I attended a small writer’s workshop in Sacramento. One of the sessions included several agents. Participants submitted the first page of a work in progress. Chuck Sambuchino read the page aloud, and agents had copies. Agents raised a hand when she would quit reading. When three hands went up, the reading stopped. Decisions were made quickly.
The agents then told why they would have stopped reading. Often, the comment was, “I like the premise but was waiting for the story to start.” Agents (and readers) need our book to catch them, make them want to continue reading.
Agents were being not cruel. They only represent books they think they can sell to a publisher. Agencies get 15% of the advance. That’s it. If they can’t sell the book, they have no income.
Since writing this blog, I have touched on the subjects of openings and agents: Opening Lines Redux, 50 Words, and November Querying.
George Yammering About This on YouTube.
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