Book Previews

A Reddit user posited that the vast majority of self-published book previews are awful. I'm far from an expert on the subject, because I have no reason to preview anyone else's books. But I have previewed my own. In a couple of cases that led me to pull the book down and upload a corrected version. One of those was my book of essays (published under a different pen name), when I found an error on the very first page. It wasn't a spelling error, but I'd inadvertently typed a wrong word (something like "lifetime" instead of "lifeline"), and of course Word didn't flag it because it was an actual word. Another time I simply hated the opening line. It was dull, flat.

Why is the opening line so vital? Significantly, for self-published authors potential buyers will look inside. They don't know our work, and they're hesitant to lay down money for something unknown. If we don't hook them with our opening, they'll swiftly move along. 

And it's not just the opening itself. I have seen a couple of crazily formatted previews ~ one long run-on paragraph or no paragraph separation. If you're new to self-publishing, be aware that formatting matters! Formatting isn't rocket science. There is a standard setup.* Follow it when writing your manuscript, then import it into Kindle Create. Voila!

*Times New Roman, 12-point font, indent first line by .5, set up double spacing. Adding chapter titles is a bit more involved, but just use the search box for instructions. That's it. 

I would never purchase a badly formatted book, because I don't want to deal with the frustration.

Back to badly written openings ~ It's hard to get opening lines right. The opening is your invitation for people to step inside. When sending out a party invitation, you don't want the front of it to read, "If you feel like it, I'm having a party". Wow, exciting! You want something like, "Celebrate good times ~ Come on!" (to borrow from, well, you know.) Unfortunately, story openings are a bit more difficult to do right. I've tried various methods. I'm a fan of an opening that is a bit of a head-scratcher, but that might just be me. My favorite example is from Lies and Love: "George Washington keeps staring at me." It's kind of a throwaway, but it does establish the setting (a tourist town outside Mount Rushmore). 

I've also gone the traditional route, which to me is harder. Ideally, I suppose, one wants to convey a few basics ~ character, stakes, setting. But boy, these had better be scintillating if they're all being packed into the first paragraph. 

I opened Find My Way Home with dialogue, but if I was to go back and revise the book, I wouldn't do that again. That device can work; it just didn't work for my taste. "Don't forget; it's tonight" isn't even intriguing enough for someone to want to find out what "it" is. Obviously, the next line explains why the main character's dad uttered it, but it's just not elegant. 

That Reddit post did make me curious, though. Are all indie book previews bad? I actually don't believe that. I'll wager that the majority of them are better than mine, because mine are generally mediocre. I think I may search a few out. Sometimes it's good to know what I'm up against.