Overall story verses the first 3 chapters.

mr58inc said:

Should I seriously work on changing the first 3 chapters for the publisher's sake ?
Thank you.

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Yes. If all your readers say the same thing, I'd listen to them. You only get one chance to impress an agent or editor and that chance comes with your first chapter or two.

Try starting your story where your readers said things began to move. Weave background info in as you go but in very small chunks. Try to communicate this info in an active form as often as possible.

Imagine yourself waking up on another planet inhabited by strange beings whose language you don't understand. You don't where you are or how you got there. There is no one who's going to sit there at your side and fill you in on this strange new world. How are you going to figure out what's going on and assimilate yourself into this world?

Your readers should come into your story in the same manner. Let them figure things out as they go along. Use key imagery and telling actions. Use dialogue. Show actions and reactions between characters. Keep things moving and let the story slowly reveal itself.

Beth

Find out why they are too slow? Is it because nothing happens, or are they just boring? Have you started in the right place? Do you really need them - could it be that so much setting and background information isn't needed? Just because you know it, doesn't mean it has be written.

Bufty said:

Find out why they are too slow? Is it because nothing happens, or are they just boring? Have you started in the right place? Do you really need them - could it be that so much setting and background information isn't needed? Just because you know it, doesn't mean it has be written.

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But like Uncle Jim says, knowing it will make the rest of it more believable.

No agent, editor, or publisher will read chapters 7-19 if 1-6 are slow. So YES, change it. Those first few chapters probably aren't as important as you think. I'd get rid of all you can and try to start with where your readers got into the story and sprinkle any info needed from the first six chapters in as needed. Or consider some major rewriting.

Had to do this myself once, so I understand your resistance, but there's no way around it. And it's not nearly as hard or as heartbreaking as you think it's going to be. I feel for you, good luck!

Seems like the concensus is that the beginning is too slow. You should go back and revise... delete, rearrange, edit, etc. You may surprise yourself to see that what you consider essential set up is not necessary, or can be rearranged so your story starts quickly...

Let me just tell you, I deleted 7 chapters from my ms (about 15000 words) before I found a publisher...

It can be done.

storygirl said:

No agent, editor, or publisher will read chapters 7-19 if 1-6 are slow.

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Not to mention the general book-buying public - let's not forget them! Personally, I won't buy a book until I've read the first few pages and been hooked by them. If the first chapter's tedious, it's back on the shelf. And I probably won't bother picking up your next book.

Not just for the publisher's sake, but also for your readers'.

I feel your pain. I'm currently going through and reconstructing the first third of my WIP. Nothing for it but to make the changes as best I can.

And make damned sure your first paragraph hooks in the reader...first sentence if possible.

sassandgroove said:

But like Uncle Jim says, knowing it will make the rest of it more believable.

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There are things that the author needs to know, and there are things that the readers need to know. These are not always the same things.

The realities submitting partial submissions to agents for an unpublished author are that you have to hook the reader on the first sentence and keep it going. Agents will have no patience. They will not cut you slack in the hope it will get better later. I imagine some of that heat gets lifted after a writer is "successful," but for now, pages 1-30 must be extremely compelling.

Sometimes the response "feels slow" actually has noting to do with pacing and instead can be attributed to a lack of suspense and intense character emotions.

Starlightmntn said:

Agents will have no patience. They will not cut you slack in the hope it will get better later.

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Yup. When you have no track record, agents, publishers, and readers have no reason to give you the benefit of the doubt and keep reading boring stuff in the hope that it will get better later. If all your readers have said chapters 1-6 are boring, then by golly, chapters 1-6 are boring, and you have to fix that, no matter how much the thought makes you want to cry.