There are already a million and one writer's guides out there, and so it might be a little difficult to imagine that there's really much need for still one more. However, 'This First Five Pages' is worth stretching your imagination. Rather than a book that tells you how to write- there are of course plenty of volumes that do that- 'Five Pages' does the reader the courtesy of presuming they already know how to write and now want to polish their manuscript so they have the very best possible chance of success in gaining the interest of a book agent or editor. Lukeman excels here- he is himself a literary agent, and as such is able to tell his audience exactly what agents are looking for-- what will keep them interested, what will cause them to immediately move a book to the 'reject' pile, etc. He gives lots of good advice, advice a new writer might not even think about. For example, buying a Writer's Market guide may be a great place to start, but it is just that- a place to start. Make sure and research the people who will be reading your manuscript. Otherwise it'll be a waste of your time and theirs.

The only complaint that I'd have is that a few years have passed since this book was published, and to be fair, it has suffered a little for the dawn of the internet age. Some of the information does seem a little outdated or irrelevant. However, since for the most part he focuses on the sort of things technology doesn't change- good writing, and how to present it, I can still heartily recommend this book as a 'must-have' for any author hoping to get their first manuscript from the 'in-box' to the 'accepted' sheet.

I think writing skill is a natural talent but it can be sharpened with some tips and by practice. I have seen one of my teachers who bagged National award for his poetry collections .He was from a rural back ground and the only literate person in his family. He was witting poems and articles from his childhood, but could not get noticed till his fifties. Why? The answer is though he was writing well, he was unable to bring the first impression in his writings. Finally he realized his mistake and the rest is history.

Here is a book “The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile” by Noah T. Luke man for those fresh writers who want to make a living out of it. The purpose of writing any article or book is to publish it and made available to readers through some means. How to catch the attention of the publishers? Then this is the book or I say guide you are looking for. The author gives step by step tips to improve your writing quality and sharpen your writing skills. If you want to be a professional writer with very large audience, then the first step towards achieving that goal is to grab this book from any book stall and begin your today itself.
If my teacher, who bagged national award at the age of fifty would have got it in his twenties itself if he had the luxury of having this book at that time.

This is an excellent book to guide the fresh new writers. It truly does give you in-depth
and helpful information on improving your writing quality. In it you will find activities that will
help you continue to develop and hone your skills.

You receive guidance in submissions and how to catch the publishers eye within the first pages.
If you can't grab a publisher in the beginning pages then they will have no inclination to dig
deeper into your work. Your work must stand out and reach out boldly and this book will teach
you how to effectively do just that.

I highly recommend this book it will make a difference.

This book was recommended to me by a friend that is a published author. He is not mainstream but it still impresses me that someone bought his manuscripts. I dabble as a freelance writer and I am always looking for ways to improve my craft. It is true that no one can teach you how to write. This book does not do that. What it does do is teach you how to rewrite and fix up what you have already penned.

This is an older book so some of the information may be a bit outdated concerning the processes of sending in manuscripts. But the parts of the book that are most important and helpful deal with making your writing the best that it can be. I had fun following some of the practice exercises and rewriting some of my pieces. If you love to write and hope to get published, this book will certainly help you. Follow the exercises and you will be surprised at how much you can improve. This was a great read. It would be a good gift for a fledgling writer.

This book is going to be a benchmark. I have submitted several manuscripts to newspapers, publishers, and newspapers, and was having a hard time getting my voice across to an editor. This book is truly fantastic in that it helps writers understand from an editor's perspective what they are really looking for. It shows common mistakes people make that don't allow their manuscripts to really stand out, and shows how things can be tweaked, starting with the query letter, and moving on to the dialogue and then to the heart of the story in getting readers hooked and plot twists, etc. It is a great tool for people who are looking to get novels published, and is geared more towards those authors, than say, an author of children's books or a person who writes short articles for newspapers or magazines. I do recommend this book to anybody who is looking to get their work published because it has great tips for query letters, which is where it all begins.