When I was a literary agent, I received a romance submission that had a prologue. I liked the writing, but something wasn’t working. I was about to click the button to send a rejection letter when I decided I’d read chapter one. I’m glad I did, because the story was really good. I offered representation, we cut the prologue, and sold the book as the first in a series.
Prologues are highly debated in fiction. If you’ve been spending time in writing circles, you may have heard that agents/publishers don’t like prologues.
That statement isn’t entirely true. But like most writing advice, it exists for a reason.
Some prologues are powerful, gripping, and essential to the story. Others are confusing, unnecessary, or function as an info dump the reader doesn’t need. The challenge isn’t deciding whether prologues are “allowed.” It’s knowing whether your story actually needs one, and how to use it effectively if it does.
Why Some Agents Don’t Like Prologues
When agents say they don’t like prologues, what they usually mean is that they see too many prologues that don’t earn their place in the book. Here are the most common problems agents encounter:
1. The Prologue Exists to Explain, Not to Engage
A prologue that exists solely to explain worldbuilding, backstory, or mythology is often a red flag. Readers don’t need to understand everything upfront, especially if they don’t get to the main story because they’ve been bored by an info dump.
2. It Delays the Actual Story
Some prologues feel like a speed bump before Chapter One. If nothing in the prologue directly increases tension or emotional investment, an agent may wonder why it’s there at all.
Remember: agents read fast and make decisions quickly. Anything that slows momentum early is risky.
3. It Features Characters We Never See Again
A common issue is the “mystery scene” prologue featuring a random character who dies or disappears and never meaningfully connects to the main story. Without a clear reason for being there, this can feel gimmicky rather than intriguing.
4. It Could Just Be Chapter One
Many prologues are actually first chapters wearing a different label. If the scene introduces the protagonist in their normal world and launches the main plot, it’s probably not a prologue; it’s Chapter One.
When a Prologue Does Work
Despite the warnings, agents do sign, and readers do love books with prologues. The key is that a prologue needs to accomplish something Chapter One cannot.
A Prologue May Be Right for Your Story If:
- It takes place in a different time period that directly impacts the present story
- It shows a foundational event the protagonist cannot witness
- It establishes stakes, danger, or mystery that echo throughout the book
- It introduces a promise or question that the reader will spend the novel wanting answered
BUT…be careful that you don’t talk yourself into believing one of the above is true. In the book I nearly rejected, the prologue takes place in a different time period, showing a foundational event the FMC could not witness. The problem in her case was that it gave away the mystique of the story. The story was much stronger when the reader discovered the information in the prologue alongside the FMC as she learned it. The prologue details were easily woven into the rest of the story, and the reader had the enjoyment of discovering the history and what it meant at the same time the FMC did.
How to Know If You Actually Need a Prologue
Here’s a simple test you can apply to your manuscript.
Ask yourself:
- If I cut the prologue entirely, does the story still make sense?
- Does Chapter One feel weaker or confusing without it?
- Does the prologue create curiosity rather than clarity?
- Is there a clear emotional or thematic thread connecting the prologue to the ending?
If the story works just as well without the prologue, you probably don’t need it. That doesn’t mean the scene is bad. It may simply belong later, or need to be woven into the narrative differently.
This may be easier said that done. My experience is that authors (myself included) can talk themselves into believing things about their work that isn’t true. This is where critique partners and alpha readers can be a big help.
How to Use a Prologue Effectively
If you decide your story truly benefits from a prologue, here’s how to make it agent- and reader-friendly.
Keep It Short: Most effective prologues are brief, often 500 to 1,000 words. They should feel intentional, not like a bonus chapter.
Focus on Tension, Not Information: A prologue should raise questions, not answer them. Let the reader feel unease, curiosity, or anticipation. Save explanations for later.
Make the Connection Clear (Eventually): You don’t need to explain the prologue immediately, but the payoff should be obvious by the end of the book. Readers should finish the story reflecting on how the prologue connected to the ending.
Match the Tone of the Book: A light romcom with a grim, violent prologue can create tonal whiplash. Even if the prologue is darker or more mysterious, it should still feel like it belongs to the same story.
Submitting to Agents with a Prologue
Agents normally ask for the “first X pages/words” or “first X chapters,” which includes your prologue. Knowing that agents don’t like them, some authors pull the prologue during submission. The question is, if that works, it’s proof you don’t need a prologue. So if you’ve got a prologue, it should be a part of the submission, unless something in the guidelines tells you otherwise.
Consider including in your query the importance of the prologue in setting up the core conflict (or other important element).
If accepted, be prepared to remove the prologue if the agent suggests it. Flexibility matters more than being right.
Prologues aren’t good or bad. They’re tools, and like any tool, they work best when used intentionally. If your prologue deepens tension, strengthens the theme, and creates momentum, it deserves its place. If it exists because you feel obligated to explain something, trust that your story can do that work on its own.
When in doubt, write the prologue. Then, be brave enough to question whether it needs to stay. Decide if the details in the prologue can be woven into the story. Will it make the story stronger to have readers discover the information from the prologue as your protagonist does?
