I was recently strolling through an airport bookstore on my way to a book signing in the San Francisco area. Checking out airport bookstores is kind of a hobby of mine. I like to see what they’re stocking. Airport bookstores don’t have much space. They can’t afford to stock books that collect dust. They only carry books that have the potential to sell and sell fast.

As I scanned the shelves, my attention was drawn to an attractive red book cover. What made me pick up the book, An Innocent Client by Scott Pratt, was the title. I love a legal thrillers.

But what made me buy the book was the first paragraph:

It was my fortieth birthday, and the first thing I had to do was deal with Johnny Wayne Neal. The forensic psychiatrist I’d hired to examine him said Johnny Wayne was a narcissist, a pathological liar, and a sociopath, and those were his good qualities. He called Johnny Wayne an “irredeemable monster.” I’d asked the shrink not to write any of that down. I didn’t want the district attorney to see it. Monster or not, Johnny Wayne was still my client.

That paragraph grabbed me right away!

How strong is the first paragraph of your novel? When I’m writing my novels, the first paragraph is extremely important. I will often spend more time on the first paragraph—especially the first sentence—than any other part of the book.

As a writer, you only have a few seconds to grab a reader who’s browsing through your book online or in a bookstore. You have to give them something that will keep them reading. Here’s the first paragraph from my debut novel, Every Reasonable Doubt:

If Max Montgomery ever had to commit to monogamy to save his wife’s life, she would just have to come back and haunt him from the afterlife.

Are you intrigued? I hope so.

So you ask, how do you craft a compelling first paragraph? First, don’t stress yourself out by trying to create a Pulitzer-prize winning first paragraph the minute to sit down to write. My first lines usually come to me much later in the process. Just get your ideas down. Get your first draft done, then begin the real writing process—rewriting. You will probably revise that first paragraph (and the rest of the book) many, many times. But you’ll know, without a doubt, when that first paragraph is ready. You’ll almost fall in love with it.

By the way, the first paragraph of An Innocent Client wasn’t the only great thing about the book. It’s a page-turner. I’m not one of those people who can devour a book in a day. In fact, I can count the number of books that I’ve read in a weekend on one hand. An Innocent Client is now among them.

So congrats to Scott Pratt on his debut novel which has garnered great reviews. Maybe yours could be next!

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