This started off as something I was curious about. What is the magic that captures the minds and hearts of readers as they buckle up for an adventure into a new world, a new perspective for an old world, or just the joy of connecting to another human being through the portal of a book? What might be different about those beginnings in books that reach the rarefied air of bestseller status?.
At first, I was just going to collect first lines, however, I wanted more than one line … I wanted a glimpse of the deeper beginnings that pull so many readers into the vortex of a book. And, while I mostly write non-fiction, great fiction writers seem to have the knack for capturing readers’ imaginations from that first moment. So, I wanted to explore both.
The NYTimes kindly lists best sellers for consideration and Amazon offers samples of most. I took them mostly as they came, without judgment but with some leeway in my choices … I left out a coloring book, some that didn’t have samples, and did not duplicate authors who were on that shining list.
Bestselling book authors do a lot of things right beyond just the magic of their words and stories. Cover art, titles, opening paragraphs, fonts and layout are all carefully crafted to create a magical pull for readers.
And here is the result: a 32-page pdf (or digital flipbook) highlighting the openings of thirty bestsellers for you to learn from at your leisure:
There’s an amazon link on each book page to make it easier to get more information on each. Even if the book or subject doesn’t interest you, do remember that these are bestsellers and may offer some ideas for the critical beginnings of your own book … or newsletter post. (And, just as an aside, I seldom read bestsellers, however, going through this process turned up one that I couldn’t resist.)
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You put a lot of work into this! Great resource. Thanks, Joyce. I've been doing my own research on book cover design as I'm working on publishing my novel. It's really interesting to see what publishers will put together and which designs win accolades. I have my cover and really like it, but I'm trying to bump it up a bit. Anyway, the publishing field is fascinating and so subjective. I've never been a fan of Dannielle Steel, and I'm flaming out on Yarrow's novels. But I loved Chaney's opening and think her book might go down historically as a first tome chronicling the collapse of the US as we know it today.
You put a lot of work into this! Great resource. Thanks, Joyce. I've been doing my own research on book cover design as I'm working on publishing my novel. It's really interesting to see what publishers will put together and which designs win accolades. I have my cover and really like it, but I'm trying to bump it up a bit. Anyway, the publishing field is fascinating and so subjective. I've never been a fan of Dannielle Steel, and I'm flaming out on Yarrow's novels. But I loved Chaney's opening and think her book might go down historically as a first tome chronicling the collapse of the US as we know it today.
Yes, openings are so important! What a clever idea, Joyce!