What do literary agents look for in the opening pages of a novel? We asked 12 agents who have judged the Bath Novel Awards for their tips and thoughts.

1. Amanda Harris, Maven Literary

“I’m looking for confident and purposeful opening chapters, ones that instill trust in the narrative to come. I want those first pages to make me feel, to connect and to care.

Don’t wait. Don’t delay. A strong first page can quickly establish a novel’s tone and authorial voice, and its immediacy can often anchor the reader in a moment they can visualise. I would also caution against overthinking or overcomplicating Page One, even if a more descriptive style of prose is preferred throughout the novel. Clarity and simplicity always cut through and, most importantly, encourage the reader to turn to Page Two.”

2. Felicity Blunt, Curtis Brown

“A good first page must intrigue. There should be some question posed that I need to find the answer to. That can be related to character, place or event. It really doesn’t have to be a dead body! Think about Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and her opening line, ‘Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again’. Already as a reader you are curious.

I think the first page and indeed the first chapter can be a very awkward beast to get right. There is a tendency to over explain and to throw too much onto the page to try to nail your set up, your main character, their back story etc. My advice would be not to try too hard to cram in every detail but to trust your reader and set up the first pages like a trail of breadcrumbs.”

3. Jenny Savill, Andrew Nurnberg Associates

“A great new voice, a freshness to the writing, a feeling of being anchored in the narrative from the beginning, and of being drawn into the story. But above all, a sense that the author knows exactly what they are doing and where the story will go – a sense that the reader is in good hands.

I have found that sometimes a submission benefits from cutting the first chapter or more so the story starts further in and there’s less exposition to get bogged down in.  It is also worth considering whether scenes start at the latest possible point and finish at the earliest.  I would say pay attention to detail – too much and there won’t be space for the reader to use their imagination and engage with the text, too little and things might not be clear enough.  I have heard authors say that reading their work out loud is very helpful.”

4. Susan Armstrong, C+W Agency

“Receiving around 250 submissions a week, I have, over the years, developed some pet niggles when it comes to the opening page. For me the main culprit is overwriting and I think this is more evidence of the pressure put on writers to impress from the first line, rather than a reflection of poor writing.

So much emphasis is placed on wowing the reader early on that the first page can often become overwritten and dense. Of course a writer does need to impress and hook their reader quickly, but my advice would be to be very careful with the number of similes, metaphors and descriptors. Overuse doesn’t show skill with words so much as a lack of confidence, and it often doesn’t reflect what the rest of the book is like.

My other niggle on opening pages is the classic telling rather than showing. Again, I think this comes from a desire to really immerse the reader and tell them exactly where they are, who their characters are, but telling makes for a very flat reading experience. We don’t need to know everything straight away, better to gradually, organically reveal things.”

5. Juliet Mushens, Mushens Entertainment

“I’m looking for really good compelling characters, an interesting story and a writer who knows the story they’re telling. Because often I can read a manuscript, whether I’m looking at submissions or judging for a prize, and think it’s interesting but quite all on one note. Or that the writer has got some characters and some things happening to them, but it’s not necessarily a writer who has sat down and figured out, okay this is my A, this is my B and I know what my route is, how we are going to get there and what the reader is going to take away at the end of it.

I think it can’t be overstated that you should check your spelling and check your grammar. I’m not going to reject something because there are grammatical errors in it but watch it. Get someone else to proofread for you because we’ve all done it and when you’re really close to something you don’t notice the errors. If you’ve written something on screen, I always say print it out and read it through, because it can make you feel a little more removed from your own words. And, I think, give it to someone else to read as well, someone that you trust to see if it makes sense and if there are any glaring mistakes.”

6. Laura Williams, Greene & Heaton

“I want to dive straight in. I hate being given a description of a character or their clothing or the landscape or whatever on the first page. That should, to me, come out a bit later, more slowly, in a non-exposition heavy way. I want something to happen on the first page.

I know this sounds basic, but do just double check your spelling and grammar. I can’t tell you how irritating it is when there’s a very avoidable spelling mistake on the first page of your manuscript. We want to see a writer has taken the time and care to be serious about their work in that way. I’m not saying we won’t forgive the odd typo, but do just be careful to avoid jarring someone who reads for a living out of the story before its even begun!”

7. Hellie Ogden, WME Books

“I want to feel convinced the writer knows where the novel is going and who their audience is. You might not have the entire thing plotted out in your head but you should be clear on a rough plan for the book that will then come out in the opening chapter. Avoid clichés, with perhaps the biggest culprit being starting the novel with your character waking up from a dream.

I have a broad list, but what unites everything is clever, unique ideas. I’m hunting for a hook I haven’t seen before, a new way of seeing something, ingenious concepts. I’m looking for originality and storytelling that will move me, excite me, challenge me.”

8. Julia Silk, Greyhound Literary

“Engaging writing that feels vibrant and fresh. Characters to love (even if they are not loveable – or even likeable). Something to pique my curiosity and drive me onwards. I like plenty of forward momentum in the opening chapters and the sense that the author is in control of their story.

Sometimes there is so much description and scene setting that it’s hard to have any sense of what might unfold – so be sparing with description that doesn’t serve the story in some way, and make sure every sentence is earning its keep. In the first few chapters I want to see an author’s skill as a writer and storyteller, which should come through in the quality of the writing and the ability to create narrative drive. Think about which books have great openings and why.”

9. Nelle Andrew, Rachel Mills Literary

“Utter absorption. That moment when you think, oh I don’t want to do anything else. Whether it is the voice, or the plot, or the hook or just the line by line amazing writing. But honestly, it is the sense of feeling as if you are sinking down into a world where the author has complete control and all you have to do is follow their lead.

Do not tell us – show us. The opening of the best novels don’t assume they need to spoonfeed you intel; they give you setting, place and people and just enough information to ground you but enough space to create an enigma that keeps you going. Assurance of voice also is key. I don’t want to read a version of an author that already exists. I want to hear your perspective on the world, whatever that may be.” 

10. Kate Barker, Kate Barker Literary Agency

“I want to care so much about something in those 5,000 words – a character, the setting, the premise – that I cannot stop reading. That emotional response could be provoked by almost anything. Ideally the first 5,000 words will also give me a clear indication of the kind of book the author is writing so that I can see how it might be published.

Start as late in the story as possible. I want to feel like I’ve opened a door into someone’s life at a pivotal moment. A common problem is including lots of back story on the opening page: generally it’s better to leave that for later.

Think carefully about the first line of your book. Does it grab the reader? Here’s the first line of The Secret History by Donna Tartt: ‘The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.’ I mean, you can’t not read on after that, can you?”

11. Clare Wallace, Darley Anderson

“A cracking first line! The first page is the first time the reader meets the author’s work so, no pressure, but those early opening pages are crucial in terms of a promising reading experience. Something active should be happening, it doesn’t need to be huge, but it does need to be interesting, relevant to what’s to come, and immediately engaging, and I want to discover voice! I want to care about what’s going on, I want to be drawn in, and I want to feel that this manuscript is unputdownable.”

12. Catherine Cho, Paper Literary

“I use the phrase ‘word spell’, but that’s what I’m looking for. I read books to be transported, to step into someone else’s experience, to explore another world. I want to be captivated. 

I think a memorable first page invites a reader to step into a story. As an agent, I usually fall in love with a novel from those opening sentences, and as a reader, I know that I am usually captured by the first page as well.  

There is a temptation to set a scene or to set up a story, but often if you drop in a reader as close to the inciting incident as possible, the reader can then build the world around themselves as the writer does as well. This doesn’t mean that there needs to be some dramatic action in the first page, there are ways to do this with a character’s thoughts, but the opening needs to be compelling.

The most effective descriptions are the ones that are unexpected, and in that first page, you are showing us what you are pointing a reader’s attention to, and so those descriptions should be precise and intentional.” 

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