As a literary agent, I’m often asked what I look for in a book. Over the years, I’ve realized the answer isn’t so different from what I look for as a reader. I want to feel compelled to keep turning pages. I want to stay up too late, promising myself “just one more chapter,” only to realize I can’t put the book down.
Recently, I’ve come to understand that this feeling is rooted in curiosity. The books that stay with me—be they fiction or nonfiction—are the ones that continuously pose questions. As a reader, I need to know the answers, and that need is what keeps me engaged.
This realization has become both my latest obsession and my favorite piece of advice to writers: Find a way to keep posing questions to your reader throughout your story. As soon as you answer one, pose another.
—Samantha Shea, vice president, Georges Borchardt, Inc.
Photo credit: Sylvie Rosokoff