I've never been one to sit in a bookstore and read the first five pages of a book before deciding to buy it. I think that's because I'm too caught up in the excitement of being in a bookstore to settle down and focus on reading a number of pages. I want to take in everything that's there and be a part of it (just smelling the paper and ink in the air inspires me). I'll settle down and focus, book in hand, when I return home.
But, these days, if you're technologically savvy and interested in a book, all you have to do is go to iBookstore on your iPad, and, for free, download what, as far as I can tell, is the first chapter of any book available. That's right–FOR FREE.
In the comfort of your home, without risking a cent, you can download the first chapter of nearly any book and sample it. You might not even need the entire first chapter to make up your mind whether you want to spend money on the book. You might know within the first paragraphs. The first sentences? Yikes!
That's a scary prospect for any writer, hoping not only to be published, but also to be read. And, not only to be read, but to have their work bought. With the attention spans of most people today, it's a wonder any writer makes money. (Is any writer, other than some pretty awful ones, their books seemingly always on the bestseller lists, making money today?)
And, I hasten to add, fewer and fewer professionals write reviews of books for newspapers and magazines. Anyone and everyone can do that now, with no particular writing or critical ability, on websites like goodreads.com. So, if your book fails on any level, get ready for readers to tears it apart. Because that's what some do, holding little back, it seems.
All the more reason to polish those first few pages until you can see yourself in them.
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