Do you have favorite opening lines from novels you've read? They're either so bold, so unusual, or so touching that they stick in your mind. After several years, you pick up that book again just to read the opening line word for word. Opening lines matter, but, in all honesty, they aren't critical to the story. I know we, as readers, can be fascinated, impressed, amused, or elated at an opening line, but we don't necessarily judge the book and its story by that line. As an author, we want to make those first lines pop, to entice, and draw the reader into the story. However, sometimes that opening line isn't sufficient for what we want to do in the story's timeline.
And the adage not to judge a book by its cover is overstated. A cover is essential to picking out a good story. A cover has power. Trendy covers don't offer much excitement because we readers see them so frequently. The first author who got that design and color scheme scores mightily because if there are others so similar to it, it makes me wary of what they offer since they copied a cover design. But that's me.
As an author, I definitely - or probably - won't judge a book by its first line, but I do tend to judge books by their covers. If it's a trendy cover design, if I know and like the author, I'll ignore the cover and get the book. If I don't, chances are I might skip it.
Do you have an opinion on opening lines and/or novel book covers?
Father, you know my desires in my writing and book designs. Thank you for giving me great designers along the way and opening lines that work for me. Thank you is never enough. Please continue to help me tell the stories you have for me to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.