It goes without saying that the beginning of your book is the most important part as far as catching the attention of the reader is concerned.  Different writers have different styles and methods, and some genres are just better suited for a particular opening than others are.  For instance, a fantasy fairy-tale might do well with the classic ‘once upon a time…’, but that probably wouldn’t fit as well for a sci-fi novel.  However you decide to open your story, the beginning should be original, compelling, and establish a firm foundation for the rest of the story to build on.  Believe me, I’m learning the hard way that you’ve got to set up the world from the get-go or the whole structure of the story is going to suffer.

However, on that note, it’s important not to fall into the dangerous extreme: telling-not-showing, also known as info-dumping.  Basically, instead of cleverly inserting information through dialogue and short, simple descriptions, the writer comes right out and bluntly dumps all the information into the reader’s lap in large chunks.  This is just clumsy and awkward, and suddenly inserts the author’s voice into the story, turning it from something that is happening into a story that is being told; from real to made-up.  A writer should weave characters, plot, theme, setting, narrative, dialogue, description, and action together seamlessly and skillfully.

And that’s not just my opinion, but the opinion of most, if not all, publishing companies.  I currently have an internship with a publishing company evaluating submissions and determining whether or not they’re ready to be accepted.  If there’s one thing publishing companies will not forgive or overlook, it’s telling-not-showing.  The publishing company I work for rejects outright any manuscript that has too much telling.  So to appeal to readers and publishing companies alike, set your book on the right track by showing and not telling.