lynda rutledge

An agent responds to the most famous query letter of all time: The Beatle's "Paperback Writer."

(And for those who have neither memory nor interest in The Beatles song, it still gives great advice on how to write a query letter.)

"Agent Responds to Beatle's Paperback Writer."
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(Been thinking about first lines today. Here's a tip I thought I'd share for aspiring writers, taken from a craft course taught at the 2011 Writers League of Texas' Agents Conference)

Question #1: What's the most important part of a manuscript you want to sell?

Answer: the first five pages.
And really, the first page.
And really, the first paragraph.
And really, the first sentence.

That sounds crazy, but let's just admit that this whole writing and publishing thing IS crazy. (Now. Feel better?) So, how's your hook? When was the last time you took a second look at the first page of your manuscript? Let's put this another way:

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