Shopping around for an agent and/or publisher? 

If you are fortunate enough to get a positive response, you’ll most likely be asked for a sample of your writing.

Whether you’re asked for one chapter or three, “put your best foot forward”—as parents often say.

Self-publishers bear the same burden for excellence. Those first chapters are critical in order to hook readers, give them a sense of what the book is about, and introduce the hero’s struggle.

It is from that sampling that you will be offered a contract or earn a sale. But keep up the pace and make sure you continue writing with that same level of quality right to THE END.