by Gale Leach

This article follows two earlier posts published on the Writers in the Storm blog:

• Charting Your Course: How should you publish?
• Charting Your Course #2: Self-Publishing in 2025

Together, these posts explore the pros and cons of self-publishing, examine today’s self-publishing landscape, and conclude with the practical steps for self-publishing your book(s).

Much of this article had been written when I happened upon “The big self-publishing checklist” by Rob Fitzpatrick, posted in March. Fitzpatrick explains masterfully what I’d hoped to share with you. I thought about suggesting you read his article and leave it at that, but I won’t; you’ll find good information here. Instead, I ask you to read this post and refer to the Fitzpatrick article for additional information.

Follow the Workflow

The first graphic in Fitzpatrick’s article shows his overview of the process for both ebooks and print.

Correlate the information shown in Fitzpatrick's article with the steps listed below. My numbered steps refer to those in my timeline.

1. Final Manuscript

Self-edit your manuscript using any/all available tools/software. If needed, hire someone to do a developmental edit. Follow all other edits with a line/copy edit. Edits can be pricey, but good edits are worth the money. Readers abhor typos and errors.

2. Ebook, Print, or Both

• Decide whether you will publish an ebook, a print book, or both. If you are launching both an ebook and paperback, you can create the full wrap cover for the book and then use the front cover for the e-book.
• Many independent authors publish both ebook and print. Ebooks are easier to create, provide easy global reach, and have higher margins; print books provide perceived credibility and higher revenues. If you plan on selling at events, print is necessary.

Genre–Format Correlation

Genre	Best Format
Fantasy	Both (strong print presence)
Historical Fiction	Both (Print important for credibility)
Horror	Ebook (strong) + Print (collector niche)
Mystery/Thriller/Crime	Best format: Both
Nonfiction (General / Narrative)	Both
Romance	Ebook (strongly); Print (secondary)
Science Fiction	Both
Self-Help / Personal Development	Both (Print is strong)
Young Adult (YA)	Both (print slightly stronger)

Note: Many more genres exist, and the list grows as they cross over each other, blending romance with paranormal or horror with romance, as examples. It’s important to be as specific as possible with your genre choices on the KDP metadata list, as they determine where your book will be categorized, helping readers locate it.

Choose a Trim Size

100-150 pages: choose 5.5” x 8.5”

150 or more pages: choose 6” x 9”

• Your genre should suggest which trim size and look of the cover might be most appropriate (see the table above). You should choose an appropriate trim size even if you only have an ebook—it will display correctly on Amazon along with the other books in your genre.
• If print, choose the trim size (physical dimensions of the book). Trim size refers to the book dimensions in inches. Most authors choose 6” x 9” because it costs less to print than  smaller sizes. With fewer pages, pick 5.5” x 8.5” to create a good-looking book that’s not too thin (KDP requires your book to have a spine label). Determine the approximate number of pages based on typical word count/page for that size.
• An 80,000-word manuscript usually produces a book around 300–330 pages, depending on trim size and layout elements. If you have many graphics or photos, the page count could be much more. Amazon’s Printing Costs & Royalty Calculator will help you make the most sensible choice.

3. Cover Design

Most people recommend you hire a skilled cover designer. You can use many programs to create cover artwork, but I strongly recommend that you take advantage of the knowledge a skilled cover designer can offer. Their cover might cost from $100 to $500, depending on complexity. Look at other covers in your genre for help with design. You don’t want to copy their covers, but neither do you want to stray too far from what readers expect.

The cover is your most important marketing tool. Readers should recognize the genre immediately. Start designing your cover as soon as your title is certain. For a full-wrap cover, use a template downloaded from KDP (absolute spine width must wait until page count is final). Get an ISBN and apply it (as an ISBN-13 barcode) to the lower right corner of the back cover. Add your metadata to the back print cover at the top left and to the copyright page of the interior.

Fitzpatrick says to start designing the front (ebook) cover and extend it to wrap around the spine and to the back for print. I’ve always done this the other way around, making a complete wrap cover and then selecting only the front image (in the trim size) for the ebook. Do whatever works best for you.

ISBN, Metadata, Pricing, Keywords

ISBN

• You can buy ISBNs from the official source in the United States: Bowker. Purchasing an ISBN means you'll be your own publisher and the owner of a unique number that can never be republished. If you choose to produce your publication in multiple formats (e.g., hardcover and paperback), each will need its own ISBN. The same rule applies if your publication is an updated version of a previous edition.
• The same ISBN you purchased separately can sometimes be used with multiple companies. For example, you can use your own ISBN with an upload to KDP and again to D2D. The recommendation is that you upload to KDP first (without choosing Expanded Distribution—it will conflict with IngramSpark), then upload to IngramSpark to handle widespread distribution. It’s best to upload to both KDP and IngramSpark prior to your publication date to help avoid conflicts.
• If you get the free ISBN from KDP, D2D, or IngramSpark, the ISBN belongs to them and cannot be used anywhere else.

Metadata

Metadata identifies and describes your book to retailers (e.g., title, author, keywords, subject). Good metadata helps retailers bring your book to the right readers. An ISBN is necessary for print books but not ebooks. Fitzpatrick’s description of the other elements is worth a look (see below and his Section 5).

Title

Shorter titles are usually better than long ones. Also, think about where the book’s name will fall in the alphabet: if it begins with “Z,” the book will appear in lists after all the other titles.

Description

Besides having a fine cover design, you need a great book description. Writing the description is the hardest thing you’ll do after writing the book. Be sure your description is excellent, as it will lure your potential reader to learn more and buy. Check the internet for information on how to create a great book description. Reedsy has good information on writing a book description that sells.

BISAC Categories

All sites ask that you choose categories within which your book fits. For a book about teaching children to play chess, you might choose “Games & Activities/Chess” and “Juvenile Nonfiction/Games & Activities/Board Games,” among others.

Keywords

Keywords are phrases readers might type into search engines when looking for books. Amazon allows seven keyword phrases to help readers discover your work. These can be single words or many words, as you wish—for example, “pickleball” and “advanced pickleball strategy.” For my first children’s book, I chose “adventure,” “animals,” “caterpillar,” “friends,” “courage,” and “family.” I then added “Charlotte’s Web, believing that children who liked that book might also like mine.

4. Interior Design—Ebooks

Interior design is the process of attractively arranging text and images, if any, on a page in order to create a pleasant reading experience. The cover attracts buyers; the interior design keeps them reading through consistency, readability, good use of white space, and a visual style that matches the genre.

For an Ebook

 If your book is mostly text, an ebook should be simple to format and lay out. The goal with ebooks is to keep things simple. They must look good on so many different devices—that means you should not format your text in elaborate ways. Look at other ebooks you like and emulate what they do. If your ebook has many graphics, it would be wise to find help.

Most platforms accept Word documents and can convert them automatically to EPUB, the standard ebook format. (MOBI, the older Kindle format, has largely been phased out in favor of EPUB, and PDF is not recommended.)

If you have images or designs, you will still need to work on the layout, which can be complicated. I suggest getting help with this.

Ensure your file is clean: consistent chapter headings, proper scene breaks, no manual tabs or extra spaces, and a linked table of contents where appropriate. Keep your ebook file neutral; nothing fancy. Fitzpatrick writes more about this in his Section 3.1.

After upload, ebooks typically appear on Amazon within 24–72 hours.

Ebook Pricing Strategy

Typical debut pricing ranges:

Ebook novel: $2.99 – $4.99
Ebook nonfiction: $5.99 – $9.99

 

Print Books

Good interior design can be difficult for the uninitiated. You can do a good job of layout/design using Microsoft Word, but it wasn’t created for this type of work, and it’s tough to make it behave. Page layout programs have a learning curve (a week or more) and aren’t free, but the money is a good investment if you plan on writing more books. The alternative is to hire a designer to do the job. You can find great designers at fiverr.com and reedsy.com. Fitzpatrick speaks to this in his Section 2.1, “Layout complexity and DIY vs. delegation”:

At its simplest, interior layout means taking your manuscript and formatting it with the proper page size, margins, page breaks, page numbers, and a title page. However, there’s a lot of fiddly detail to get right.

In general, interior layout goes one of two ways:

1. For prose-heavy books that are able to be prepared with the DIY tools of either Vellum or Atticus, it's trivially easy and should be done yourself
   1. For design-heavy books that require custom page layouts, it's extremely tedious and will probably involve a freelancer

Fitzpatrick suggests using Atticus (Windows) or Vellum (Mac) for DIY interior layouts because these programs are simpler and less costly than the big name in the business, InDesign. I’ve long used other powerful and less-expensive alternatives to Adobe’s tools made by Affinity.

About Affinity

However, while researching this article, I learned that Affinity was acquired by Canva in 2024 and subsequently made its entire professional creative suite (Photo, Designer, Publisher) FREE on Mac, Windows, and iPad as of October 30, 2025. Despite initial user fears regarding potential subscription models, Canva has committed to keeping the software as a high-quality, non-subscription, and perpetual-license-based product. Affinity is now a single product comprising software for professional page layout, graphic design, and photo editing. The most amazing thing is that these programs really are FREE. Read more at Affinity.studio.

Of course, I must say that Adobe’s InDesign is by far the best layout program on the market. If you plan to write more than one book, it might be a wise investment.

Specifications. Make your margins no smaller than 0.75 inches, use running headers, and set page numbers in the center or outside of all pages except the first few.

If these DIY options don’t work for you, I’ve had good luck hiring freelancers from Fiverr; other authors have said they liked using Reedsy. Both groups offer services covering the gamut of everything you might need.

Proofreading

Ebooks: Use Kindle Previewer. This app, available for Windows PC and Macintosh, allows you to visualize your ebook on many different platforms.

Print Books: Reviewers have traditionally proofread PDF files at this point, but Fitzpatrick argues that it is hard to track notes in the PDF file, so errors often persist. He suggests proofing the document file in its native state and transitioning to PDF when ready to upload (see his section 2.2).

To Be Continued . . .

I wrote too much for a single blog post—the rest will follow soon. I hope this much has been helpful and that you’ll let me know in the comments.

Reference:

Fitzpatrick, Rob. “The big self-publishing checklist.” Useful Books, March 4, 2025.
https://www.usefulbooks.com/learn/self-publishing-checklist

* * * * * *

About Gale

Writing The Art of Pickleball in 2005 launched Gale Leach’s career as an award-winning author. From 2011 to 2020, she also managed her own company, Two Cats Press, which published the works of six Arizona authors, including seven of her own fantasy adventure novels for children and teens. Currently, she’s at work on a fantasy trilogy involving magic, technology, multiple worlds, and creatures you only thought were mythological.

Gale and her hero husband live in Arizona, accompanied by two cats and a bearded dragon. Gale’s interests outside of writing include singing, playing music, genealogy, reading, crafting, and many types of puzzles and games. You can connect with Gale on social media or her website.

Top Image created by Gale Leach using ChatGPT.

by Janice Hardy

Cutting unnecessary words helps your best moments stand out.

A few years ago, I dipped my toe into writing chapter books. It was a new market for me and I looked forward to stretching my creative wings a bit. The publisher had a hard max word count of only six thousand words, but I wasn’t too worried about the count during the first draft, because I wanted to get the story down first. I just wrote what felt right.

Imagine my horror when my first draft came in at just over 7,300 words.

Yikes.

For context, that’s 18% of the novel, so don’t think a small book is any easier to cut than a large one. In a lot of ways, it’s much harder.

Clearly, I had to cut a lot to fit the required word count, and some of those words were going to be ones I loved. Sentences I’d slaved over, descriptions I’d tweaked so they evoked the perfect image, dialogue that flowed off the tongue.

It was time to kill some darlings, and that was gonna hurt. But it had to be done, because…

Every word in your manuscript should earn its place on the page.

Think of it this way. The more words you use, the more diluted your story becomes. All your great hook lines lose impact because they’re surrounded by filler. Your tense moments take too long to unfold and lose their urgency. Powerful descriptions get missed as readers start skimming for the action. The novel you worked so hard writing gets in its own way and lessens the experience for the reader (again, yikes!).

Edit for Focus

Cutting your unnecessary words puts the focus on the parts of the story that matter most.

Let’s look at an example of a snippet that’s not bad, but could be better:

When Maria got home, the phone for Antonio’s consulting business was ringing. He’d wanted the landline so he could appear more professional, even though she’d thought it was a waste of money. Nobody used landlines these days. She dashed across the living room and picked up the receiver from the rolltop desk.

“Hello?” She winced, because Antonio had told her a hundred times to answer with “Salvatore Consulting, what can I do for you today?” but she’d always felt stupid saying that.

“Tony around?” a man asked casually.

Her heart clenched tight as a fist. Tony would never be around again, and she was surprised he hadn’t forwarded his calls to his cell. “I’m sorry, he’s out. Can I take a message?” Maybe then she’d have a reason to call him, just to see if he missed her as much as she missed him. They’d barely spoken since he left three months ago.

“Yeah, tell him we’re meeting the twins for drinks at Bruno’s Taproom at seven instead of The Pit Stop at six. Leslie has a late customer at the salon.”

Shock nearly drove her to her knees. She gripped the phone so tight her knuckles went white, and her tight throat wouldn’t let any words out. Antonio was meeting a woman for drinks? Was that a date? It sure sounded like a date. How could he be dating already? They’d only been separated since Christmas. The divorce papers hadn’t even been filed yet.

“I’ll tell him,” she squeaked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “Thank you for calling.”

She put the phone back in the cradle and wrapped her arms around herself. This couldn’t be happening. As the tears welled in her eyes, she slid down to the navy carpet and sobbed. She’d always thought he’d come back, but one phone call had dashed her dreams to bits. (311 words)

This snippet has a lot of common first-draft issues—it’s overwritten in parts, has a lot of telling, and no strong sense of the character.

Now let’s tighten it up and see how it reads:

Ringing greeted Maria as she entered the house—the stupid landline Antonio insisted would look professional, but just added a bill they hadn’t needed every month. They’d have been better off using the cash for a monthly date night. They might still be married.

She snatched up the receiver. “Hello?” No way was she answering with “Salvatore Consulting, what can I do for you today?” like Antonio told her to.

“Tony around?” a man asked.

His words punched her in the gut. Tony would never be around again. Hold it together. “No, can I take a message?” If so, she’d have a reason to call him that wasn’t “I miss you, do you miss me?”

“Yeah, tell him we’re meeting the twins for drinks at Bruno’s Taproom at seven.”

Her skin flushed hot, then icy cold. Antonio was meeting a woman for drinks? After only three months? The divorce papers hadn’t even been filed yet.

“Sure,” she squeaked, her throat tight. She dropped the phone back in the cradle and hugged herself. This couldn’t be happening. He was supposed to come back.

Bruno’s at seven? She glanced at the clock. Five-seventeen. (191 words)

Cutting the unnecessary words saves 120 words and gives a better sense of who Maria is and how she feels about Antonio dating again. Tastes may vary, but I think the shorter version makes readers care more about Maria because her reactions are clearer without all the overdone emotional tells.

Now for funsies, let’s look at why I cut the words I did:

Original:

When Maria got home, the phone for Antonio’s consulting business was ringing. He’d wanted the landline so he could appear more professional, even though she’d thought it was a waste of money. Nobody used landlines these days. She dashed across the living room and picked up the receiver from the rolltop desk. (52 words)

Trimmed:

Ringing greeted Maria as she entered the house—the stupid landline Antonio insisted would look professional, but just added a bill they hadn’t needed every month. They’d have been better off using the cash for a monthly date night. They might still be married. (44 words)

The important details are the ringing phone, the fact it’s a landline, and Maria’s feelings about it. The type of desk doesn’t matter, and I’d assume the room was probably already described prior to this scene. I combined several sentences into one with “the stupid landline Antonio insisted…” which also showed more of Maria’s voice. It also felt important to show hints of their relationship and why it failed, so I added the “…monthly date night” line.

Original:

“Hello?” She winced, because Antonio had told her a hundred times to answer with “Salvatore Consulting, what can I do for you today?” but she’d always felt stupid saying that. (30 words)

Trimmed:

She snatched up the receiver. “Hello?” No way was she answering with “Salvatore Consulting, what can I do for you today?” like Antonio told her to. (26 words)

“Wincing” in the original version was ambiguous, since you can wince for several reasons, but “Snatching up” the phone implies annoyance or irritation, which shows she had issues with the cost of the phone, and having to answer it annoyed her. I also put the reasons for not answering the phone in her voice, which supports her annoyance.

Original:

“Tony around?” a man asked casually. (6 words)

Trimmed:

“Tony around?” a man asked. (5 words)

The dialogue itself is casual, so we don’t need the adverb.

Original:

Her heart clenched tight as a fist. Tony would never be around again, and she was surprised he hadn’t forwarded his calls to his cell. “I’m sorry, he’s out. Can I take a message?” Maybe then she’d have a reason to call him, just to see if he missed her as much as she missed him. They’d barely spoken since he left three months ago. (65 words)

Trimmed:

His words punched her in the gut. Tony would never be around again. Hold it together. “No, can I take a message?” If so, she’d have a reason to call him that wasn’t “I miss you, do you miss me?” (40 words)

The question blindsides Maria and causes an immediate emotional reaction. The extra explanations about why the call came to the landline and how long it had been since they’d spoken weakens that “gut punch” of emotion. If she’s rational enough to think those other thoughts, how thrown could she be?

Original:

“Yeah, tell him we’re meeting the twins for drinks at Bruno’s Taproom at seven instead of The Pit Stop at six. Leslie has a late customer at the salon.” (29 words)

Trimmed:

“Yeah, tell him we’re meeting the twins for drinks at Bruno’s Taproom at seven.” (14 words)

This is a straight up “infodump through dialogue” fix. The original tells readers unnecessary details about the date, because the caller has no reason to tell her anything more than the time and location change. I kept the “Bruno’s Taproom” since I want to show Maria might go there, adding a bit more narrative drive to the scene.

Original:

Shock nearly drove her to her knees. She gripped the phone so tight her knuckles went white, and her tight throat wouldn’t let any words out. Antonio was meeting a woman for drinks? Was that a date? It sure sounded like a date. How could he be dating already? They’d only been separated since Christmas. The divorce papers hadn’t even been filed yet. (63 words)

Trimmed:

Her skin flushed hot, then icy cold. Antonio was meeting a woman for drinks? After only three months? The divorce papers hadn’t even been filed yet. (26 words)

The original is full of clichés and verges on melodrama. What matters here is that she has an emotional reaction as she processes that Antonio has a date three months after moving out.

Original:

“I’ll tell him,” she squeaked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “Thank you for calling.”

She put the phone back in the cradle and wrapped her arms around herself. This couldn’t be happening. As the tears welled in her eyes, she slid down to the navy carpet and sobbed. She’d always thought he’d come back, but one phone call had dashed her dreams to bits. (68 words)

Trimmed:

“Sure,” she squeaked, her throat tight. She dropped the phone back in the cradle and hugged herself. This couldn’t be happening. He was supposed to come back.

Bruno’s at seven? She glanced at the clock. Five-seventeen. (36 words)

The last two paragraphs pour on the melodramatic reactions and don’t give a sense of how Maria is handling this news. It also makes Maria look like she can barely function, and if she’s that thrown, she won’t be answering in complete sentences. Barely squeaking out “Sure” shows she’s a bit speechless, but still in control of herself.

I also added the bit at the end to show she might act on hearing Antonio had a date, because it just felt like that’s where the scene was going after I tightened it up. The edits not only picked up the pace, but gave it a stronger narrative drive.

Could I have elaborated and used up more of those 120 extra words? Absolutely. If it was important to add in some of the other details, or expand more on Maria’s thoughts or emotions, I could have easily done that.

But here’s the thing—did I need to? I'd say no.

Readers don’t notice what you cut, but they absolutely feel what you didn’t.

That’s the difference between a “Wow, you’ve got to read this book!” and a “Oh, yeah, I read that. Not bad” reader reaction.

Final Thoughts

Remember…you’re not deleting words you like, you’re clearing away the clutter and revealing the story you love. Every unnecessary word you cut makes the important ones stronger, and every trimmed sentence sharpens your pacing. Tossing out all the chaff gives your best moments more room to breathe.

I get it, it hurts to cut words you worked hard writing, but if your story will be stronger for it, then grit your teeth and do it. A story readers can clearly read is one that they’ll fall in love with.

If you want to learn more ways to trim your manuscript, check out my book Revising Your Novel: First Draft to Finished Draft. It’s full of tips, examples, and strategies to tighten your draft and let your story shine.

Is it easy or hard for you to trim words from your manuscript? What tips would you give someone struggling with this?

About Janice

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author and founder of the popular writing site Fiction University, where she helps writers improve their craft and navigate the crazy world of publishing. Not only does she write about writing, she teaches workshops across the country, and her blog has been recognized as a Top Writing Blog by Writer’s Digest. She also spins tales of adventure for both teens and adults, and firmly believes that doing terrible things to her characters makes them more interesting (in a good way). She loves talking with writers and readers, and encourages questions of all types—even the weird ones.

Find out more about writing at www.Fiction-University.com, or visit her author’s site at www.JaniceHardy.com. Subscribe to stay updated on future books, workshops, and events and receive her ebook, 25 Ways to Strengthen Your Writing Right Now, free.

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Top Image by Jan Vašek from Pixabay

By Jenn Windrow

Years ago, I found this graphic on Pinterest and immediately saved it to my computer. This was well before I started my developmental editing business. But as a writer, I always found it compelling. I firmly believe in the idea of hooking the reader, grabbing their attention, so they don’t want to wiggle off the hook, ensuring they want to stay captured and captivated.

But keeping them hooked requires more than a perfect first line.

However, writers obsess over the opening line of the book, something I fully support, but they then forget that every single chapter opening has the same job.

To hook the reader again and again and again.

If your chapters don’t pull readers in and push them forward, your story stalls. Quietly. Invisibly. Until readers drift off and never come back.

Hooks Aren’t Just for Page One

A hook is a promise. It tells the reader something interesting is happening and it’s worth their time to keep going. It engages them. It evokes emotion. It pulls them into the story.  

And while a killer first line is one of the best hooks you can have, it shouldn’t be the last hook in your book. Each and every chapter should have its own hook. But not just the start of your chapters, the end of your chapters as well.

Here’s why.

Every chapter opening should:

• Re-engage the reader
• Re-establish tension or curiosity
• Make it impossible to put the book down

And every chapter ending should:

• Create forward momentum
• Raise a new question or complication
• Make it impossible to put the book down (yes, that is listed for both, you want your readers to go to work exhausted the next day because they were up too late reading your words.)

When I’m writing, I will spend far too much time focusing on the opening paragraph to every chapter, as well as the chapter endings. For me, this is really some of the most important real estate my books have, and I spend the time making sure they do the job they were constructed to do.

Here is an example…

This is the end of chapter 3. I wanted to end the chapter with a bit of foreshadowing of what to expect.

A water nymph fought against the goblin guards. A nymph who would be used and abused to prove a point. A point the commander wanted hammered into my skull. Because I had saved a nymph, he would sacrifice one.

            And the mind games were about to begin.

And this is the start of chapter 4. A quick recap to reengage the reader, but also add the emotional tension and internal conflict the main character now faces.

The commander caught a nymph. Just another one of his sick, twisted, and manipulative ways to prove that he would always win the unspoken battle between us. A battle I wasn’t sure I was corrupt enough to fight.

But not every writer knows how to write a good hook. They struggle with what a good hook is supposed to do, how to construct it, and where to even begin. If you are one of those writers, here are 13 easy cheats to get you started.

13 Types of Hooks You Can Use Anywhere

These aren’t just for your first line. These are tools you can use at the start of any chapter, and even echo at the end to keep momentum alive.

1. Action

Drop us into something happening.

The blade slipped from her hand.

Why it works:
Action bypasses explanation and goes straight to engagement. The reader doesn’t need context yet, they need motion. Movement creates questions automatically. What just happened? Why does it matter?

Use it when:

• You’re entering a high-stakes moment
• The previous chapter ended on tension, and you want to pay it off immediately
• You need to accelerate pacing

Common mistake:
Starting with action that has no emotional anchor. Action without meaning is noise.

2. Analogy

Frame the emotional state quickly.

Grief settled in like a storm that refused to pass.

Why it works:
An analogy compresses emotion into something instantly recognizable. Instead of explaining how a character feels, you translate it into something the reader already understands.

Use it when:

• You’re shifting into a more introspective or emotional beat
• You need to quickly ground the reader in tone after a scene break

Common mistake:
Overcomplicating the comparison. If readers have to think too hard about it, you’ve lost the effect.

3. Command to the Reader

Break the fourth wall with intention.

Remember this moment.

Why it works:
It creates immediacy and importance. You’re signaling that what follows matters, which sharpens reader focus.

Use it when:

• You have a strong, voice-driven narrative
• You want to emphasize a turning point or key moment

Common mistake:
Using it without a payoff. If you tell the reader to pay attention, you’d better deliver.

4. Bold Statement or Interesting Fact

Make the reader pause.

Magic always comes with a cost.

Why it works:
It establishes rules, stakes, or intrigue in one clean line. It also invites the reader to test that statement as the story unfolds.

Use it when:

• You want to anchor theme or world rules quickly
• You need a strong tonal reset at the start of a chapter

Common mistake:
Generic statements. If it sounds like it could apply to any story, it’s not pulling its weight.

5. Character’s Thoughts or Feelings

Pull us inside.

I shouldn’t be here.

Why it works:
This creates instant intimacy. Readers don’t just observe the story, they experience it from within the character.

Use it when:

• You’re reconnecting after a POV shift
• The emotional stakes are driving the scene

Common mistake:
Starting with vague or low-stakes thoughts. “I was tired” won’t hook anyone.

6. Definition

Reframe an idea.

Betrayal is just trust, turned inside out.

Why it works:
It signals theme and adds a layer of meaning to what’s about to happen. It primes the reader to interpret the scene through a specific lens.

Use it when:

• You’re setting up a thematic chapter
• You want to deepen the reader’s understanding of a concept central to the story

Common mistake:
Sounding like a dictionary or a quote board. It needs voice and specificity.

7. Dialogue or Quotation

Start mid-moment.

“You lied to me.”

Why it works:
Dialogue skips setup and drops the reader directly into conflict. It implies context without explaining it, which creates curiosity.

Use it when:

• You want immediate tension
• The scene begins with confrontation or high emotion

Common mistake:
Starting with neutral or mundane dialogue. If the line doesn’t create tension, it doesn’t belong here.

8. Foreshadowing

Hint at consequences.

This was the last time she would trust him.

Why it works:
It creates anticipation and dread. The reader now knows something is coming, and they’ll read to find out how it happens.

Use it when:

• You’re building toward a turning point
• You want to layer tension into a quieter scene

Common mistake:
Being too vague or too dramatic. It needs to feel earned, not manipulative.

9. Onomatopoeia

Use sound for immersion.

Thud. Something hit the floor behind her.

Why it works:
It engages the senses immediately. Sound is one of the fastest ways to pull a reader into a moment.

Use it when:

• You’re opening in the middle of an event
• You want a sharp, sensory entry point

Common mistake:
Overusing it or making it feel gimmicky. It should enhance the moment, not distract.

10. Question

Create curiosity.

Why was the door already open?

Why it works:
Questions naturally create forward momentum. The reader wants the answer, and the only way to get it is to keep reading.

Use it when:

• You’re introducing a mystery or problem
• You want to guide reader focus immediately

Common mistake:
Asking questions that don’t matter or get answered too easily.

11. Theme Statement

Anchor the story.

Power always demands a sacrifice.

Why it works:
It tells the reader what this chapter, and often the story, is really about beneath the surface.

Use it when:

• You’re entering a pivotal or reflective moment
• You want to reinforce the story’s core message

Common mistake:
Being heavy-handed. It should feel like insight, not a lecture.

12. Sentence Fragment

Cut straight to impact.

Not again.

Why it works:
Fragments strip language down to emotion. They’re fast, punchy, and often carry urgency or dread.

Use it when:

• You want a sharp tonal hit
• You’re continuing momentum from a previous chapter

Common mistake:
Overusing fragments so they lose impact.

13. Setting or Picture

Drop us into the world.

The castle stood silent, its gates wide open.

Why it works:
It orients the reader while creating mood. When done right, setting itself becomes a source of tension.

Use it when:

• Atmosphere matters to the scene
• The environment plays a role in what’s about to happen

Common mistake:
Letting description stall the story. Setting should create curiosity, not pause it.

Chapter Openings: Re-Hook the Reader

Every time a reader starts a new chapter, they’ve had a break. Even if it’s just a breath. You have to earn them back. Because you want them to stay rooted in your story, attached to your characters, and submersed in your world.

Strong chapter openings:

• Start in motion or tension
• Avoid re-explaining what we already know
• Anchor us quickly in who, where, and what matters

Weak openings:

• Ease in with description
• Rehash the last chapter
• Delay the point

If your chapter takes a page to “get going,” it’s already too late.

Chapter Endings: The Real Power Move

A strong chapter ending is what makes readers say, “Just one more.” You don’t need a cliffhanger every time. But you do need momentum. You need them to want to stay. You want them to turn that page and keep reading.

The most effective chapter endings...

• Introduce a new problem
• Shift the stakes
• Reveal something unexpected
• Leave an emotional beat unresolved

The Mistake I See Constantly

As an editor, I ensure that all my clients understand what I expect at the start and end of each chapter. Some of my clients might say I am too tough on openings, but I do it because I want them to create the best book possible.

However, I have noticed that writers treat chapters like containers instead of engines. They start soft. They end neatly. They move on. But stories don’t thrive on neat. They thrive on tension.

If a reader can comfortably stop at the end of your chapter, you’ve given them an exit. And the last thing you want a reader to do is exit.

Your job is to make them hesitate. Make them want to stay.

A Simple Fix You Can Apply Today

Take one chapter and do this:

Step 1: Rewrite the opening using a different hook type
Try action, dialogue, or a bold statement.

Step 2: Rewrite the ending to create a question
Not confusion. Curiosity.

Step 3: Read the transition into the next chapter
Does it feel inevitable? Or optional?

Final Thought

Your story doesn’t hook the reader once. It hooks them over and over again. At the start of the book. At the start of every chapter. At the end of every chapter. That’s what keeps pages turning.

Because you story is not built on good writing alone, it's built on relentless momentum. And momentum is built one hook at a time.

Be honest. Are your chapters pulling readers forward… or quietly letting them walk away?

About Jenn Windrow

Jenn Windrow once attempted to write a “normal” book—and promptly bored herself into a coma. So now she sticks to what she does best: writing snarky, kick-butt heroines, broody supernatural men, and more sexual tension than a vampire in a blood bank.

She’s the award-winning author of the Alexis Black novels and the Redeeming Cupid series, where the undead never sparkle and the drama is always delicious. Jenn moonlights as a developmental editor, helping other writers wrangle their wild plots and tangle-free prose.

When not arguing with her characters or muttering about Oxford commas, she can be found binge-watching trash TV, wrangling the slew of animals that live in her house (husband and teenagers included), or telling herself she’ll only have one more cookie.

You can find her at jennwindrow.com or lurking on social media where she pretends to be an extrovert.

Header image from Unsplash by Kaptured by Kasia