SFRB Recommends #23: The First 50 Pages by Jeff Gerke #writing #craft

The First 50 Pages: Engage Agents, Editors and Readers, and Set Up Your Novel for Success by Jeff Gerke

Book Blurb

Whether you’re looking to get published or just hoping to hook your reader, first impressions are vital. Compelling opening scenes are the key to catching an agent or editor’s attention, and are crucial for keeping your reader engaged.

As a writer, what you do in your opening pages, and how you do it, is a matter that cannot be left to chance. The First 50 Pages is here to help you craft a strong beginning right from the start. You’ll learn how to:

• introduce your main character
• establish your story world
• set up the plot’s conflict
• begin your hero’s inner journey
• write an amazing opening line and terrific first page
• and more

This helpful guide walks you through the tasks your first 50 pages must accomplish in order to avoid leaving readers disoriented, frustrated, or bored. Don’t let your reader put your book down before ever seeing its beauty. Let The First 50 Pages show you how to begin your novel with the skill and intentionality that will land you a book deal, and keep readers’ eyes glued to the page.

Recommendation

This is a great book and not just for the first fifty pages. Jeff spends the first part of the book giving us an inside view of what it’s like to be an acquisitions editor. He outlines the whole process and tells us what is guaranteed to kill your chances of getting a deal. The rest of the book is spent going over what every author needs to know about the first fifty pages and what they need to accomplish. He uses a lot of examples to show how and why things work (or not). I like this book because it touches on the entire novel experience, the three acts, and what you should know about your characters before you even start writing.

This book recommendation is brought to you by Sabine Priestley.

Author site: Jeff Gerke