Everything hinges your first paragraph. A well-crafted first paragraph can convince a reader to buy your book or a magazine subscriber to read your article.
To celebrate the art of the first paragraph and our new SoundCloud page, we are proud to present the first installment of First Graf Friday–your chance to listen to stories from around the world, all read by their authors.
Our first installment is embedded below. Our readers shared everything from mysteries to memoirs to paranormal romance to literary fiction. Click on the square “MB” comment icons on the player to locate a specific author.
Here are the writers featured in our first edition of the podcast.
The Contract of Love by Jose Chaves
Matinicus: An Island Mystery by Darcy Scott
For Love or Money? by Graham Blackburn
Fobbit by David Abrams
Correction Line by Craig Terlson
The Book of Voices by Joseph Zitt
Catie the Copycat by Juliana Howard
Camelot & Vine by Petrea Burchard
Inhale by Bonnie Ferrante
Life, Again by Mike Harkins
Snoozing Through the Sunday Sermon: Reflections and Genuflections of a Catholic Mom by Nancy Bridwell
Into the Woods by JW Ashley
If you are proud of a particular first paragraph (or graf, as hardboiled reporters used to say), then you could get a chance to share it with our readers.
Just call our First Graf Hotline at 706-871-GRAF (or 706-871-4723) and record yourself reading the first paragraph of your story or book. We will edit together our favorite first paragraphs into an upcoming GalleyCat podcast.
]When recording, be sure to include: your name, the title of your book, article or story, and the best link where people can find your work online. We will include these details in the First Graf Friday post.
If possible, record your first paragraph using a landline. This is not a requirement, but these calls sound the best on the podcast.
If you are unhappy with your first reading, feel free to call back and re-record. We will use the best recording, but no more than three recordings per writer please! Feel free to email GalleyCat with any questions.