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<\/a><\/p>\nSo you approach the shelves, and you\u2019re in browse mode. You might see some famous names presented there, but you fancy something different, something new for a change.<\/p>\n
Oo look, there\u2019s a new writer. Hieronymus Postlethwaite, with his latest release: \u201cSyphoning the Snake\u201d. Sounds intriguing, doesn\u2019t it. Should you buy? Should you not? What are you going to do?<\/p>\n
Obviously, unless you\u2019ve been living under a rock since you were old enough to walk, you\u2019re going to pick the book up. If you\u2019re like me, you turn it over to read the back cover. There\u2019s blurbs from other, more famous authors, but mostly they\u2019ve been paid to say nice things about other authors from the same publisher.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a summary. \u201cPhileas B. Pendlestone never knew what it felt like to be loved. From a baby, kidnapped from his pushchair by a pack of wild kangaroos on an outing from the local zoo, he lived in a cave for 16 years. Whilst working for the government on a top-secret mission, he falls in love with a beautiful Russian agent. But on a trip back home, his childhood sweetheart uncovers a truth that forces him to make a decision. Should he ….\u201d (etc etc).<\/p>\n
Sounds pretty damned good to me. And I\u2019ll bet it does to you, too. So what do you do then? Do you trot off to the cashier, credit card in hand?<\/p>\n
No, of course you don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
You open the book. You read the first paragraph. Maybe two.<\/p>\n
And there, kind readers, is the crux of this post. Prospective purchasers will read the first paragraph or two, or a page. That is the point at which they\u2019re deciding to buy the book, or put it back on the shelf.<\/p>\n
So what should a novelist do, in those first few paragraphs? Hmm? Do I really need to spell it out?<\/p>\n
You make those first few paragraphs the best damned paragraphs in the whole book. IN. THE. WHOLE. BOOK. Because within those paragraphs lie the secret to the sale.<\/p>\n
Online, it\u2019s the same thing. The Big Gun, Amazon, give you a \u201cClick to LOOK INSIDE!\u201d feature. They seem to think it\u2019s pretty important for people to be able to have a squint at what you\u2019re on about. Or you can download a sample. Same thing.<\/p>\n
Okay, you say. I get it, you say. I need to have someone check it, you say. So you give it to your mom.<\/p>\n
NO!<\/p>\n
Your mom (mum if she\u2019s in the UK) is probably very nice, and brought you into this world, or at least, brought you up. What\u2019s she going to say? Is she qualified to judge writing? Is she published? Or, maybe you give it to your best mate at work. What\u2019s he\/she going to say? \u201cYeah, it\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n
No no no no.<\/p>\n
Find another writer. Come on, it\u2019s not difficult. These days of social media everywhere, you can surely find someone, online, who\u2019s another writer, and preferably writing in your chosen genre. Say hi to them. Create an online friendship. Ask them to read your book.<\/p>\n
No no no no.<\/p>\n
Authors are busy people. If they\u2019re not, they\u2019re no good. if a good author has free time, the last thing she\u2019ll want to do is to spend a number of hours wading through your manuscript.<\/p>\n
So my advice? Send them a small section. At the start. Take the first few hundred words of your story. Not too much, because they won\u2019t read it. A paperback page is around 250 words, so make it around that. Bad writing can be detected (usually) within a paragraph.<\/p>\n
Send them the extract, ask for honest opinion. Does it work as an opening section? Would a reader want to read on? Are there any ways it could be improved? Just that. Don\u2019t send them a thirty page questionnaire. Just three questions.<\/p>\n
If the feedback is good, proceed to Go, and collect \u00a3200 (if you\u2019re lucky). If the feedback is bad, think about your writing. Is it really good enough to publish? Was the extract an aberration? Or was it typical of your writing? Don’t forget,\u00a0\u201cYou can put lipstick on a pig, but it\u2019s still a pig.\u201d<\/p>\n