The only way to sell a book is to get people to read past that first page. The voice, the story, the setting, all of it has to mesh in such a way to make the reader wonder “and then what?”

Now, I know my stories — and probably yours — are amazing. And if the agents and publishers read the full story, they’d see its shining merits. Unfortunately, time is limited, the slush piles are enormous, and no one is getting paid for books that never sell. Most manuscripts from the slush pile are put down before the reader makes it through the first page.

Today, I’m here with tips from Imaginarium 2023. I had the privilege to read a stack of first pages aloud to publishers and agents and heard firsthand why they would put down that page.

The agents and publishers really do want to find the diamond in the pile of mediocre-to-bad stories. But, they need a reason NOT to reject your story, rather than a reason TO reject it. There are just too many coming their way, and they can’t publish everything.