Dear Editor…
When a publisher requests a query letter, synopsis, and two sample chapters, is it okay to send the first chapter and a chapter from elsewhere in the book instead of chapter two in order to show something with more excitement or adventure than the second chapter might show?
Thanks,
Rosi
Dear Rosi…
Don’t pull a chapter out of the middle of your story. Agents will be suspicious. They’ll assume that the beginning of the book isn’t interesting enough for you to show off. In their minds, your tactic is as good as admitting that yourself. If you can’t hook your readers with the first chapters of the book, they will never reach the middle. The same with agents. They want opening chapters that hook them so tightly they rush to ask for the full manuscript. Your concern that your opening chapters aren’t as strong as your middle ones is your red flag to go back and make those opening chapters great.
Happy writing!
The Editor