Your Book's First Impression | Write an Opening That Hooks

An editor gives your manuscript about 10 seconds. This is about those 10 seconds.

You can write a story that works and still lose the reader on page one, because the title didn't land and the first line gave them nothing to hold onto.

This course is only about the opening. The title, the first line, and the first 50 words, broken down by category, with real published examples.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN...

1. The 3 title approaches (character driven, problem driven, theme driven) and which one fits your story
2. How first lines are built in each category, and the 3 questions that produce one a reader can't pass up
3. The 3 things a reader needs from your first 50 words: who it's about, what they want most, and what's in the way
4. How to find where your story actually starts, which is usually not where you started writing

WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE...

1. Video instruction plus worksheets for the title, the first line, and the first 50 words
2. Examples for every children's book category, from picture book through young adult
3. A curated list of 150 recently published mentor texts, sorted by category
4. Lifetime access

Who's this course for?

This is for you if your story is drafted and the opening isn't doing its job, or if you're about to start sending it to agents and publishers and want the first page to earn a second one.

It covers picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and young adult. It is not a course on writing the whole book. It's the opening, done properly.

How soon will you get access?

Your course access is granted after purchase. You'll get an instant download with your login instructions and what to expect, then a separate email with your course invite.

All our courses are self-paced with lifetime access. If you've bought a course from us before, you'll use the same login and find everything in one place.

This is an online course. Nothing physical will ship.

Please note: Our digital products are for personal use only. While you can use the fillable fields on your computer or print out the sheets yourself, you cannot share this with anyone else, make a copy, or use this for resale.