The First Five Pages

A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile

By: Noah Lukeman

Narrated by: Angus Freathy

Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2010 Noah Lukeman (P)2017 Noah Lukeman

you need

If you own only two or three books on writing in your whole life, then this should be at least one of them. It's been around a couple of years, but nothing is better. The narration is amazing. The reader even chuckles at a few parts because of the funny quotes. Honestly, one of the most well-narrated books I've ever read. You'll see once you start listening to it. You'll feel like the dude is sitting next to you in the car.

Mostly grammar recommendations

There was a nugget or two in here but this is a book dedicated to the craft of writing, not the craft of developing a story. I expected guidance on what content to put in the first five pages rather than how to line edit any pages. This also seems to focus entirely on literary pursuits without comment on how things are different in genre and age categories.

If you want to be published. . .

Please read this book if you want to be published. After helping accept and reject novels for a publishing house, all I can say is that a lot of heartache may be avoided if you understand the principles of this book.

Helpful for this beginner

I found this book to be immensely helpful. The craft of writing can be daunting but insights given in this book uncovers many of the necessary skills I need to master to become a successful writer.

Good for understanding common mistakes

Overall I found this book useful in understanding the common mistakes writers make. The author has a bit of a nasty attitude at times toward writers who make these mistakes. Also, the author projects some negativity into the reader that the reader may not have. But despite this negativity, the lessons are valuable and from what I can tell, can not be found anywhere else. So listen for the lessons and take the attitude with a grain of salt.

Advanced writing advice

This is a great book that deals with how you can make the writing itself more beautiful. There are very few books that teach that. From metaphor to setting to pacing, you will learn how to be a better writer overall, and it will show in your first five pages.

Really insightful

There’s plenty of great tips in here. I’m new to writing, but I was able to listen to this and find areas where I’m going wrong, so I can (hopefully) correct. I also found this funny in parts, notably the explanation about how different accents can work for or against you.

Worth every penny

Absolutely loved this book. So many helpful tips and lots of thoughtful advice gained from a wealth of experience from the author. A must for any budding writer.