Questions

Is your book introduction designed to seal the sale? Probably not; many open a book to read, see an introduction, yawn, think boring and turn the page. Why, because authors, including myself, have treated the introduction as only a ‘why I wrote the book’ page.

Most people don’t care as much ‘why you wrote the book’ as they do about how your book can help them. Here’s a refreshing twist to the old boring book introduction. Write your next book introduction as a sales tool. Include all the same elements but add benefits that engage your reader.

Think about it; people want to know most how your book will help them, teach them and inspire them. Continue to hook your potential readers with a sizzling title and back cover. Now take the next step to seal the sale with your book introduction. Write it as a short note to your readers engaging them with the benefits they will receive. To write your book introduction as a sizzling sales tool, it must include the following:

1. Hook. Use the same element journalist and professional writers use, the hook. Develop your hook from a shocking fact, statistic or relevant quote. Even better, solve your audience’s top challenge. Answer their top question, “Why should I buy your book?” Make your opening statements short but enticing.

2. Connection. Seek to connect with your audience in your introduction. Describe your audience’s challenge. Describe where they are now and why they haven’t succeeded yet. Mention why you wrote the book. End the paragraph with a general statement about how your book will benefit them (thesis statement).

3. Benefits. In the following paragraphs, keep answering the foremost question in your potential readers’ mind, “Why should I buy your book?” Continue to engage them with the overall benefits of increased communication, good fortune, finances or health. Sprinkle in some specific benefits. For example, an author friend of mine writes in, “‘Article Speedway’ Discover how to write short easy articles fast and put your internet marketing in the fast lane to sales.”

4. Format. Every good non-fiction book should display a format to give the audience an idea of what to expect inside. The table of contents offer a general format and direction. In your book introduction include what features will help your audience in each chapter. For example, most chapter formats include a hook, thesis followed by how tos, tips, engagement tools, story then summary.

5. Invitation. Summarize with 1-2 sentences. Include an enthusiastic invitation to read the book. For example, one of my favorite authors invites her readers into the text with a warm, “Come journey with me through the principles of coaching.”

If you don’t use the above principles, you may never enjoy the level of sales your book deserves. On the other hand, write a sizzling introduction with the hook, the connection, the benefits, the format, the invitation and fill your readers with expectation of what your book can do for them. Get this right and expect them to pull out their card, swipe and purchase your book on the spot. Now go ahead sizzle your introduction and sell more books than you could ask, dream or think.


- Earma Brown

I would like the kind that you just can’t put down, of course. I am trying to look at a number of elements in that type of fiction for a book that I’m writing. It is one element in my book that I’m not as familiar with at the moment. Movies would be accepted too, but books are prefered.
- An S

I’m going to Ireland soon and wanted somthing fun to read on the plane to get me excited. Dont want a travel or history book though- just something set in Ireland with a bit of history in it.
- Gabielle T

How many writers out there have skipped over theme due to lack of understanding? Here is a basic level understanding to help you include theme within every story you write to help you write a story people will want to read.

Define Theme



The central idea of the story is conveyed through its theme. When we define theme, keep in mind that it differs from the story’s plot, which is the series of events under which the story unfolds. Theme is also different from the moral, which is the lesson the main character learns from the story. However, the plot illustrates the theme and the moral relates to the story theme element.



One or Multiple Themes

Typically, short stories have one theme and novels have multiple themes. The story theme element is woven all the way through the story, and the characters’ actions, interactions, and motivations all reflect the story’s theme. When you write a story, you should carefully consider what your element is.

Develop Your Theme



One method you can use when you write a story theme element from the beginning is to ask yourself what you are trying to convey through your characters, events, and lessons within your story.

If you have already written a story without considering the story theme element, review your pages and determine if there might be a common thread. If there is a marginal theme, adjust the rest of your story around the newfound theme. When you define theme at the onset, it could be the difference between your writing work submission ending up in the round file or on a literary agent’s desk.


- lesley jackson

I would like the kind that you just can’t put down, of course. I am trying to look at a number of elements in that type of fiction for a book that I’m writing. It is one element in my book that I’m not as familiar with at the moment. Movies would be accepted too, but books are prefered.
- An S

Once you introduce a paranormal element, is it no longer to be classified as “adventure fiction”? If you know your stuff, please say so. If you want to quess, or even have a strong opinion, you’re welcome to answer, but I especially want to hear from those in the know.
- This name is better

When writing fiction, it is important to be able to have an interesting plot and several well developed characters that your readers (should you get published) will begin to care about. Characters after all, can make or break a story or novel because if you do not manage to make them become believable entities, why should anyone wish to continue to read? Writing fiction is about providing pure escapism and helping the reader to be able to submerge themselves into your story so that they can forget the trials and tribulations of their own existence. If you are a new writer and are considering writing fiction, you need to really think about where your story is going and how you yourself can start to believe in your characters as this is a required element.

When writing fiction and developing characters, you can make life easier for yourself by paying attention to the following steps:

-          Know what type of story you are going to write. Make sure that you know exactly what is going to happen from start to finish.   You may find that this changes the general direction you have originally envisaged, however as your characters grow within the story, when it happens, it means that the characters are starting to come to life.

-          Think about the type of characters who would be required to support the plot. Your characters also need to be multi-faceted. Let them have some faults or annoying habits, but also give them some positive traits-even the villain of the piece is unlikely to be all bad. Writing fiction is a little like playing god, you will know when you have really started to connect with them because you will have reservations about endangering them or writing them out of your story.

-          Provide a detailed history of their lives before you start writing your story. You do not need to list every aspect of this list to your readers but it does help you as the author to know your character inside out. This way, you can have some element within their past which affects how they react to specific situations. This makes them human….and believable.

-          Throw some conflicting situations at your characters. How they cope with these difficult situations will help them to develop and it will also help your readers to connect with them. When writing fiction, you will find new and improved ideas which will keep both your interest and those of your reader becoming stronger and more influential.

Whether writing a short story or novel, some basic planning is essential as this not only helps the writer to continue the plot through to the end sentence but helps the writer to create believable characters that are alive and kicking and this is an important part when writing fiction.


- annette young

If you have not joined the literary ranks by writing your story yet, now is the perfect time. Why not make it one of your resolutions to write a few words every day? Don’t jump in at the deep end and risk getting yourself bogged down, take it steady, little and often is the key to staying focused and maintaining enthusiasm when first starting out.

Short stories are a great way to launch your writing career, pick a favourite subject ie a pet, your holidays, a special day at work or a strange/amusing incident etc. etc. - there’s a never ending list!

Write a brief plot, personalise your characters, maybe add a theme (honesty prevails sort of stuff), write down a running order and your half way there. The beauty of short stories is that they are short and can soon be discarded if things take a turn for the worse. They allow the writer to practise with words, use suspense, humour, sadness and all the other emotions necessary to story writing.

Another ideal first venture is to write a review or an article, the very backbone of the Internet is comprised of articles and reviews. If someone breaks wind, within a week it has been reviewed and some expert has written a series of articles on it! Have a look around the net for reviews and articles you’ll see exactly what I mean. If you have your own website or blog the writing of reviews and articles with a link back to your site can have a very beneficial effect on your traffic, something worth bearing in mind believe me! That aside it is also a fantastic way to develop your writing skills and gain confidence in your creative ability.

Writing an article is dead easy, pick a subject you know something about and proceed to tell everyone what you know! Don’t be boring, try and make your writing jump off the screen, be controversial your the expert here! Perhaps the most important element is the title, this is what entices people to view your article, let’s assume it’s about cooking a steak for example:

How to cook the best steak!

7 easy steps to cooking the juiciest steak ever!

Which would you choose? No contest!

As you can in this small example the Title is your sales pitch

Creating stories for your children can be a fantastic and fulfilling experience, beware though for there can be few harsher critics than an alert six year old child!

Letting your ideas run riot in a fantasy world of dragons, talking animals or dancing bananas can the perfect way to free your writing shackles and let the juices flow. The only constraint is your own imagination, the more unbelievable the plot, the dafter and cheekier your characters the more the kids will be captivated by your story.

Children demand a happy ending, there should be pitfalls and tragedies along the way of course but the overriding theme of goodness overcoming evil should prevail most of the time. Imagine the scenario:

“Sammy the Salamander, his mother now gone, cried and cried. The angry crocodile still hungry, always hungry, was looking for lunch again”. The end!

“Goodnight sweetheart so you in the morning”

“Night mum”

10 minutes pass.

“Mum mum I can’t sleep”

Definitely not good!


- Gina Marie

I have to have a short story written in a week that is 4000 words long, and it has to possess a magical element in it somehow. Could anyone help me find an idea?
- Kaylie

IN other words, what is a key componet that you must do in order to get published-
so far all the answers are good but they are missing one key element-
the answer is so simple it almost bites.
- LostInTheCrowd