Writing Your First Paragraph: The Hook

Did you know that sometimes when your book cover is so interesting, readers skip the synopsis at the back of the book and get straight to the first page to see what the introduction says?

If the first sentence of your introduction grabs their interest, they’re hooked! Period! This is one reason it is very important to learn how to write a book introduction that hooks readers.

What does this tell you? That it’s best to begin your introduction with something that catches the reader’s eye - a hook - a short, concise sentence that grasps the essence of your book, or begins your introduction with a bit of suspense.

Your hook is something that will keep the reader interested in moving on, not just to the next paragraph, but to read through your entire introduction.

Your concerning questions should be:

What does my intended audience care about?

What will interest them the most?

What would shock them to know?

All these questions focus on the most interesting claim in your book, and your hook expresses that claim.

Your hook can be a story, a question, or an interesting slogan.

Whatever it is, your reader must be able to ask, “What happened next?” and finally, “How does it relate to me?”

If your hook does not foster these questions in the mind of your reader, it may not be strong enough to spur their interest in continuing.