The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile

The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile
by Noah Lukeman

The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile
List Price: $13.95
Buy Used: from $5.00 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

Author: Noah Lukeman
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2005-01-01
ISBN: 068485743X
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Fireside
Product features:

Book Reviews of The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile

Book Review: Invaluable Advice on How to Write Well.
Summary: 5 Stars

This book has saved my writing and I'm not even a professional writer! The advice given in this book is priceless, in turn making it an indispensable resource for anyone that writes regardless of what type of writing it is.

The author starts by tackling the technicality of writing from presentation to the proper use of adjectives and adverbs to sound and comparison. He then delves into dialogue, continuing to give advice on its many formats. From that, he ends with tools to help the writer get the best out of narration, tone, focus and setting.

He starts each section with 1) what needs to be done followed by 2) how to do it and ending with 3) practice exercises. This book is definitely one resource I'll be referring to for while to come.

Summary of The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile

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.


The difference between The First Five Pages and most books on writing is that the others are written by teachers and writers. This one comes from a literary agent--one whose clients include Pulitzer Prize nominees, New York Times bestselling authors, Pushcart Prize recipients, and American Book Award winners. Noah Lukeman is not trying to impart the finer points of writing well. He wants to teach you "how to identify and avoid bad writing," so that your manuscript doesn't come boomeranging back to you in that self-addressed, stamped envelope. Surprise: Agents and editors don't read manuscripts for fun; they are looking for reasons to reject them. Lukeman has arranged his book "in the order of what I look for when trying to dismiss a manuscript," starting with presentation and concluding with pacing and progression. Each chapter addresses a pitfall of poor writing--overabundance of adjectives and adverbs, tedious or unrealistic dialogue, and lack of subtlety to name just a few--by identifying the problem, presenting solutions, giving examples (one wishes these weren't quite so obvious), and offering writing exercises. It's a little bizarre to think about approaching your work as would an agent, but if you are serious about getting published, you may as well get used to it. Plus, Lukeman has plenty of solid advice worth listening to. Particularly fine are his exercises for removing and spicing up modifiers and his remedies for all kinds of faulty dialogue. --Jane Steinberg

General Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in General Books
One Child ImageOne Child
by Torey L. Hayden
Putnam Adult; Published: 1980-04-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $25.64
Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy ImageMayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy
by Mayo Clinic
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 2004-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.50
Price in other shops: $21.99
Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs and Communications of the Dying (Walker Large Print Books) ImageFinal Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs and Communications of the Dying (Walker Large Print Books)
by Maggie Callanan, Patricia Kelley
Walker & Company; Published: 1995-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $24.98
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule ImageVegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule
by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero
Da Capo Press; Published: 2006-10-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops: $15.95
Heal Your Headache: The 1-2-3 Program for Taking Charge of Your Pain ImageHeal Your Headache: The 1-2-3 Program for Taking Charge of Your Pain
by David Buchholz
Workman Publishing Company; Published: 2002-08-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops: $13.95
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth ImageIna May's Guide to Childbirth
by Ina May Gaskin
San Val; Published: 2003-03; Library Binding; Book
Price in other shops: $29.45
Strength Training Anatomy - 2nd Edition ImageStrength Training Anatomy - 2nd Edition
by Frederic Delavier
Human Kinetics; Published: 2005-10-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.95
Price in other shops: $21.95
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: 101 Stories of Life, Love and Learning (Chicken Soup for the Soul) ImageChicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: 101 Stories of Life, Love and Learning (Chicken Soup for the Soul)
by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Kimberly Kirberger, Mitch Claspy
HCI Teens; Published: 1997-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.00
Price in other shops: $14.95
Easy Way to Stop Smoking ImageEasy Way to Stop Smoking
by Allen Carr
Arcturus Publishing Ltd; Published: 2001-03-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $81.33
Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health ImageTaking Charge of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health
by Toni Weschler
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 2006-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.35
Price in other shops: $24.99
Similar Books and other products
Elements of Writing Fiction - Beginnings, Middles & Ends (Elements of Fiction Writing) ImageElements of Writing Fiction - Beginnings, Middles & Ends (Elements of Fiction Writing)
by Nancy Kress
Writers Digest Books; Published: 1999-03-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.08
Price in other shops: $14.99
Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook ImageWriting the Breakout Novel Workbook
by Donald Maass
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2004-06-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.43
Price in other shops: $19.99
Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints (Write Great Fiction) ImageCharacters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints (Write Great Fiction)
by Nancy Kress
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2005-03-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.53
Price in other shops: $16.99
Write Great Fiction - Dialogue ImageWrite Great Fiction - Dialogue
by Gloria Kempton
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2004-10-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.26
Price in other shops: $16.99
How to Write a Damn Good Novel: A Step-by-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling ImageHow to Write a Damn Good Novel: A Step-by-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling
by James N. Frey
St. Martin's Press; Published: 1987-12-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.75
Price in other shops: $21.95
Plot & Structure: (Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish) (Write Great Fiction) ImagePlot & Structure: (Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish) (Write Great Fiction)
by James Scott Bell
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2004-10-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.47
Price in other shops: $16.99
A Dash of Style: The Art and Mastery of Punctuation ImageA Dash of Style: The Art and Mastery of Punctuation
by Noah Lukeman
W. W. Norton; Published: 2007-04-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.11
Price in other shops: $13.95
Writing the Breakout Novel ImageWriting the Breakout Novel
by Donald Maass
Writers Digest Books; Published: 2002-08-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.21
Price in other shops: $16.99
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print ImageSelf-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print
by Renni Browne, Dave King
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 2004-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.45
Price in other shops: $13.99
The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life ImageThe Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life
by Noah Lukeman
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2003-06-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.77
Price in other shops: $13.95