Give it a (second?) chance?

Kayletta · Jan 9, 2012

I had a big mental arguement with myself before I posted something in the SYW forum. I was deciding whether to post a chunk of the prologue or Ch 1.

Assuming an unknown author, random book that you pick up: If the prologue doesn't catch your attention, do you give Chapter 1 a chance to hook you or do you set it down?

I've set a book down because the prologue was horrible, but never just because it didnt have a hook.

lbender · Jan 9, 2012

I set it down.

There are a number of people who (I don't understand why) skip the prologue entirely. There are long threads on whether or not to even use a prologue. One of my novels used to have a prologue. After some thought, I decided it was necessary, but just retitled it 'Chapter 1'. It avoids the aversion some people have to prologues.

Is your prologue part of the book, or just an addition?

Maryn · Jan 9, 2012

(Psst! It's prologue, okay?)

Speaking for my own tastes only, if I see a novel has a prologue that's a strike against it. If it's a page or less, I'll read it and unless it's horrid, move on to chapter one. But if it's more than a page and isn't especially good, that book has shot its one chance to snag me as a reader.

Life's short, and books are many.

In general, if a book needs a prologue, then you should lead with it. It needs to be good as an opening which hooks your audience. If it makes sense starting with chapter one, then it doesn't need the prologue and might be better structured if you get whatever it contains worked in elsewhere.

Maryn, who just has this... thing about prologues

Grunkins · Jan 9, 2012

I do give chapter 1 a shot if the prologue didn't win me over. I usually give about a third of a book a shot before I decide to stop reading it (or launch it across the room).

scarletpeaches · Jan 9, 2012

Maryn said:
(Psst! It's prologue, okay?)

Phew; thank goodness someone said it.

Also, because this is another prologue thread, if you need me, I'll be in the corner, rocking back and forth.

gothicangel · Jan 9, 2012

If a book has passed the first test [paid for in book shop, or checked out of the library] then I would give it a few chapters before abandoning it.

Agents/editors won't be so forgiving though.

AndreaGS · Jan 9, 2012

I'm not a fan of prologues. I'm inclined to set a book down if it has a prologue and it doesn't catch my attention. It does make me biased against the book, unless the prologue is extraordinarily well-written.

I think, too often, they're used as an info-dump. Oftentimes it's more interesting to get the prologue information in media res.

Then there's the fact that they often deal with characters we don't see ever again (and thus, don't care about). I think there's an adjustment period when you're reading any book - where you get into the author's voice, style, and start relating to the characters. At the prologue-chapter 1 jump, I have to readjust, and it pulls me out of the story.

I think there's a place for prologues, but it's a very small place. Better to avoid it if the story still works without it.

That's my opinion, anyways.

Cyia · Jan 9, 2012

I don't read prologues unless I like the book, then I go back and check it out to see if it adds anything.

lordzapharos · Jan 9, 2012

I usually do give the book a chance regardless, but when I see a prologue, I can't help but think, "Here's a writer who thinks his novel can't be understood unless I've read a bit of backstory first!"

Of course, that's not the only purpose of a prologue, but too many prologue-novels I've read either use this section as an infodump or as a gimmicky "let-me-get-you-excited-before-you-read-the-actual-book" warmup session. Don't get me wrong -- a prologue can be done well, and might even be necessary. But for a lot of jaded readers, you'll be fighting an uphill battle.

Kayletta · Jan 9, 2012

lbender said:
Is your prologue part of the book, or just an addition?

It's not a random addition... the point of it is to set a directly contrasting tone to other character's views right at the start. The characters in the prologue don't have a major part to play in this book, so you don't see a great deal of them but they aren't dismissable. Also, its non-linear to the first 2/3rds of the book (yes that actually matters since it directly ties into the book at the last third). I'm describing this horribly, but it's not something I can throw out.

I wasn't worried so much about mine, and was really just asking for general knowledge - my little mental battle made me wondering about other's reading habits.

dangerousbill · Jan 9, 2012

I think that many readers don't really know the difference among:
- prologue
- foreword
- introduction
- author's note

Nor do they care. Nor should they. The customer is still always right. They want to get on with the story, and flip through until they find a page labeled 'Chapter One'.

emmyshimmy · Jan 9, 2012

I don't read prologues that are more than a couple of pages long unless they are very eye catching.

bearilou · Jan 9, 2012

I usually read prologues but find that most often they didn't add anything for my effort. And considering authors will insist their prologue is absolutely necessary (only for me to read it and think...um..no actually, it didn't)...I tend to give it a 'meh' and keep reading.

So I don't set a book down because of the existence of a prologue but neither has it convinced me that 'zomg I need to keep reading!' That usually comes in the first few chapters.

scarletpeaches · Jan 9, 2012

Someone beat me to death with a hardback copy of Lord of the Rings.

Or flog a dead horse. Whatever.

CrastersBabies · Jan 9, 2012

I'd definitely give it a chance. I usually have a 40-50 page limit. A book has to grab me by then or I'm done. When I read submissions for a lit-mag, I had a "three strike" rule. If they broke three "deadly writing sins," before I finished the manuscript, I considered it a turkey.

(When I say "deadly sins," I mean 17 adverbs on page 1, not knowing the difference between they're, their, and there (or another variation of), etc.)

But, prologues I don't consider part of the main, current narrative. I tend to speed read through those unless they're super compelling.

I never skip. I don't get why you'd buy a book and skip whole sections like that. But, to each their own.

job · Jan 9, 2012

Typically I skim down the first page, then open the book at random and sample two or three places. I know within a couple hundred words whether I want to read the whole.

I reject 98% of all books, but it's never because there's no 'hook' or it has a prologue or it's written in First Person. I put books back on the shelf because the author has demonstrated a tin ear for prose or a lack of minimal grammar and usage skills.

As a reader, I want Page One to show me the author can write. Do that and I'll let you format the book anyoldway.

KSandoval · Jan 9, 2012

When I'm deciding whether I'm interested in a book or not, I generally skip the prologue entirely. I flip straight to chapter one, read a few paragraphs, and decide based on whether I like what I've read.

If I do decide to get the book, I'll give the prologue a try when I sit down to read it, but I don't hesitate to ignore it if I'm not impressed. I used to have books sit on my shelves for years because the prologue bored me and I wasn't willing to move straight to chapter one. So now, I just ignore them if necessary.

Rachel77 · Jan 9, 2012

I'm one of those who will skip a prologue, depending on the story. In fact, I started a book yesterday by reading the first paragraph of the prologue, then reading the last paragraph, and then skipping to the first chapter to begin the actual read.

The book is a murder mystery, and the prologue was a description of the murder victim dying. Period. No clues that might come into play later, just...there's this guy. And he's dying. It's, you know...a murder mystery. I assume there's going to be a dead person at some point. If that's the entire prologue, why the hell would I waste my time reading it?

If there's actual information in the prologue, I'll read it, but most of the prologues I come across serve no purpose except to take up space.

aurinko · Jan 9, 2012

When I see a prologue, I groan, but I still read them, so if they turn out to be boring then I might skip to the beginning of the first chapter, or I might not. If I were you, I wouldn't depend on the readers giving your book a second chance. I have encountered some awesome prologues which were really gripping and acted as great hooks, and if you can't make your prologue gripping, then better don't have one at all.

CAMueller · Jan 9, 2012

last time on...

AndreaGS said:
I think, too often, they're used as an info-dump. Oftentimes it's more interesting to get the prologue information in media res.

That's my impression as well. Frequently prologues remind me of the "last time on..." recaps before serialized television shows. Unfortunately, its often found in the first book in a series.

J. Koyanagi · Jan 9, 2012

I set it down. I need to be grabbed by the story right away, regardless of whether it begins with a prologue or the first chapter.

If I'm torn, I flip to the middle and skim over a few pages to get a feel for the writing style in the thick of the story. It usually sways me one way or the other.

Buffysquirrel · Jan 9, 2012

If I was assessing the book for possible purchase, I'd look at the chapters, not the prologue. I hate prologues, and this is why: they get me engaged with characters, then whisk them away.

Karen Junker · Jan 9, 2012

I am a person who reads everything in a book -- including the copyright notice. But I agree that a prologue is easier to get through if it's only a couple of pages.

julzperri · Jan 9, 2012

I have to admit I'm usually a prologue skipper! I mean I will give them a chance and read the first page or two, but if they're dull and -as people have highlighted previously- an info dump, I take no interest and skip on ahead to chapter one.

I will also sometimes read them at the end if I make it that far, or I will read it when I read the book a second time through (which only my favorite books get to experience).

jjdebenedictis · Jan 9, 2012

I guess I'm an outlier; I have no problem whatsoever with prologues. I barely notice they're there.

It's page one and has writing on it? Then I'm gonna read it! It makes no difference to me whether the words "Prologue" or "Chapter One" are hovering at the top of that first page.

I base whether I put the book down on the quality of the writing and how interested I am in the story hinted at on the back cover. And I can judge the writing equally well by the prologue or chapter one.

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