The First Five Pages, Noah Lukeman
The First Five Pages, Noah Lukeman
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The First Five Pages
A Writer's Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile

Author: Noah Lukeman

Narrator: Angus Freathy

Unabridged: 5 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/05/2017


Synopsis

IF YOU'RE TIRED OF REJECTION, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.
Whether you are a novice writer or a veteran who has already had your work published, rejection is often a frustrating reality. Literary agents and editors receive and reject hundreds of manuscripts each month. While it's the job of these publishing professionals to be discriminating, it's the job of the writer to produce a manuscript that immediately stands out among the vast competition. And those outstanding qualities, says New York literary agent Noah Lukeman, have to be apparent from the first five pages.
The First Five Pages reveals the necessary elements of good writing, whether it be fiction, nonfiction, journalism, or poetry, and points out errors to be avoided, such as
* A weak opening hook
* Overuse of adjectives and adverbs
* Flat or forced metaphors or similes
* Melodramatic, commonplace or confusing dialogue
* Undeveloped characterizations and lifeless settings
* Uneven pacing and lack of progression
With exercises at the end of each chapter, this invaluable reference will allow novelists, journalists, poets and screenwriters alike to improve their technique as they learn to eliminate even the most subtle mistakes that are cause for rejection. The First Five Pages will help writers at every stage take their art to a higher -- and more successful -- level.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Romie

read this one for my Publishing in Practice class. it's always interesting to see the advice publishers give to writers wanting to be published since, well, as their possible future editors you want to know how to edit a manuscript properly. so yeah, interesting, a bit long, but funny at times, whic......more

Goodreads review by Amanda

There are a few reasons I was less than thrilled with this book. 1. For each chapter on what might make an agent or publisher put your manuscript down, Lukeman gave an example. Unfortunately the examples were all so obvious or over dramatized that I couldn't help but think- "There's no way anyone act......more

Originally written in 2000, this book definitely features some dated advice, mainly in areas about submitting manuscripts mentioned terms like "typewriters". It is interesting to see how far technology in publishing and writing has come since this advice was first given out, but that does not mean t......more

Goodreads review by Lee

My writing teacher recommended this book for novelists wishing to improve the very start of their book so it grabs people right away. I immediately put in an order for it and consumed it as soon as it arrived. Disappointing. The title is misleading. This book, like several others I've read, goes over......more

Goodreads review by Rain

So once I stopped beating my wrists and wailing at the utter unfairness of how ruthless editors and publishers can be, I took a deep breath and considered the advice in this book. I hate that just one tiny mistake can make an editor drop your manuscript right away; I ESPECIALLY hate that editors rea......more