The 'blog The Page 69 Test asks writers to judge their own works on the basis of a single page. Marshal Zeringue, of the Campaign For the American Reader, describes it thus:
"This 'test' grows out of an observation attributed to Marshall McLuhan, the guru of The Gutenberg Galaxy (1962), who recommended that book browsers turn to page 69 of any book and read it. If they like that page, buy and read the book."
Mr. Zeringue asked me to apply that test to my new book The Godel Operation, and you can see my response here.
How valid is McLuhan's idea in the first place? Can any single page of a book really give you a sense of what it's like? I suspect most authors — and pretty much all publishers — put the most emphasis on the first page. Start with a boffo opening line, grab 'em and don't let go. If you don't do that, you risk the reader putting down the book and forgetting about it. Barnes & Noble booksellers used to sell a tote bag covered with the opening lines of various famous novels, and it's always impressive how many of them people recognize.
But, of course, if the author's really putting a lot of work into a dynamite opening, there's no way to sustain that forever. At some point you're going to have to slow down and take a break. Slip in some exposition. Vary the pace and tone a little. If we assume 300-400 words per page, then Page 69 comes at about the 20-30,000 word mark. That's far enough in for the author to set the stage, introduce the characters, show the "inciting incident" which kicks off the plot, and show the initial responses and consequences. The characters and the reader are getting a handle on the situation, which means it's about the right time for a new complication.
So I guess McLuhan's test isn't totally crazy. Page 69 will show you a more representative slice of the book than the eager-to-please Page 1. Try the experiment yourself.
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