Why just the first 10K, you ask?
Grabbing a reader's attention is hard in the sea of competition, and getting them to buy a book just based on the cover and blurb is even harder. Readers have more choices than ever right now, and I think that the first 10k words in a novel are crucial to not only getting that reader to buy a book, but also essential in keeping them as satisfied customers. This is especially true if they utilize Amazon's Preview it Now option before purchasing, as I generally do.
The last thing anyone wants is to pay good money for a book that seems to have everything going for it, then just get disappointed by crappy dialogue, confusing plots and subplots or cookie cutter characters. Here I will be reviewing books from a variety of genres to evaluate what I think of the first 10k words. If they are great and the book keeps my attention for longer than that, great. If not, it goes in the trash.
I'll post full length reviews for books that keep my attention and entertain me as this happens. All of my reviews will have both good and bad points to help the readers and writers alike.
Points I will be looking for:
- Are the main characters quickly and clearly introduced?
- Are the characters interesting and consistent, or cookie cutters / scattered?
- Do I care about the characters at all and why?
- Is there conflict early on? Is it good conflict or am I bored?
- Is it genuinely interesting?
- Is the story a new idea, or at least presented in a creative way?
- Is the writing structurally and mechanically sound?
- Does the book seem to fit in its genre well?
- Does it make me laugh? If so, is the author trying to make me laugh or is this a really bad sign?
Among other things.... Drop me a line if you think I should make note of any more specifics!
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