The first 500 words

Susie Helme

Photo by Gülfer ERGİN on Unsplash

I recently attended a ‘Slush Pile Day’, led by Alison May and Janet Gover of Fiction Tutors, where we polished our ‘first 500 words’ and read them out to a panel of agents: Charlotte Ledger (One More Chapter), Jennie Ayres (Hera Books), and Siân Ellis-Martin (Blake Friedman Agency).

The main elements that must be in your first 500, which should be double spaced, are:

• A compelling character
• An established ‘status quo’ of the world they live in
• An inciting incident
• A setting that draws the reader in
• A question that needs an answer
• Wonderful wordcraft
• A hint at theme
• A sense of your writing voice

The main thing, of course, is ‘hook, hook, hook’. Today’s readers have a short attention span, which you must grab quickly while they’re scrolling. Also, as Charlotte Ledger pointed out, ‘it’s all about the voice’. To sell your book, you need to sell the agent on who you are, what you’re writing and who is telling the story.

Some other first-500-related tips are:

• Starting with dialogue is OK, but you must quickly establish who is speaking
• Description early on is probably not a good idea unless you relate the description to your character
• Ask a question, but don’t give the answer yet
• Don’t explain your character yet
• Don’t introduce too many characters
• Don’t include backstory from previous books in the series

In your submission package, which should be emailed under the Subject ‘Submission -TITLE OF BOOK by Your Name’, you should include:

• A query letter, which would be in the body of the email
• A synopsis outlining the basic elements of the story, including ending
• Your first 500 words

The query letter includes:

• Mention of why your book fits what that specific agent is looking for (check their website)
• Mention of the genre, the wordcount, if it’s part of a series and if it’s finished
• A two-line ‘shout line pitch’, followed by 2-3 sentences with more detail
• Your credentials and previously published books
• A ‘this would appeal to…’ discussion of your target market

The ‘shout line pitch’ could start with your Story, your Character, your Theme, your Setting or just two words (eg Pride and Prejudice).

The synopsis should be:

• 500-800 words
• Single spaced, present tense
• The first instance of your protagonist’s name should be in allcaps
• Remain in the world of your story (no authorial voice)
• Outline the basic elements of Act 1, Act 2, Act 3, but not necessarily the details of every scene during the rising drama
• Sub-plots need mention only in terms of how they impact Acts 1-3

You will mostly get rejections, if you get any answer at all (they look at 50 submissions per week), but this doesn’t necessarily mean your book is bad. It’s just not right for that particular agent at this particular time. Keep a spreadsheet recording who you sent it to and when, and send out a new one every week or so.