The Opening Lines... (Page 1 of 4)

Hi everyone,

Is anyone else struggling with the opening lines of their novel? Or putting off querying agents or self-publishing because they're just not sure they've got the first chapter right yet?

I recently got a free review on my first 1k words from a professional editor which was extremely helpful. He critically analyses your 1st chapter and comments from an agent's perspective on the overall storyline, adds some copy-edits, and finally gives it a grade of gold/silver/rejected/etc.

I'm sharing this because I found it really useful and hope some of you find it useful too. Here's his website; http://theopeninglines.com

Suin:

This is excellent, Suin! Thanks for sharing. I read several of his comments on other people's work and they make a lot of sense.

dagny wrote:

Thanks, Suin!

Perhaps you can answer the question on how an editor who claims to have a bunch of global clients is qualified to do what he claims to do. He provides no name  - only a reference to having a connection to the Irish and Canadian publishing markets, a fact irrelevant to an American author looking to write for Americans and perhaps publish in the U.S.A. Presumably he can expect aspiring authors submitting to the free site for busine$$ through clearly referenced Irish website editorial.ie, and no editor's job is to make a work publishable for any reason other than the mechanics of good writing  such as the right and proper spelling the word, "colour" as "color."

Temple Wang wrote:

Charles_F_Bell wrote:

Perhaps you can answer the question on how an editor who claims to have a bunch of global clients is qualified to do what he claims to do. He provides no name  - only a reference to having a connection to the Irish and Canadian publishing markets, a fact irrelevant to an American author looking to write for Americans and perhaps publish in the U.S.A. Presumably he can expect aspiring authors submitting to the free site for busine$$ through clearly referenced Irish website editorial.ie, and no editor's job is to make a work publishable for any reason other than the mechanics of good writing  such as the right and proper spelling the word, "colour" as "color."

His email is:  editor@editorial.ie
If you are really so curious, why don’t you just ask him directly?

Skepticism requires interest in the story of the buyer and not the seller. So we have five or so potential buyers so keen on the product of the seller, though it be ostensibly free, but no statements of their reasons.  Furthermore, on the Irish website not giving out free samples, there are the "testimonials", a red flag in the eye of the skeptic.

Charles_F_Bell wrote:

dagny wrote:

Thanks, Suin!

Perhaps you can answer the question on how an editor who claims to have a bunch of global clients is qualified to do what he claims to do. He provides no name  - only a reference to having a connection to the Irish and Canadian publishing markets, a fact irrelevant to an American author looking to write for Americans and perhaps publish in the U.S.A. Presumably he can expect aspiring authors submitting to the free site for busine$$ through clearly referenced Irish website editorial.ie, and no editor's job is to make a work publishable for any reason other than the mechanics of good writing  such as the right and proper spelling the word, "colour" as "color."

Richard Bradburn
It's in there. You have to follow the link from Opening Lines up to the parent site that is his actual editing site and sift through it

dagny wrote:

Thanks, Suin!

Perhaps you can answer the question on how an editor who claims to have a bunch of global clients is qualified to do what he claims to do. He provides no name  - only a reference to having a connection to the Irish and Canadian publishing markets, a fact irrelevant to an American author looking to write for Americans and perhaps publish in the U.S.A. Presumably he can expect aspiring authors submitting to the free site for busine$$ through clearly referenced Irish website editorial.ie, and no editor's job is to make a work publishable for any reason other than the mechanics of good writing  such as the right and proper spelling the word, "colour" as "color."

Charles_F_Bell wrote:

dagny wrote:

Thanks, Suin!

Perhaps you can answer the question on how an editor who claims to have a bunch of global clients is qualified to do what he claims to do. He provides no name  - only a reference to having a connection to the Irish and Canadian publishing markets, a fact irrelevant to an American author looking to write for Americans and perhaps publish in the U.S.A. Presumably he can expect aspiring authors submitting to the free site for busine$$ through clearly referenced Irish website editorial.ie, and no editor's job is to make a work publishable for any reason other than the mechanics of good writing  such as the right and proper spelling the word, "colour" as "color."

Who knew a two word response would elicit such a reaction! Dude, it's just something fun to do. It's not like we're all naive beginners who are going to be fooled into handing over bundles of cash to this editor. Lighten up.

I am suggesting to everyone: beware of all prophets proffering truth. The monetization of same is of secondary consideration.

Charles,

I told you that we were not naive, we were not swayed by faint praise. I also assured you that for most of us this is not our first rodeo, we know to look out for hustlers. This is fact, not opinion.

Had you warned us in the beginning, I think the hard rhetoric between you and others would have been avoided.

Kiss,

Gacela