 | 9 Feb 09 |
We’re all familiar with portion control when it comes to dieting. Consume just enough to satisfy and not enough to be more than you need. It’s tough when you’re really enjoying what’s on your plate. Resisting that next bite… sometimes it’s really hard.
Excerpts of books are supposed to be that way. They’re supposed to make you crave more. When they’re chosen well, you can’t help but want to continue reading. Since that’s the whole point of the exercise, you want to be sure you get the teaser just right.
And so it is that I’ve spent way too much time this morning trying to pick an excerpt out of one of my books. There are so many turns of phrase, witty comebacks, and action-packed scenes that I love in the book. However, I’m biased. 
I’m also too familiar with the story. Maybe it’s witty because it ties in so neatly with something that happened before and no one will “get it” until they read the book. Maybe the angst I see in a scene, can’t be seen to others out of context. I also find myself wanting to use the full allotment of words (i.e. if I can post 350 words, I want to post a full 350, not 300), which causes me to skip over what I consider to be great parts because they read best at a shorter length.
For as many great excerpts as I’ve read that make me want to buy a book, I’ve read at least twice as many that didn’t do anything for me. Sometimes I read the excerpt and wonder why in the world the author picked that particular tidbit. Sometimes, I’m just unmoved by the excerpt. Sometimes, it can actually make me not want to buy the book. I certainly don’t want to post an excerpt like that. *shudder*
I think I’ll have to revisit the excerpt-picking tomorrow, when I’ve had more than 2 hours of sleep. (deadline crunch = no sleep) In the meantime: what’s the last excerpt you read that clinched a sale with you? What about it hooked you and reeled you in? And when you finished the book, did you find that the teaser was an accurate representation of what was best about the story?
Sylvia Day is the national bestselling, award-winning author of seventeen novels. A wife and mother of two, she is a former Russian linguist for the U.S. Army Military Intelligence. In addition to her novels, she’s written numerous novellas and short stories for both print and electronic-original release. Sylvia’s work has been called “wonderful and passionate” by WNBC.com and “wickedly entertaining” by Booklist. Her stories have been translated into Russian, Japanese, Portuguese, German, Czech, and Thai. She’s been honored with the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award, the EPPIE award, the National Readers' Choice Award, and multiple finalist nominations for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® Award of Excellence.
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Syl, how funny you would post this as I was just updating my web site today and decided to try something new…”bite sized excerpts” of my next book. It’s a long time until the release (Aug) and I don’t want to have one excerpt up for so many months. But readers keep asking for a “taste of Dan Gallagher” (I *think* they mean an excerpt, but I could be reading that alllllll wrong.) So I’ve decided I’d launch something new and post a few lines and leave that up for a couple of weeks, then change it. Of course, I lost an hour re-reading the ms trying to find the perfect “taste test” that shows his fabulosity in less than ten or fifteen lines.
I can’t remember a specific excerpt that made me buy the book, but I think readers like openings better than “middles” – so I usually try to stick with something close to the beginning.
Good post!
by Roxanne St. Claire February 9th, 2009 at 10:55 amOh man! I so need a course in Excerpt 101. I totally suck at picking them and/or writing a blurb. As a rule, I don’t pick up a random book and check the excerpt or blurb to see if it interests me. I tend to pick books based on recommendations and from author blogs.
Rocki, I like the idea of “taste testing.” Hey, if it works in the deli, why not for books?
Okay, I just went to my TBR pile and pulled off a book. A friend had mentioned it and after checking it out, I bought it more or less based on the back of the book: Michelle Bardsley’s I’M THE VAMPIRE, THAT’S WHY.
by Silver James February 9th, 2009 at 11:17 amACK! My keyboard was hijacked by my lolcat and the previous was posted before I was finished. Sorry.
Why I bought the book? The blurb made me laugh, gave me a taste of Bardsley’s voice, and the premise was something new and different in the paranormal genre.
Now if I can just learn how to do it for myself. *sigh*
by Silver James February 9th, 2009 at 11:20 amI belong to an online book club that offers an excerpt of a particular book for five days. I read one today that let me know just one day was all I needed to want to buy Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland. The excerpt had the author’s voice, style, and the character’s lifestyle and life, all tied together in one short scene.
by Amanda February 9th, 2009 at 11:20 amSylvia I loved the Sapphire excerpt you posted on the Wicked loop! Can’t wait to read that book because of it! I think excerpts, good excerpts, are a great way to hook a reader. I know the good ones hook me! I need to update my website!
by Karin Tabke February 9th, 2009 at 12:01 pmI’m usually one for beginnings. As a reader, I don’t like spoilers. And stuff later in the book usually requires the reader to have been on the journey with the characters to understand the dynamic at that point in the book.
I had a heck of a time when my editor wanted a scene that showed interaction between hero and heroine for my latest release, because they aren’t together for the first couple of chapters. The one we agreed on does show them both, and hints at their personalities, but it seems a bit too ‘out of context’ for me. I’m still not all that thrilled with it, and tend to post things from my opening scene when I have to supply an excerpt.
I like the idea of positng little bits and changing them more often. Maybe I’ll try that one.
by Terry Odell February 9th, 2009 at 12:19 pmI buys books after reading excerpts. Last week, I directed two friends to a Barbara O’Neal’s website to read her first chapter of The Lost Recipe for Happiness. She thanked me for giving her the link and she’s going to get the book.
by Edie February 9th, 2009 at 3:23 pmI love excerpts. I think my joy of them borders on an addiction. The last book I purchased after reading one was Dark Need At Night’s Edge by Kresley Cole. The story was very interesting, but not nearly as intriguing as the excerpt led me to believe.
The last two I read were yours – Eve of Darkness and In The Flesh. They did the trick, and now I’m eagerly awaiting their release.
by Holly February 9th, 2009 at 10:43 pm