the point, stating the problem, solution and exercises if one has trouble with that area. Some people really love this book and some found it discouraging because it focuses on what not to do and all the many ways they reject. I found it highly...more
3.5*s The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile is primarily a book about craft, and how to use that craft to polish your opening pages so that the editor/agent will give your manuscript a second glance. And I do mean glance. Sometimes, as in the case of opening with dialogue, the manuscript gets just a glance and doesn't even get read.
The slant of this book is towards literary works as opposed to genre, and assumes that you're submitting to New York publishers...more
The slant of this book is towards literary works as opposed to genre, and assumes that you're submitting to New York publishers...more
In the First Five Pages, Noah Lukeman reveals the quickest ways a manuscript is tossed into the rejection pile. Think your numerous alliterations are clever? Manuscript readers don't. Believe you're subtlety slipping in backstory when your characters discuss their pasts? Nope, it's annoying and contrived. Subscribe to the belief that the more drama, the better? Please unsubscribe.
This book's value ultimately lies with Lukeman's editing credentials. He organizes this book according to what an edi...more
This book's value ultimately lies with Lukeman's editing credentials. He organizes this book according to what an edi...more
If you haven't read any books before on the writing/ editing/ publishing process, this could be a very good start. It covers the basic problems that most beginning writers struggle with, and is ordered from most urgent problems, (likely to get your manuscript discarded within the first five page,) to those that are less pressing but still worthy of consideration.
However, if you, like me, have indeed devoured other writing tutorials, chewing the information and digesting it thoroughly, this one...more
However, if you, like me, have indeed devoured other writing tutorials, chewing the information and digesting it thoroughly, this one...more
This is a book that I would absolutely recommend to anyone interested in pursuing writing as a career. It's clearly written, to the point, and provides an insight into the process that I haven't run into elsewhere.
The basic gist is that the author is an agent, and the book is a guide for avoiding the things which would stop him (and other agents) from reading further into your manuscript. These problems - and suggestions for diagnosing and solving them - are arranged in order of highest priority...more
The basic gist is that the author is an agent, and the book is a guide for avoiding the things which would stop him (and other agents) from reading further into your manuscript. These problems - and suggestions for diagnosing and solving them - are arranged in order of highest priority...more
I've read a few books on the craft of writing; most recently "Crafting Scenes" by Raymond Someone or another, Nancy Kress's "Beginnings Middles & Ends", of course, and the excellent Stephen King's "On Writing", .. but this is the most useful (sorry Mr King).
The premise is that Agents and Publishers have so many manuscripts sent to them, the only way to get through them is to sift through the first five pages looking for reasons to reject. This book tells you what those reasons are, and how...more
The premise is that Agents and Publishers have so many manuscripts sent to them, the only way to get through them is to sift through the first five pages looking for reasons to reject. This book tells you what those reasons are, and how...more
One of the better books on writing fiction I've come across. Lukeman is an experienced agent, and his advice is not directed toward any particular genre. The book is particularly of value to newer writers that have not yet completed a full manuscript, as it will help them avoid "rookie mistakes" and save a lot of time in revision. For more experienced writers, much of what he presents will seem like common sense. The only flaw that bothered me was that Lukeman's textual examples of what "not to...more
This book focuses mainly on the art of language. It helps me tremendously as I do not have a good ear to English which is my second language. However, judging from a lot of the manuscripts I have read by other native speakers, I can tell that the advice is really right on. I learned a lot from the chapters on sounds, voice, dialogues, progression and style. I now understand much better the difference sometimes the mere positioning of a single word can make. It is a book one can savor on and go b...more
‘The First Five Pages’ was written for writers and it does a good job of covering every aspect of writing. This book was written by literary agent and former editor Noah Lukeman as a quick guide to the major aspects of a manuscript that needs to be looked at to help avoid being put into the rejection pile. The book covers topics like;
* A weak opening hook
* Overuse of adjectives and adverbs
* Flat or forced metaphors or similes
* Melodramatic, commonplace or confusing dialogue
* Undeveloped cha...more
* A weak opening hook
* Overuse of adjectives and adverbs
* Flat or forced metaphors or similes
* Melodramatic, commonplace or confusing dialogue
* Undeveloped cha...more
Good stuff.
The First Five Pages is a writing book about the common problems in the first five pages of novels, and how to fix them so that your first five pages shine (and so that you don't get rejected).
The author, agent Noah Lukeman, points out in the introduction that problems found in the first five pages can indicate that the reader (an agent or editor) will find these same problems later in the novel (which is why you need to fix them all). Each chapter covers a different topic, starting with the sm...more
The author, agent Noah Lukeman, points out in the introduction that problems found in the first five pages can indicate that the reader (an agent or editor) will find these same problems later in the novel (which is why you need to fix them all). Each chapter covers a different topic, starting with the sm...more
Lukeman's basic message is that any manuscript you send in (unagented) will land in the slush pile where editors are actively seeking reasons to reject it. Your manuscript will not get a "fair reading," in fact, you'll be lucky if it gets read much at all.
The first five pages? You should be so lucky. Editors will scan the first five pages to see if there's too much dialog, too little dialog, too much exposition, too little exposition. If they find Just One Thing they don't like, you're tossed w...more
The first five pages? You should be so lucky. Editors will scan the first five pages to see if there's too much dialog, too little dialog, too much exposition, too little exposition. If they find Just One Thing they don't like, you're tossed w...more
From the introduction:
"Agents and editors don't read manuscripts to enjoy them; they read solely with the goal of getting through the pile, solely with an eye to dismiss a manuscript--and believe me, they'll look for any reason they can, down to the last letter."
Noah Lukeman's book covers a lot of the same ground as James Scott Bell's "Revision and Self-Editing," (my favorite of its kind), but not in anywhere near as much depth, and from an agent's point of view. This book points out quite frank...more
"Agents and editors don't read manuscripts to enjoy them; they read solely with the goal of getting through the pile, solely with an eye to dismiss a manuscript--and believe me, they'll look for any reason they can, down to the last letter."
Noah Lukeman's book covers a lot of the same ground as James Scott Bell's "Revision and Self-Editing," (my favorite of its kind), but not in anywhere near as much depth, and from an agent's point of view. This book points out quite frank...more
Full review at http://yannabe.com/2009/05/21/review-...
Summary: A literary agent and former editor shares tips on how to make your first 5 pages shine.
Review: I would recommend Self-Editing for Fiction Writers over this book. However, if you’re looking for another slightly different list of issues to look for in your writing, go ahead and read this book.
The advice in this one was solid, but other elements of it weren’t:
* Silly, obvious examples—Showing examples of what you’re talking about: Awe...more
Summary: A literary agent and former editor shares tips on how to make your first 5 pages shine.
Review: I would recommend Self-Editing for Fiction Writers over this book. However, if you’re looking for another slightly different list of issues to look for in your writing, go ahead and read this book.
The advice in this one was solid, but other elements of it weren’t:
* Silly, obvious examples—Showing examples of what you’re talking about: Awe...more
When you try to sell a book to a publisher, one of the things you send them is the first few pages of your manuscript. This book promises a discussion of how best to present your work to a publisher, but what it actually delivers is a detailed discussion of how to write good prose at a low level: the use of parts of speech, "show, don't tell", euphony, and so on. It makes only a brief attempt to deal with higher-level issues such as plot and characterisation, though the author has a book on thos...more
Every time I review a book about writing, I mention that I’ve read a lot of books on writing. So, let it be known that I've read a LOT of books about writing. This one, in all honesty, seems to be written for the newbie writer with stars in his eyes about what he’s written over one long weekend on a drug-induced/alcohol/twinkie binge. It’s simply some admonishments to not send it out to agents and publishers as-is.
So, if I’d picked this up just after I spent a long weekend writing my first nove...more
So, if I’d picked this up just after I spent a long weekend writing my first nove...more
If they ever compile a Writer's Bible, this ought to be one of the very first books found in it. I could have spared myself a great deal of rewriting, rejection, and insult if I'd used something like this as a guide. I began reading this while awaiting the judge scores of a contest I'd entered several months prior. To my amazement, two of my four judges made reference to this book on my score sheet as a resource that would most improve my work.
It is a mercifully quick read--and to the point--cat...more
It is a mercifully quick read--and to the point--cat...more
It's fairly depressing to read. (I'm between a 2 and a 3)
Not the most helpful book on editing. I prefer Lyon's MANUSCRIPT MAKEOVER, Bell's REVISION & SELF-EDITING, and Browne & King's SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS. I expected it to clearly explain how to make the first five pages of my manuscript so wonderful THAT any editor or publisher would be a fool to pass the next 5 to 500 (depending on what I'm writing at the time) pages.
I suppose that was foolish thinking on my part, but I wou...more
Not the most helpful book on editing. I prefer Lyon's MANUSCRIPT MAKEOVER, Bell's REVISION & SELF-EDITING, and Browne & King's SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS. I expected it to clearly explain how to make the first five pages of my manuscript so wonderful THAT any editor or publisher would be a fool to pass the next 5 to 500 (depending on what I'm writing at the time) pages.
I suppose that was foolish thinking on my part, but I wou...more
Lots of helpful advice on writing to be published, given by a successful literary agent. This book discusses a host of topics, such as presentation, the overuse of adjectives and adverbs, dialogue, viewpoint, characterization, and hooks. Each chapter ends with a list of exercises addressing the subject of the chapter. Though I think that the book is meant to be read slowly, with significant time devoted to the exercises, I found it so interesting and easy to read that I zipped through it in a co...more
Anyone who daydreams about being a published writer owes it to themselves to read this book and learn what they're up against. There are many, many writing books out there, but this one stands apart for a couple of reasons.
One: it's not by a writer, but by one of those evil literary agents who currently act as the bouncers of the publishing community. His focus in this book is to tell the aspiring writer exactly why their work is going to be rejected long before things like plot, setting, and c...more
One: it's not by a writer, but by one of those evil literary agents who currently act as the bouncers of the publishing community. His focus in this book is to tell the aspiring writer exactly why their work is going to be rejected long before things like plot, setting, and c...more
I bought this for a friend who's struggling with his first novel. Idly flicking through the pages, I realised that my need was greater than his, so he'll have to wait! Slim enough not to be threatening, and yet never facile, this is great value. I constantly refer to it, and I suspect it'll never actually be 'shelved'
A valueable book for anyone interested in becoming a serious writer.There is a lot of helpful information about becoming a published author, although more experienced authors will find much the book offers pretty obvious.
To me(and I suspect many others) the most interesting part of the book is the author's assertion that many fine works are passed over simply because time consraints on editors and agents lead them to dismiss them out of hand for seemingly petty offences like incorrect formattin...more
To me(and I suspect many others) the most interesting part of the book is the author's assertion that many fine works are passed over simply because time consraints on editors and agents lead them to dismiss them out of hand for seemingly petty offences like incorrect formattin...more
This book is not what it is marketed to be. The subtitle reads: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile. If staying out of the rejection pile means knowing and utilizing basic writing skills, then this book is perfect. However, if you have already been writing for twenty or so years, been published, and have a degree in English, then this book is, for the most part, a waste of time. You can get all the writing styles and techniques presented here in Strunk and White's The Element o...more
Noah Lukeman is a beautifully clear writer; he's also a literary agent, so we may assume he knows what he's talking about. In A Dash of Style: The Art and Mastery of Punctuation, he analyzed both the broad purpose and the nuance of punctuation in creative fiction. The First Five Pages starts with chapters covering the five glaring problems that will get a manuscript rejected quickly (Part I), then provides five chapters related to aspects of dialogue (Part II), and finally looks at nine other is...more
A scant primer--
As far as the content goes, although it is interesting to learn the perspective of publishers and editors, it gives you nothing but the most rudimentary points in regards to the techniques of writing.
Even as a primer, it miserably fails to deliver satisfactory content. There are other books that do the job much, much better, such as Donald Maass's Writing the Breakout Novel and Stephen King's opinionated but still excellent On Writing.
If you have been reading books on writing, th...more
As far as the content goes, although it is interesting to learn the perspective of publishers and editors, it gives you nothing but the most rudimentary points in regards to the techniques of writing.
Even as a primer, it miserably fails to deliver satisfactory content. There are other books that do the job much, much better, such as Donald Maass's Writing the Breakout Novel and Stephen King's opinionated but still excellent On Writing.
If you have been reading books on writing, th...more
I've actually read this book multiple times, and I cycle back through it every so often. Although it's a great guide for writing a compelling first chapter, it's so much more than that. I try to find fault with it, the more fiction I produce, but the truth is, this book is damned near flawless.
You might gloss over the trad pub advice, as it's out of date and likely never to be true again, but as far as actual technical writing advice goes, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better, more concise gui...more
You might gloss over the trad pub advice, as it's out of date and likely never to be true again, but as far as actual technical writing advice goes, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better, more concise gui...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
In addition to being an active literary agent, Noah Lukeman is also author of the best-selling The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying out of the Rejection Pile (Simon & Schuster, 1999), which was a selection of many of Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers and is part of the curriculum in many universities. His The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life (St. Martins...more
More about Noah Lukeman...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Personally, I am always more impressed by simplicity, clarity; it is the mark of a writer who knows his subject well and is secure enough not to 'lay it on' in the telling. Aim for complexity of thought, not expression.”
—
1 person liked it
“Unfortunately, these days, 'literary' writing seems to have become synonymous with 'showy' writing, writing that is beautiful but doesn't tell a story. This is a misguided trend. If today's 'literary' writers would look back only one or two hundred years at real literary writers like Dostoyevsky, Poe, Conrad, Melville, they would find momentous stories--not just pretty writing--at the core of almost all of their great works.”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
Aug 12, 2012 01:06pm