Important information from literary agent Annie Bomke on what she looks for in the first few pages of a manuscript.
Thanks, Annie!
A while ago when I solicited advice on what topics to cover in my blogs, someone asked me to cover common mistakes I see authors making in their first pages, so here is my rough list.
One quick note before I start the list, just to give you an idea of my mindset going into a manuscript. When I read a submission, I don’t ask myself: “Is this a good book?” or “Is this person a good writer?” I ask: “Am I interested in reading more?” There’s no such thing as an objectively good book, because reading is a subjective experience, so I don’t attempt to judge what’s “good.” All I’m looking for is a desire to read more. If I don’t feel compelled to read more, I stop reading.
So without further ado, here are the most common reasons I stop reading:
No Sense of POV
There’s a description…
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Writers Envy 
Thanks, I needed this!
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So timely! I’m making the final edits to my novel.
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Interesting post…but I guess it’s all for us, newbies only 😉
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Haha I’ve devoured her words already!
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👍👍😂
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Good info. Thanks Will
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So timely, as I make another editing pass through the manuscript. I think I have the opening that will hold agents’ attention.
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Me, too. Are you looking for an agent? I think that’s the route I’m going for The Contraption
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Soon. I’ve queried multiple agents twice but none requested more pages. I’ve tweaked my opening, made my MC likeable and a few other things. I’ll be ready to query by summer.
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Thank you Will. Very good advice I have to bookmark this page.
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This is some of the greatest insight I’ve read.
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