Arguably, the most important part of your manuscript is the very first page—perhaps even the very first sentence. It’s the first thing that an editorial intern or literary agent will read, and its quality determines whether or not they will scroll to the next page. If your first page disappoints, the chances of your manuscript gaining representation fall drastically.
It might seem too fast. You might be thinking, Wait! The first chapter is fantastic! They’ll at least read the full chapter, won’t they?
Sadly, neither I nor anyone else can guarantee that.
It Happens Quickly
We’re back to the idea that agents are very busy people. They are always balancing a variety of projects and authors at any given time, and acquiring new authors has to be a sure bet for many of them. A weak first page indicates an unpolished manuscript.
Some agents or interns might take longer than…
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