How Do You Choose a Book?
Much has been made about the importance of the very first sentence in a novel. Some experts grumble if you don’t have that gripping, magic first sentence, no one will want to bother reading your manuscript or book.
I don’t know if I have ever purchased a book, or chosen one at a library, based on the first sentence. An interesting review might catch my initial attention and send me on a search. The cover might lure me in but more often I pick up a book based on a favorite author, or a subject that interests me. Next, I look at the back cover to get an idea of the content. After that, maybe a peek at the inside flap of the front cover. That is about it for me.
I took a look at the first sentences I used is some of my published novels and novellas to see how they fared.
“They say she is the Devil’s spawn, born in a cloud of brimstone and sulfur on a night when the peaks echoed with thunder and the castle walls trembled.”
“They are through the city gates!”
“How can I ever trust you again?”
“I stare out through a crimson haze.”
“I don’t like Elves, never have.”
“Alexis came through the door like an unguided missile at the end of its orbit.”
"Macy rose to her feet, leaned over, and poured the entire ruby contents of her wine glass neatly over the crotch of his light gray slacks."
"Hidden behind the wooden shutters, Fergus waited by the window and stared into the crowded, narrow street below."
Okay, so I admit that I sometimes like to throw a bit of drama into the opening. I’m just not certain it’s the only critical key to landing a purchase.
The other no-no some experts have been known to throw out is, “Never open with the weather!” Why not, if it is relevant? I probably would if I thought it was suitable, or just to be difficult.
While I tend to think the world does not always turn on the opening sentence, the sooner you introduce the main characters, and the plot, the better. When I used to run the judging in an annual literary contest where they often had to read and rank around forty books in a very few months, I instructed them they only had to read the first three chapters. That was enough to indicate whether or not it was a possible winner. My personal opinion is that the reader should be grabbed and well on their way after the first chapter.
How do you choose a book? Where do you look to see if it is worth picking up?
R.J.Hore
I don’t know if I have ever purchased a book, or chosen one at a library, based on the first sentence. An interesting review might catch my initial attention and send me on a search. The cover might lure me in but more often I pick up a book based on a favorite author, or a subject that interests me. Next, I look at the back cover to get an idea of the content. After that, maybe a peek at the inside flap of the front cover. That is about it for me.
I took a look at the first sentences I used is some of my published novels and novellas to see how they fared.
“They say she is the Devil’s spawn, born in a cloud of brimstone and sulfur on a night when the peaks echoed with thunder and the castle walls trembled.”
“They are through the city gates!”
“How can I ever trust you again?”
“I stare out through a crimson haze.”
“I don’t like Elves, never have.”
“Alexis came through the door like an unguided missile at the end of its orbit.”
"Macy rose to her feet, leaned over, and poured the entire ruby contents of her wine glass neatly over the crotch of his light gray slacks."
"Hidden behind the wooden shutters, Fergus waited by the window and stared into the crowded, narrow street below."
Okay, so I admit that I sometimes like to throw a bit of drama into the opening. I’m just not certain it’s the only critical key to landing a purchase.
The other no-no some experts have been known to throw out is, “Never open with the weather!” Why not, if it is relevant? I probably would if I thought it was suitable, or just to be difficult.
While I tend to think the world does not always turn on the opening sentence, the sooner you introduce the main characters, and the plot, the better. When I used to run the judging in an annual literary contest where they often had to read and rank around forty books in a very few months, I instructed them they only had to read the first three chapters. That was enough to indicate whether or not it was a possible winner. My personal opinion is that the reader should be grabbed and well on their way after the first chapter.
How do you choose a book? Where do you look to see if it is worth picking up?
R.J.Hore
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