How to Make Your...
Did you know that you have only five pages in a novel to grab the attention of an agent or editor?
Yikes! But true! Only. Five. Pages.
What's more, you also have only that long to grab and hold a young reader. To keep them reading. So that they press on, and love your book.
No matter how great your book is after that, they won't find out if they don't read on.
What's the secret to making those five pages work for all they're worth?
With First Pages Pop, learn the keys to craft powerful opening pages that will make a reader say, "more please!"
You’ve pitched story ideas and had positive feedback, but after agents or editors read your opening pages...they stop.
You can’t figure out what’s missing (or what’s too much).
With this short course, I walk you through the 5 key things you must have in your opening pages in order to grab a reader and keep them wanting more.
And you’ll finally know that you can write, in story after story, opening pages that pop.
"Your words rekindled my hope that I can do what I'd love to do! THANK YOU!!!"
— Deborah
Aspiring Picture Book Author
Brooke
Aspiring author
Eric
Aspiring middle grade author
D
Aspiring middle grade author
Kelsi
Aspiring author
(And why this short, affordable course will be a game-changer for all your opening pages from here on.)
The 5 key things crucial to writing opening pages that pop
What those 5 key things do for your story, and why they are important
The importance of opening pages through examples from successful stories
An understanding of the Five Key Things that must (or those things that must not) appear in a story's opening pages.
The Four Grounding Details that pull the reader into your story from the start.
The precise way to present your Story Theme in your opening pages.
The power of Character Desire and Story Goal, and how they can be hinted at in successful opening pages.
Hi!
I'm Janet, a multi-published award-winning author and creative writing teacher with over 25 years of writing and publishing experience, and 7 years helping writers to publishing success through both courses and hands-on coaching.
I'm the author of 13 books for young readers, from picture book through YA novels, fiction and nonfiction.
My courses are designed for all kidlit writers, from beginners to advanced.
If you’ve been pitching stories for a while and can’t get a reader to go past the opening pages, this course is for you.
If you’ve got a great concept that excites a potential reader but they never keep reading, you need to know why.
This is the course that will catapult your story from premise to published.
The course is designed to be completed in about 1–2 hours. You can go through the lesson and handout in one sitting and immediately apply what you learn to your opening pages.
Yes. This course focuses on one specific outcome: helping you evaluate and shape your opening pages using a clear 5-step framework so you can move forward with confidence.
Perfect—you’ll use your existing draft throughout the course to test, refine, and strengthen your opening pages.
This method primarily works for middle grade and young adult novels. Although the principles of strong opening pages work for all types of kidlit.
Both! For beginners and early-stage writers, there are clear examples and a simple step-by-step approach. And even more experienced writers can struggle with weak or unclear opening pages. This course helps you diagnose and fix that problem quickly.
It will give you a strong, practical framework to evaluate your opening pages against industry expectations—so you can make smarter, more informed decisions before you invest time writing query letters or looking for an agent.
No problem. This course comes with a refund policy—if it’s not a good fit, you can request your money back.
Janet here!
I believe in happy endings.
I believe that children need our books more than ever.
First Pages Pop will hook those readers - whether an agent, an editor, or that kid who lives next door - and keep them reading so they fall in love with the story of your heart.
