How to Get An Editor to Read Past Page 2
Notes from Columbus Writer's Conference, Sally Kim, Shaye Areheart Books, Crown Publishing Group.
The first two pages need to be so powerful that the editor literally cannot put the book down. It's important to nail that first page and nail that first line, the opening scene. The first page must be so powerful that the editor cannot put the book down.
As Sally Kim stated, "It's your book. Reel us in."
Character Driven:
Meeting a character is like meeting a future spouse. You want to feel a connection, a spark, right away.
Voice:
The voice needs to ring true from the first, and reveal a sense of the character. What is he/she like? Perhaps a better version of myself. Is this someone that I would root for and be willing to go to the mat for?
What is at stake for the character? Why should I feel an emotional investment? Does this feel true to me? Do I want to spend 200 pages reading about this person?
Balance Between Too Much/Not Enough Information:
It's important to set the tone of the story without giving the whole farm away. Reveal the conflict. Craft your scenes so that questions come to the forefront for the reader. Provide visceral images so that the reader feels that they are truly there.
RED FLAGS FOR THE EDITOR:
1.) An opening page that is too quiet: Beautifully written prose that is boring. Navel-gazing wherein the author basically just admires their own prose.
2.) Slow opening with nothing happening: What is this book about? Editors will put down a book if it is slow and lagging. They want to be with the character every step of the way.
3.) An opening that's much too fast: The reader can't follow the character, because too much is happening at once.
4.) Characters that aren't interesting and multi-dimensional
5.) Uneven tone
FINDING THE RIGHT EDITOR
A good editor with the right vision can get a book into shape.
Kim estimates that 25% of every page an editor will tinker with... Ten different publishing houses might shape the same book in ten different ways, depending upon their focus. (This is where agents fit in! Who better than an agent to steer a writer in the right direction?)
The first two pages need to be so powerful that the editor literally cannot put the book down. It's important to nail that first page and nail that first line, the opening scene. The first page must be so powerful that the editor cannot put the book down.
As Sally Kim stated, "It's your book. Reel us in."
Character Driven:
Meeting a character is like meeting a future spouse. You want to feel a connection, a spark, right away.
Voice:
The voice needs to ring true from the first, and reveal a sense of the character. What is he/she like? Perhaps a better version of myself. Is this someone that I would root for and be willing to go to the mat for?
What is at stake for the character? Why should I feel an emotional investment? Does this feel true to me? Do I want to spend 200 pages reading about this person?
Balance Between Too Much/Not Enough Information:
It's important to set the tone of the story without giving the whole farm away. Reveal the conflict. Craft your scenes so that questions come to the forefront for the reader. Provide visceral images so that the reader feels that they are truly there.
RED FLAGS FOR THE EDITOR:
1.) An opening page that is too quiet: Beautifully written prose that is boring. Navel-gazing wherein the author basically just admires their own prose.
2.) Slow opening with nothing happening: What is this book about? Editors will put down a book if it is slow and lagging. They want to be with the character every step of the way.
3.) An opening that's much too fast: The reader can't follow the character, because too much is happening at once.
4.) Characters that aren't interesting and multi-dimensional
5.) Uneven tone
FINDING THE RIGHT EDITOR
A good editor with the right vision can get a book into shape.
Kim estimates that 25% of every page an editor will tinker with... Ten different publishing houses might shape the same book in ten different ways, depending upon their focus. (This is where agents fit in! Who better than an agent to steer a writer in the right direction?)
posted by Lisa | 8:45 AM
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