Does your first chapter earn the second?
Readers and Amazon's Look Inside both start with your opening. Paste your first chapter (or first few pages) and get a graded critique of what is working and what would make a reader keep going.
What the critique looks at
Your opening is graded from 0 to 10 on six dimensions a developmental editor would check: the hook (does the first page grab), voice (is the prose distinct and confident), pacing (does the scene move or stall), clarity (can a reader tell who, where and when), character (is there someone to care about) and the page-turn test (would a reader go on to chapter two). Every score quotes or refers to your actual text, so the feedback is about your pages, not generic advice.
How much to paste
The first chapter or the first few pages is enough. That is roughly what a browsing reader sees in a store preview before deciding, so it is the part that has to work hardest. Add your genre so the critique judges the opening by the right standard: a thriller is expected to create tension fast, while literary fiction can take longer to settle into its voice.
Turning the critique into a revision
Work on the lowest-scoring dimension first, then the three priority fixes. Common patterns are an opening that starts with backstory before anything happens, or a strong voice with no clear situation for the reader to hold on to. Revise, paste the new version and compare the scores. If you are drafting the book in CruxOne, you can make those changes in the same manuscript you will later format and publish.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the first chapter so important?
Readers decide whether to keep going in the first pages, and Amazon's Look Inside makes your opening part of the sales pitch. A weak opening loses readers before they reach the story.
What makes a strong opening?
A hook that raises a question or a vivid image, a confident voice, forward momentum, and a reason to care about someone, without stalling in weather, backstory or waking up.
Is the critique free?
Yes, with a few critiques a day and no signup to see your result.
Does this replace a human editor?
No, but it catches the common opening problems fast and cheaply, so you fix them before paying for a full edit or launching.