The S Theory of Storytelling

Compelling Fiction and Narrative Nonfiction Readers to Turn the Page

The first page sells the book. The last page sells the next book. –Mickey Spillane

Agents, editors and book buyers only read far enough to make a decision.
If they don’t like what they read on page one, they won’t turn the page.
Book buyers may not read the second sentence of a book in a bookstore.
This leads to the need for “The S Theory of Storytelling” for fiction and narrative nonfiction that writers want to read like novels:

Style
Story
Setting
Someone
Something
Something Said
or Something Else
on page one must be compelling enough
to make agents, editors, and book buyers turn the page.

Your book will compete with all of the ways consumers
can use their free time and discretionary income.
So every word you write is an audition to get your readers to read the next word.
Every line you write must convince your readers to read the next line.
Assume you have only one sentence to convince browsers to keep reading.
Every page you write must arouse enough interest to keep readers turning the page.
And you face that challenge on every page you write except the last one.
The last page must make readers want to read your next book.

Michael Larsen-Elizabeth Pomada Literary Agents
Helping Writers Launch Careers Since 1972
415-673-0939 / Members: AAR
larsenpoma@aol.com / www.larsen-pomada.com
1029 Jones Street / San Francisco, California 94109

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The S Theory of Storytelling

Understand How Agents and Publishers Work There's a cartoon that shows an editor sitting across a desk from a man who looks like Charles Dickens, and the editor is saying, "Make up your mind, Mr. Dickens. Was it the best of times or the worst of times? It could scarcely have been both."

Develop Your Craft The author Somerset Maugham once said, "There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."

Make a commitment to your career.

Understand How Agents and Publishers Work

There's a cartoon that shows an editor sitting across a desk from a man who looks like Charles Dickens, and the editor is saying, "Make up your mind, Mr. Dickens. Was it the best of times or the worst of times? It could scarcely have been both."

Develop Your Craft

The author Somerset Maugham once said, "There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."