How do you engage a reader, whether an agent or an editor or just an average customer in a bookstore? How do you grab that reader right off the bat? Start with a compelling bit of action that you’re suddenly immersed in. I think one thing that publishers have learned from film and television is to start in the middle of a scene. Don’t spend a lot of time introducing the situation. Don’t introduce the characters. Start out in the middle of a dialogue or in the middle of some action, and suddenly readers are immersed in that world and spend the next couple of pages saying to themselves, “Wait, who are these people? Where am I? What’s going on?” And they’re compelled to read more. A good practice is to start in the middle of a scene. And there’s another bit of advice that’s tried and true: start with a bang. Grab the reader’s attention with something—a murder, a fight, an argument between parents, the slam of a door when a kid runs away from home. Start with some visceral, physical, visual moment that’s going to bring your reader into the story.