REVIEWS
HOOKING THE READER:
Opening Lines that Sell
by Sharon Rendell-Smock
ISBN 0-9654981-2-3
KTHX RADIO, Reno NV Book Review by Linda Weber
"Sudden death saved his life." That's the first line of Edna Buchanan's novel Pulse. Don't you want to get that book and find out HOW? Successful authors know you've got to start off with a dynamite beginning to hook the reader.
Hence the name of Sharon Rendell-Smock's book. She's come up with a unique concept: she got more than a hundred best-selling authors to tell their favorite opening lines and why those lines work.
This book is a must for anyone who's ever entertained the idea of writing a novel. Hooking the Reader: Opening Lines That Sell is by Sharon Rendell-Smock. It's $11.95. I recommend it.
5 Star Review at amazon.com by
THE MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
Hooking The Reader: Opening Lines That SELL by award winning author Sharon
Rendell-Smock is a no nonsense compilation of literary tips, tricks, and
techniques for hooking readers' attention, as provided and described by more
than one hundred notable and successful authors ranging from Anne McCaffrey, Sir
Arthur C. Clarke, and Larry Niven, to Poul Anderson, Gene Wolfe, and Greg Bear.
From first-rate opening lines to ways to best sustain the reader's interest,
Hooking The Reader is a veritable showcase of useful insights, information,
tidbits, and examples -- and has the absolute highest recommendation for
aspiring authors everywhere, regardless of their chosen genre or subject matter.
Review by Word Thunder
Without question, writers must hook the reader immediately. Many will stop reading if they are not hooked within the first paragraph. But how does the writer hook the reader? To answer that question Sharon interviewed over one hundred well-known authors for her ambitious book.
Hooking the Reader is chock full of great
examples of winning opening lines, as well as good advice from writers, and
deserves a place on every writers’ bookshelf.
Sarah Mankowski atWordThunder.com:
http://wordthunder.com/
Review by Florida Writers Association
Whether you're writing your first novel or your seventh, you can find useful
information in Rendell-Smock's book, Hooking the Reader: Opening Lines that
Sell. More than 100 published authors share their techniques and secrets of
hooking their readers. Rendell-Smock didn't just throw all of the author's
responses in a hodgepodge manner and call it a book. She reviewed all the
material she received, looked for similarities, and found patterns that she
formatted in an easy-to-read, expansive source of "first line" information.
Award winning authors quote first lines from their own creations as well as from authors they admire. Rendell-Smock arranges her book with insights from each author and examples of first lines from classic to contemporary. Not only do these great authors share their techniques for hooking their readers with first lines, they share their thoughts and feelings about what motivated them to chose the words they did.
So, what makes a great first sentence? The hook. The hook is what captures the reader's interest and draws them into the author's imagination. Authors who use the hook effectively understand the importance of first impressions and carrying their reader's interest from the first page to the last.
You only get one chance to make a great first impression Your book is no exception. Sharon Rendell-Smock understands this concept perfectly. She tells us that "books can start with a bang or a whimper." A great first sentence can be the start of a wonderful relationship between the author and the reader.
Discover the secrets of other authors and learn how to hook your reader from the very first sentence!
[ HOME ] [ BOOKS ] [ Hooking the Reader ] [ How I Got the Gig ] [ Living with Big Cats ]