Question for You: What makes a Great Kindle Sample?

If you have a Kindle, you know that most ebooks on Amazon come with a sampling feature, which allows you to read the first bit of the book - usually about 10%, I think.

Recently, I downloaded the Kindle for PC program so I can look at how samples impact the reader for myself, comparing book samples that make me feel like buying to samples that don't make me pause to pass it by. Is the sample more or less influential than the synopsis? Can a good sample counteract a so-so synopsis, and vice versa?

It is reasonable to assume that more and more writers are keeping the sample in mind when they edit. Even though we have always been told to give the opening of the book all we have, the sample adds a renewed urgency to those first 10-20 pages of the book.

So, my question(s) for you: Do you sample religiously or only occasionally? What makes a Kindle sample pop for you? What rings the no-sale bell for you? How do you edit for a killer Kindle sample?

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