I don’t have any figures at all for Heart of the Mirage, so that doesn’t enter the equation yet. Of the other 3, The Aware sold best, but then it’s also been available longest.

It might be that one or two of the others START with a character’s name, and that always makes me stop and go, “who is this, again?” I think I prefer being kind of eased into identity of the protagonist, rather than being whapped over the head with it as I open the book.

Interesting exercise, though. I do wonder how much impact that first sentence has when you’re browsing in a bookshop and unsure of what PRECISELY you might want to buy.

Which of those books you quoted HAS actually sold best for you so far, Glenda?…

Such a confronting first sentence.

I also have to agree with Cheryl that the need for a ‘hook’ is an artifact of the agent review process.

Phillberrie from the Purple Zone.

I liked Gilfeather for its matter-of-factness. The way in which the fact that meeting Blaze and Flame were somehow more important than the murder of his wife perks up my interest, and it is strengthened when the second sentence goes one step further to bring the evil act down into the world of the mundane.

I saw similarities in Heart of the Mirage and Song of the Shiver Barrens, but I thought Gilfeather really captured the essence of directing the readers interest. Just my two cents.

I’ve always though it strange that an editor/publisher places so much on those first sentences compared to when I pick up a book often have to force myself through the first pages to get to the ‘good bits’. Of course, I’m not an editor/publisher, but I am an avid reader…

By the way, I have a sneaking suspicion that the whole “must hook you from paragraph one” thing has much more to do with editors and slush piles than with the buying public.

I’m also with Karen re. balance. Plus, it depends on the writing and the novel. Some novels work great with slow openings that build to the action. Some work great starting right in the thick of things. (I prefer not to be too confused when I start a novel, though; a little context goes a long way.)

BTW don’t sequels get a break? At least for me — I don’t pick things up mid-series. If I’m buying book x, it’s because I liked the previous one. The author gets a lot more leeway with me, since I “know” it’ll be good, and I’m fine with taking my time getting back into the swing of things.

Despite what I read in agents’ blogs, plenty of books still seem to make it onto the shelf without starting in the middle of X trying to kill Y, so I guess publishing hasn’t totally lost its way. 😉

Those three are *excellent* opening lines.

I agree that too much frenetic action without any kind of context isn’t a good way to open. There needs to be a balance between something happening and discovering who these people are so that we *care* when something happens to them.