Blurbs Sell Books

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief John Phythyon and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions! Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Men of Bone by David Penny 1501: London, England Can a man turn his back on all hope to protect those he loves? Returning to an England now alien to him Thomas Berrington falls foul of a thieves' guild. In his efforts to protect a stranger he becomes their target. When the bonemen come to inflict punishment he has no choice but to kill one of their order. Fleeing London in the company of Arthur, Prince of Wales, heir to the English throne, Thomas believes he has escaped retribution for his actions. But it is a mistake that may get him and his companions killed. Sent to England by the Spanish Queen to watch over Catherine of Aragon on her marriage to Arthur, Thomas intends the duty to be short-lived. But he hasn't reckoned on the bonemen, who are spreading their influence ever wider. As danger mounts, Thomas is no longer sure he is the man for the task but has no option but to fight, as he always has. For the innocent, for justice, and for his life. Politics and crime collide in Tudor England in a new series of adventures for Thomas Berrington. Join him on his latest journey in Men of Bone now.

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief John Phythyon and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions! Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Hopeless for You by Raquel Riley Cyan was hired to tutor Griffin in the ways of love. He never expected to become the student. Will their lessons in love lead to the real thing? Griffin Clark A twenty-one year old virgin college freshman? Yep, that's me. But I didn't wait this long to just throw it away. I dream of the perfect romantic night, straight out of one of my favorite novels. So, I hired a professional to get the job done right. Cyan isn't the playboy I expected, he's—unexpected. Cyan Morrison I've been described as easygoing, charming, and a natural born flirt. It's for those reasons I'm one of Lucky Match's most sought-after escorts. It's also why Griffin Clark wants to gift wrap his V-card and present it to me on a silver platter. Everything about him throws me off-balance and inspires me to be a more authentic version of myself; a version I'm coming to love more than the playboy facade most people see. The trick is to make him want to stick around, but he seems to only want one thing from me; love lessons. Class is now in session…

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions! Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: A Last Gift: One Midlife Crisis by Beca Lewis Five women. One dead husband. Too many secrets. A letter from her dead husband turns Bree Mann's world upside down, forcing her to confront not only his past but hers. When four childhood friends come to her rescue, they uncover secrets and lies that will change all their lives forever. Was the gift Bree received a blessing or a curse? Will Bree be able to build a new life, or will the death of her husband be the end for her? Take this journey with the Ruby Sisters in this first book, introducing you to the women of Spring Falls as they recover what they have lost and become more of who they are.

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Old Debts by T.L. Riffey Detective John Hanlan hates these kind of cases. 'Normal' murders were bad enough but add the uncanny and he really disliked them. Called to a peculiar murder scene, he immediately knows there's more than the usual insanity involved. He deduces that the killer is after the Ruv's Blood Book, their grimoire, and has no problem killing to get it. After more bodies drop, Hanlan fears he will always be one step behind and others will pay for his failure to catch this cunningly mad killer. Will he be able to stop this Janus-faced scourge or will the world literally become hell on earth? If you love contemporary murder mysteries with ties to the supernatural you'll enjoy this different and unique take on werewolves. Buy this preternatural read and find out if this killer forces the Ruv to come out of hiding to save humanity.

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Good Vibrations By Patrick J. O'Connor A human. An alien. A one-afternoon stand and a fertilized egg. What could possibly go right?  Greg and NaDii are going to find out. They're about to become a hybrid family, it turns out. In book one of this series, during the life of their first child, Robby (or Bobby) Firestone, the two parents discover their children have a hybrid vigor that makes them far more than the sum of their parts. When his unexpected, half-human genius is revealed, Bobby galvanizes the Terran and HaChii races both ways. The admirers, and the ones who want him dead. Can salvation from the future save Bobby in the present? Can Bobby's sister keep a low enough profile to avoid the people—dangerous ones—who stalk her brother? Why bother? She's way more dangerous than they are!

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Hook: The Death of the Groom in the Ceremony Room By Suz Williams A witch sworn off magic, a bad-tempered bridegroom with a peanut allergy, and a cunning killer who considers he's above getting caught. The death of the groom in the ceremony room is only the beginning of the story.   Blurb: Blurb Theory by Dennis Stevenson The Book Bard with a lyric voice. The Blurb Whisperer with all the chair moves. Will their blurbic grimoire languish in the aetheric void or will it set the writing world on fire?   Dennis Stevenson loves book craft. When he discovers the dulcet tones of the blurby podcast, the aspiring word-mage hears the Angel choir sing and electrify the aether. Yearning to grasp the marketing wisdom in his hands he campaigns to record the mighty ancient words and craft a spell book of mystic power.    Armed only with Scrivner and Vellum, the scrappy wordsmith seeks the Bard and the Whisperer to aid him in his selfless quest. Only with the dynamic duo can he scribe the tome of power that will free struggling storytellers everywhere and slay the domineering dragon of marketing. But should he fail, indie writers the world over will hemorrhage cash and the deepest selling magic will be silenced forever.    Blurb Theory is an entertaining masterpiece of book marketing wisdom. If you love getting your stories in the hands of readers, you won't be able to put down this epic collection of book description wizardry.    Act now for your chance to join the quest party and catapult yourself into the greatest book marketing adventure of the age.

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections:   Blurb: NECESSARY SINS book 1 in Lazare Family Saga by Elizabeth Bell  In antebellum Charleston, a Catholic priest grapples with doubt, his family's secret African ancestry, and his love for a slave owner's wife. Joseph Lazare's life is built on lies. He believes his black hair and olive skin come from a Spanish grandmother. He thinks his father is a villain. Joseph is certain his own desires are sinful and his only hope of Heaven is to become a celibate priest. Then young Father Joseph meets Tessa Conley, a devout Irish immigrant who shares his passions for music and botany. As he comforts her through a miserable marriage, Tessa helps Joseph see his father through new eyes. Joseph's ordered world cracks at its foundation. His "Spanish" ancestors? Enslaved Africans. Tessa's husband? A plantation owner who treats her like property. A man of conscience cannot do nothing. In a society obsessed with purity and propriety, can two broken people heal each other? Will Joseph and Tessa find Heaven on Earth, or will there be Hell to pay? NECESSARY SINS is the first book in the sweeping Lazare Family Saga that transports readers from the West Indies to the Wild West, from Charleston, Paris, and Rome into the depths of the human heart. Passion, prejudice, secrets, and a mother's desperate choice in the chaos of revolution echo through five generations. If you enjoyed THE THORN BIRDS or the novels of Sara Donati, dive into Elizabeth Bell's epic historical fiction today.

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Mr. Darcy & Elizabeth: What Time Has Done: a Pride and Prejudice Variation Romance by Alyssa Jefferson “Do not refuse me now. I have waited so long.” Elizabeth Bennet has lived a life of deprivation and penance for six and a half years. After refusing the pompous marriage proposal of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, she embarked on a tour of enjoyment with her aunt and uncle—only to discover upon her return that scandal and tragedy had torn her family apart. After the dust settled, she found herself the governess of Charlotte Collins's family, fixed in Longbourn in the employ of its new master. Without fortune or reputation, connections or resources, Elizabeth had only her resilient spirit and lively mind to keep her from sinking into regret and misery. When a chance visit to Rosings Park throws Elizabeth again into the path of Mr. Darcy, she expects him to be angry with her—or at the very least, indifferent to her. She is pleasantly surprised to find that he is neither. His manners to her are everything a gentleman's ought to be, and she begins to wonder if she could have been happy with him, after all. However, the point is moot. If the thought of marrying her when she was poor was enough to mortify Mr. Darcy six and a half years ago, how could so proud a man ever condescend to marry a governess? This is the first book in the What Time Has Done Series.

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Untitled Cozy Mystery by Marisa D'Vari Ambitious new college grad Nina Brown exploded with excitement when assigned to oversee a fancy weekend competition in Provence, France. As assistant editor for a trendy lifestyle magazine, this foodie scribe knows her success will make or break her editorial career. Eager to escape her "Nice Girl Nina" moniker in romantic Provence, Nina shakes her long red hair- and big city inhibitions- free. Within hours, she falls under the spell of a handsome French contestant, local charmer who shows her secret corners of his lavender-scented village. Yet just when our chowhound thinks she's found her soulmate, a cantankerous judge collapses on stage during his gastronomic evaluation. The local detective is quick to accuse Nina's paramour of attempted murder via poison, throwing the competition in disarray. Can Nina exonerate her lover and save her magazine from a PR nightmare before it's too late? If you're a fan of the Lexy Baker Cozy Mystery Series, have a penchant for precarious French Bulldogs who wear Prada, and enjoy suave male leads with charm, this book is for you.

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: The Legacy: Scotland Bay the Return by Cecly Ann Mitchell For almost four decades, Rhys Le Noireau has been a man out of place, trying to fit together the jigsaw pieces of his life. When his mother Astral, is injured and hospitalized in a coma, Rhys, a single successful architect, is tasked with cleaning out her home and setting her affairs in order. What he finds when he unlocks an ancient family Bible hidden among his mother's treasured possessions, a Deed, Birth certificates, old weathered photographs, and notes on snippets of parched paper, opens the portal to a life lived in another time and place. A place that fits his soul and forces him to do the unthinkable, return to Scotland Bay.

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Off Campus by Charles E.P. Murphy and Jeff Westwood If these teenagers don't unite, they're all going to die. Ken Sakamoto's girlfriend has been abducted by a necromancer and the only way to get her back is to play the monster's game. The youngest son of a British military family who is decidedly not in the military, Ken is already out of his depth in American college. Will he dare place his soul on the line for someone he's known for a month? How can he not? Worse, he's not alone: Josh Hartman, all-American athlete whose oldest friend cannot love him back, is in the game too. They've both been told only one can save their girl. But Lizzie Higgins won't wait for Josh. She won't wait for anyone. With everything she has, Lizzie is breaking herself and the other hostages out, and organising them to fight their way through every trial and creature in their way. What she doesn't know is that she's not saving anyone - she's just made them all part of the necromancer's trials. And now he's looking right at her. All will suffer through the warping of flesh and reality, all will risk their lives and souls, and most won't be coming home. But if these teenagers don't break the rules and stand together, nobody has a chance in hell. Murphy and Westwood unleash a tale of relentless horror and violence, and no one is safe. (c/w: prolonged torment, extreme injury detail)

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Bitter Bayou by Kailee Saunders Her death was accidental... Or was it? Together, they'll uncover the truth. Overworked and underpaid, Maren Sharpe craves a career change. But when her sister is accepted into law school and tuition bills loom, the biographer shelves her desire and travels to Louisiana for her next project. The goal at Thurstan Manor? Finding secrets to sell. Only one stands in her way... Fresh from losing his business, Cade Thurstan is struggling. The last thing he needs is some fiery brunette invading his space and investigating his past. Yet, when dark discoveries raise questions about the cause of his mother's death, Cade turns to Maren. And this mystery isn't the only thing heating up... As attraction flares into passion and fatally into murder, somebody watches. Somebody willing to kill again if their deadly secret is discovered. Will the duo identify the killer? Or will their romance be snuffed out when Maren becomes the next stage? Bitter Bayou is a medium-heat romantic suspense novel. If you enjoy witty banter, thread- snapping tension, and open-door intimate scenes, purchase today!

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Empire's End: Episode 1: The Senator's Daughter by JP Raymond Haunted by his past. Hunted by aliens. Humanity's last hope. JaQuan Jones is just trying to make a living in space. But when an old friend smuggles a political prisoner aboard his ship, he finds himself caught in a conspiracy that may threaten the very existence of the human race. When Imperial warships arrive in pursuit of the kidnappers, the only choice is to flee. Outgunned, outclassed, and on the run, JaQuan must unravel an insidious plot that has branded everyone aboard an intergalactic terrorist. The masterminds behind this vile scheme will do anything to stop him. If JaQuan can't solve the mystery in time, all of humankind is doomed. Empire's End is a fast-paced, space-opera serial, featuring exciting starship battles, sinister political intrigue, and strange alien races. If you like Star Wars, Firefly, and Babylon 5, you'll love Empire's End. Get “Episode 1: The Senator's Daughter” today and join the fight for the future of humanity! Note: Empire's End is a TV-style serial. There are thirteen 13-15k-word (i.e., short) episodes that weave together to make a longer work. This is Episode 1.

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Bred for Harvest by J.D. Sonne A polygamist compound in her neighborhood. A violent patriarch abusing his daughters. Can she save the girls and stay alive? Brogan Parr is a mess. The combination of a marriage going south, finances in the swamp, and a job teaching in the local high school jungle has her nerves jangled. Then she stumbles upon a startling anachronism in her neighborhood: young girls living a medieval life in a polygamist colony near her house. Intrigue fills her at this strange revelation, but how can she help with her three-ring circus of a life? Through a friend, Brogan gets an in with the polygamists, and when she meets and bonds with Hepzibah Pilar, a young girl of 13 being bred to marry an ancient polygamist elder, she decides to get involved and stop the marriage. But, the dangerous patriarch of the order will definitely have something to say about that. Read Bred for Harvest and find out if an ordinary schoolteacher can thwart a powerful polygamist who harbors as many secrets as he does spouses and children. Is their rescue even possible, let alone her survival?

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: So You Survived the End of the World by K.C. Cordell Earth may be a nightmarish landscape, but that's no reason to stop the music. Generations after civilization crashed and burned, life ain't all doom and gloom for eighteen-year-old Sebastian Yun. He's got his brilliant but prickly traveling companion, an epic tour bus to call home, and an endless supply of dope tunes. From behind the wheel of his sweeeeet, double-decker ride, Sebastian lives for broadcasting his music to the end-of-world-weary masses. When making a pit stop at a small, dusty town, the self-made radio DJ runs into a shady old nemesis who totally kills his good vibes. This seasoned flimflam woman claims she can send the bloodthirsty creatures that prey on mankind back to hell. But when Sebastian's completely-not-selfish attempts to unmask the phony hit the wrong note, the very real danger is cranked all the way up to 11. If you like charismatic characters, offbeat humor, and killer monsters, then you'll love this YA twist on a post-apocalyptic future perfect for fans of Zombieland. Download So You Survived the End of the World for a rockalicious short read today.

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: The Dragon's Keeper by Tina Riffey She escaped a cruel master. The dragon offered sanctuary. Will this save her or is she destined to be a sacrifice? Riss'a been a slave since her Coming-of-Age celebration was crashed by the Denea invaders fifteen years ago when they attacked her village. She had been resigned to being one for the rest of her life until her cruel master crossed a line she didn't know she held. Her revived anger and outrage drive her to disrupt his plans and escape. The dragon Shrine offers sanctuary. But her master and his co-conspirator won't give up their plans so easily and the dragon is being mysteriously secretive. Is she leaping from a scorching fire or straight into it? Would becoming the dragon's servant save her or lead her to even more danger? The Dragon's Keeper is a dragon fantasy about a woman who finds her destiny with the help of a dragon. Buy this today and see what destiny brings the brave.  

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Mountain Menace by A.M. Proctor Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Some Prefer to own you, some demand to chase you, others crave to destroy you in the most beautiful ways possible. Chased through the shattered dreams of a new life in the Appalachian Mountains. I'm humiliated and hunted down like a wild animal. Karma has finally caught up to Lee Denim, daughter of John Denim, the notorious Everglades Serial Killer for her part in his sadistic crimes. I should have seen this coming. Just as my end nears, four mountain men perform a miracle and somehow save my wretched life. As I heal these men and their rugged way of survival charm me. Except they harbor mysteries too, and their secrets may be more horrific than mine. All four men fill the doles of treacherous upbringing gouged out to me. Bear is the affectionate and approving daddy I never had. Silas is the caretaker that fills my soul the way my mother should have. Cassius is hilarious chaos in a world I take too seriously. Darius is... well, he's the punishing bully I hunger for. When it comes time to return to civilization ad get justice for the crimes committed against me. I find leaving harder than expected. But when my dark and unstable past has the small-town sheriff interrogating me, will my mountain men unleash their monsters or let me go? You won't encounter wolf shifters here. There is a wolf reverse harem with dark and taboo themes. Mature monster loving readers will devour Mountain Menace.  

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Raven Manor by T.L. Riffey Raven Manor holds secrets humans aren't meant to know. Detective Hanlan didn't believe in fairy tales. That is until one tried to kill him. Hanlan sees the evil humans do to one another every day as a Homicide detective and hates the necessity of his job. But this murder—it raises his hackles. What he uncovers is far more than a pathological motive, it's like something out of a horror movie or a Grimm's fairy tale. Everything points to a supernatural being, a werewolf, as the killer, causing Hanlan to doubt himself—and his mysterious new partner. Will he be able to stop this otherworldly killer or will more pay the price of his failure? Raven Manor is a contemporary paranormal murder mystery/Urban Fantasy with a twist. This suspenseful prequel to the Ghostwolf series has it all, werewolves, unbreakable bonds, and a bit of energy manipulation(magic!). Delve into the secret world of the Del Mulanti Ruv with Detective Hanlan. Buy it today.

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Runestaff Chronicles: The Awakening by Helen Row Toews An alternate universe. A perilous journey. No ordinary young man. When Kayden discovers an ancient portal to a world beyond his own, his life will change forever. Destiny marked him as defender of an enchanted jewel – an emerald possessing immense power. With the rise of a deadly legion, thirsting for dominance, Kayden must face unspeakable creatures and their master puppeteer, intent on his destruction. Alone he will fail. Yet, fate has placed an unusual warrior named Talbot, a magical runestaff, and a remarkable girl in his path to help. Battling the darkest of evils in a treacherous land of Kings and magic, they race to defy the forces bent on ruling their world. Only together may Kayden and his companions stand against the foul schemes threatening to destroy all that is good. Will it be enough?

Today on the show, BPF Editor-in-Chief and Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard are back at it with another deep dive into the scintillating sea of book descriptions!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Steam Team by Mary Wernke Another year, another school- Sophia Clark would never fit in. After all, she liked getting good grades, but not loads of makeup and hair gel. And, she definitely wasn't boy crazy. Thirteen is a difficult age for everyone, but perhaps doubly so for Sophie. Her mom is a local celebrity and her dad is something of a hermit from Nebraska. Nebraska? Happy to get away for an end-of-summer vacation, Sophie is surprised to meet a new girl with, well, issues. But she also fins herself in a new role as a protector when her mom is suspected of murder and her new friend becomes desperately ill.

Today on the show, Best Page Forward Editor-in-Chief and special guest Robert Scanlon explore the intricacies of great blurb writing!   To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Old Debts by T.L. Riffey Detective John Hanlan hates these kind of cases. 'Normal' murders were bad enough but add the uncanny and he really disliked them. Called to a peculiar murder scene, he immediately knows there's more than the usual insanity involved and deduces that the killer is after the Ruv's Blood Book, their grimoire, and has no problem killing to get it. After more bodies drop, Hanlan fears he will always be one step behind and others will pay for his failure to catch this cunningly mad killer. Will he be able to stop this Janus-faced scourge or will the world literally become hell on earth? If you love contemporary murder mysteries with ties to the supernatural you'll enjoy this different and unique take on werewolves. Buy this preternatural read and find out if this killer forces the Ruv to come out of hiding to save humanity.

T oday on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Effigest by Amy Campbell What use is magic if it can't protect the ones you love? Outlaw mage Jack Dewitt already failed his wife and his town, and he'll be damned if he's going to lose his daughter. Spurred by guilt, he seeks the one person who might know where she went… Politician Malcolm Wells had everything, but he hadn't counted on falling for Blaise Hawthorne, a young mage imprisoned as a war criminal. But Blaise is running out of time, and there's no one left for Malcolm to turn to—except an outlaw with a grudge. When Jack storms into town demanding answers, the men form an uneasy alliance. Jack and Malcolm plan a bold gambit, and it might be crazy enough to work—that is, until the nightmares of their dark pasts threaten all they care about.  A gritty yet uplifting fantasy set in an Old West-inspired atmosphere featuring found family, unbreakable bonds, and men and women who are unapologetically true to themselves. 

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: The Holler Thief by Jim Heskett These woods hide a body. Can a rookie gumshoe solve the murder before he ends up six feet under? Harry Boukadakis is a little too old to start from scratch. The retired hacker launched his private eye business in the Ozarks to the sound of crickets. But a neighbor's broken window and a box of stolen cigars bring a jingle to his doorbell, and his first real case. While hunting down clues with bodyguard Serena Rojas in tow, Harry hits a snag when his prime suspect turns up dead. And when pistol-packing goons try to scare him away, Harry grits his teeth and rushes headfirst into hill country to find answers. Will this self-made sleuth catch a killer or face a hail of bullets? The Holler Thief is a thrilling and funny private eye mystery. If you like small-town suspense, high-tech toys, and more twists than you can shake a stick at, you'll love Jim Heskett's jaw-dropping tome. Buy The Holler Thief to stop a crook today!

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: American Girls by Cecily Wolfe Love, loyalty, lies...twin sisterhood has a price. How long could you keep a life-changing secret from your twin? Victoria is the adventurous twin - fearless, friendly, and popular - so why is bookish and agreeable Thora suddenly distant, keeping secrets from her sister for the first time in their lives? Written by two sisters, incorporating real childhood and adolescent memories with fictional details, American Girls looks at the best and worst of growing up girls in the 1980s Midwest and the devastating power secrets can wield over the closest of relationships.

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb One: Time Blink by MJ Mumford Syd Brixton doesn't want to know what happened to her missing twin…unless a dead man can change her mind. When Syd Brixton was eleven years old, her identical twin Isla vanished from a park in broad daylight and was never found, splintering her family apart, leaving Syd permanently scarred by guilt. Fast forward twenty years. Syd has a comfortable home, a satisfying job at The Merryport pub, and a stable, long-term relationship with Coop, a handsome firefighter who wants nothing more than to start a family. Then it all comes crashing down. On a blustery night outside the pub, Syd's favorite customer, Morley Scott, falls victim to a horrific accident. Moments before he dies, he gives Syd an extraordinary gift: the power to travel back in time. Back to when he was alive. Back to the day Isla vanished. Will Morley be able to convince Syd to uncover the truth about her sister's disappearance? Or will Syd avoid that painful and dangerous truth at all costs to focus on saving Morley's life instead? If she makes the wrong choice, she could lose everything...her home, her family. Her life. All in the blink of an eye. Blurb Two: Our Once Warm Earth by Matthew Rasnake A deadly storm. A beacon of hope. One peaceful night on the mountain may be humanity's last...   Restless Army-brat Mel wants nothing more than to settle down to a quiet suburban life. A week after their honeymoon, Mel and her new husband are camping on a northern California mountain with her adoptive father when a deadly storm rises over the mountain. A government signal promises protection from the growing global catastrophe that may yet bring the world to its end. Mel must choose whether to stay put and die together or to drag her family through the storm and across the mountain in search of safety.   With her dream shattered and her family torn apart, Mel lands with other broken, weary survivors under the Army's familiar heel. Can she hold on to hope and find the strength to inspire and free them all, or will she finally give into the darkness and let the Earth swallow her up?   Our Once Warm Earth is the first novella from a near-future sci-fi post-apocalypse series. If you like realistic settings; believable, relatable characters; a dash of science-futurism; and a rich vein of hopeful promise, you'll love this compelling story of one woman's fight to preserve her family and humanity itself.

Back at our regular time, BPF Lead Trainer John Phythyon and the Blurb Whisperer Abigail Dunard get into the nitty-gritty book descriptions! To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Shattered Loyalties by Ellen Martin Revenge may be sweet, but is it worth betrayal, murder, and Shattered Loyalties?   Presidential hopeful Dylan Randle the III is no angel. Journalist Penelope "Pepper Mills" tried to reveal his darkside, but like always he and his reputation slither through the cracks unscathed. Pepper, who once interviewed global heads of state, lost everything and was condemned to writing obituaries in New Orleans.    Four years later the ostracized journalist convinces her editor to give her a second chance to redeem herself as a serious reporter. Just as she was getting her life and career back on track, Dylan, now a Presidential candidate, makes a campaign stop in New Orleans.  At the end of the New Orleans campaign rally and the crowd dispersing, Pepper will unexpectedly witness Dylan physically intimidate his wife. The inner demons she has carefully kept in check for so long reawaken with a vengeance. Unable and unwilling to control her compulsion to destroy Dylan's dreams, this tenacious journalist becomes even more determined to unmask him for the degenerate he actually is.  With the help of a cast of characters, "Pepper" will doggedly unravel Dylan's twisted past, but not without triggering a tsunami of life altering consequences. 

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and special guest BPF Writer-editor Robert Scanlon tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Breaker by Amy Campbell Break or be broken. Blaise Hawthorne fears all he'll ever be is an unwanted outcast, stuck living at home with his parents for the rest of his days. Born a Breaker, his unbridled magic wreaks havoc with a touch. When enemy soldiers storm his town hunting for spellcasters, he escapes and flees the only life he's ever known. Chance encounters with a pegasus and a surly gunslinger set Blaise on the path to a new life where he's accepted for who he is. But even an outlaw mage can't outrun the past, and his returns with a vengeance. When his chosen family is threatened, can Blaise find the grit to harness his volatile magic into a saving grace, or will his most dangerous challenge be his last? This gritty, uplifting fantasy is the first book in the Tales of the Outlaw Mages series, set in an Old West-inspired world. If you enjoy found family, LGBTQ+ representation, baked goods, and a whole lot of heart then look no further. Break away from the beaten fantasy path with Breaker today.  

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and former cohost Jim Heskett tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Good Vibrations by Patrick J. O'Connor A human. An alien. A one-afternoon stand and a fertilized egg. What could possibly go right? Greg and NaDii are going to find out. They're about to become a hybrid family, it turns out. In book one of this series, during the life of their first child, Robby ( or Bobby) Firestone, the two parents discover their children have a hybrid vigor that makes them far more than the sum of their parts. When his unexpected, half-human genius is revealed, Bobby galvanizes the Terran and HaChii races both ways. The admirers, and the ones who want him dead. Can salvation from the future save Bobby in the present? Can Bobby's sister keep a low enough profile to avoid the people—dangerous ones—who stalk her brother? Why bother? She's way more dangerous than they are! Targeted Takeaway: A good blurb is all about simplicity. It doesn't matter if you have written a fantasy epic with ten major characters all working to save the world from evil, a layered and deeply complex literary novel about the triumph of the human spirit, or a clever murder mystery with a ton of twists and a criminal mastermind slipperier than Professor Moriarty. To get the sale, the book description has to boil things down to their most easily digestible state. To do this, you need to follow one character. No matter how important the others are to your narrative, your blurb needs to zero in on just one. When readers are skimming through Amazon listings, their brains are not in Absorb Complicated Ideas mode. They're glancing quickly, trying to determine if what they're looking at sounds like it's worth gambling their money and time on. And in that mindset, they aren't interested in lots of detail or remembering the names of everyone important to the story. So, pick your “most” main character and focus on them. Follow their emotional journey through the early part of the novel. Make readers care about them, and they'll buy. And if you're lucky, they'll choose to follow you … through every book you write.

Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: The Veil by Benjamin Mahoney She's never been really crazy about him, though she found his persistence charming. Will her feelings change when a hit accident leaves him in a coma? Lisa is a visionary. Despite her family past riddled with misfortune, Lisa is certain that a better world is possible, and she works tirelessly to improve the lives of others. She is an accomplished fund raiser, and has established a foundation dedicated to helping families cope with disabilities. Inspired by the potential of architectural solutions, Lisa strives to become a professional architect. She dreams of one day building and running resorts that cater to these special needs family. All of these dreams come to a crashing halt when the doctor discovers a tumor in her brain. Matthew, a man of some means, sees the fire in Lisa's eyes, and he is smitten be her charm and her passion for the cause. Matthew pledges an undisclosed sum of wealth to Lisa's foundation.  When a hit-and-run accident leaves Matthew in a coma, Lisa find that he has left her his entire estate - a substantial fortune. However, Matthew's mother, Maura, is alarmed. Maura files for an injunction to prevent Lisa from seeing her son, citing Lisa as a danger to comatose Mattew because of her vested interest in his fortune.  Lisa decides to sign a statutory declaration waiving all her rights to the fortune that Matthew intended to leave her. Will that be enough to convince Maura of Lisa's true love for her son? The Veil is a tale of sweet romance in the modern world, featuring fascinating characters and confounding plot twists. If you like raw emotions, engaging romance, and tales of the triumph of the human spirit, you'll love Benjamin Mahoney's powerful novel.  

We have a great show in store for you this week! Please be sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcast and answer the Question of the Week in the comment section. The winner this week is Erik Marshall. Top Tips of the week include how to master your author bio, who is helping new authors get started from zero, and how to utilize free bonus content. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why publishers are getting into the subscription game, what subscriptions Audible is rolling out in the UK, how to use the right keywords on Amazon, how to brighten your book pages on KDP and how to find your book's comps and sell more. Question of the Week: Have you created a list of comp authors for your books? If so, who are they? If not, what's the first step you'll take toward building that?

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Liberty 2041 by Carolyn Feder Gold A fighter, a force of nature seems to describe her best, but in reality, Jesica is anxious, insecure, and self-preoccupied. Her disguise, an inflated ego, is her worst enemy, except, of course, for the nefarious World Chancellor. Will she dare show her vulnerability to get rid of him, saving the world from a morass of toxicity or will she cave in and disappear into anonymity? Targeted Takeaway: Longtime listeners know we emphasize character development over plot. Readers identify with characters, not the stories surrounding them, and therefore a blurb needs to focus on that protagonist's emotional arc through the early part of the novel. This helps readers identify with their problems and root for them to conquer them. However, we do need to understand the world in which the person exists. For an emotional conflict to resonate, we must know why it matters to the character. In other words, we need stakes. Something has to be at risk for the MC, or your deep character study won't matter. The protag simply exists in a white room – blank, featureless, isolated. We need to get them out of the White Room and into the world. While we will always tell you the plot doesn't matter, you have to give us enough of it that we understand the stakes for your protagonist. If readers see what your MC stands to lose, they'll want to buy to find out what happens. And that makes you the winner.  

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Of Seekers and Shepherds: Children of the Younger God, Book One by G.H Duval For more than four centuries, the realm of Avelare has enjoyed peace. The nations of Farkoast, Kirin, and Senechal have learned, by necessity, to settle their disputes through non-violent means as the world's super power—the nation of Coerdom—forbids war in the name of their pacifist younger god, Hirute. Siare au L'espri is Hirute's chosen Spirit Shepherd. A telepath and oracle, she is half of the pair known as the First Stewards. Together with her husband—a creature of primal power known as the Formynder who exists solely to serve and protect Siare—they govern the nation of Coerdom. With the threat of Coerdom's Shepherds at her back, Siare has enforced Hirute's centuries' long prohibition on warfare. Serving decades longer than expected, Siare now questions the edicts to which she has been sworn as she grows weary of containing the self-destructive tendencies of the humanity she has worked so long to preserve. At the sunset of her reign with no successor in sight, her Shepherds are seceding and the Great Houses, once firmly under her control, grow insubordinate. Siare's successor must soon be found if humanity's fragile peace is to hold, for she finds herself increasingly willing to leave humanity to fend for itself. Spring au Terre has the questionable luck to come of age at this perilous time. At 16—the age of majority—the time has come for Spring to make decisions she barely understands but will be forced to make. Should she heed her mother and marry her aristocratic suitor, embarking on a life of privilege but with little room for her Earth magic? Or should she heed her Master and enlist in service to the First Stewards—honing her already considerable magic and serving as a Shepherd of Coerdom, but leaving behind her younger sister, Mina, to whom she is deeply attached and whose long illness requires Spring's healing touch? Both options leave Spring wanting, and she yearns to create a new path for herself that Coerdom has never seen. As all three women struggle with a series of revelations that thrust them into new lives—ones they never could have imagined—they will find themselves at the very heart of a global struggle. Together, they will have to decide between the safety of the known and the very remaking of their world. Targeted Takeaway: Readers love happy endings. Ironically, though, they hate happy middles. They want to have some conflict in their novels. And by “some conflict”, we mean, “LOTS of conflict.” So to make sure readers know they will be getting what they want, you've got to have conflict in your blurb. We need to see that MC wrestling with something that could keep them from getting what they want. BUT, while a blurb needs to feature conflict, it can't have a ton of conflicts. Remember that the human mind can only handle two or three new ideas at once. So the more problems you throw at the protagonist, the harder it will be for the reader to keep track of what's happening.  And if they get confused they're going to say, “No.” So stuff your blurb full of conflict, but make sure you there's only one or two of them in total. After all, we don't want readers feeling conflicted about whether or not they'll enjoy the book!

Millie by M. Ross Potter Being abducted by aliens wasn't part of her plan… falling in love, either. She cannot trust any man again, least of all the tall, strong and mysterious alien warrior with whom she shares a cell or the burning and unexpected desire that awakens within her. Being kidnapped by an alien race was not in Millie Hoving's plans, nor in those of her friends when they went to Las Vegas for a short vacation. But when they woke up in a cell inside an alien spaceship, they began looking for a way to escape and return to Earth ... If only things were that easy. Bur'han doesn't believe in soul mates . When the commander of his squad orders him to infiltrate a ship full of slaves and rescue the destined couple of the crown prince of the planet Zhelora, he believes it is just a great waste of time. Soulmates do not exist, they are just stories that grandmothers tell their grandchildren to distract them from the war against the Anhamenkthys. But if that little, defenseless, curvy human who awakens every protective instinct she possesses turns out to be the lifemate of her future king, Bur'han does not intend to hand her over. You will make it yours regardless of the consequences. Targeted Takeaway:   Ad copywriters are rebels. They may not have tons of piercings, toss tea in Boston Harbor, or fly X-wings. But they are bomb-throwing radicals intent on overthrowing tyranny. And their target is the rules of English grammar. Chafing under the oppression of restrictive rules thunk up by boring dudes centuries before they were born, the copywriter fights for linguistic freedom. But these literary psychopaths are not rebels without a cause. Oh, no. They have a worthy aim in mind: Sell more books. They use fragments and begin sentences with conjunctions – anything that makes for dynamic, punchy copy that gets a click on that buy button. So join the revolution, my friends! Embrace your inner rule-breaker to bring energy, agency, and most importantly, conversion to your blurbs!

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Mortal Encounter by Luna Breid A couple holds their human attacker by the neck; a predator once, now a tasty prey. From the street to a plate, is it hunger or lethal justice? Clara and Thomas long a tasty piece of meat. When a human stabs Clara on their way home, they can't believe their luck. Now they need to take him home for a well-deserved dinner without raising suspicions from the passersby. Otherwise, they risk the peace treaty between species, endangering their children and their kin. How can they take their unexpected prey breaking no rules? This is the first book of the Numbered Stories series and can be read on its own. Click on Look Inside or download the sample to see if you would enjoy this book. Caution: This book is not recommended for young readers. Targeted Takeaway:   In the short-attention-span world of the Twenty-first Century, you only have a precious few seconds to capture a reader's interest. So you need to grab them right away. Both your hook and your opening sentence need to be brief. At Best Page Forward, we keep our hooks to a mere 150 characters or less. That way, they stay punchy and grabby, and they can be used as Amazon Ad copy. Our opening lines are even shorter. We restrict them to six to ten words and don't allow any plot. Emotion only! This way, they land with the force of a devastating right hook, and that gets a reader's attention. When you're crafting your blurbs, keep that first sentence super-short. Open a short, impactful sentence of just 6-10 words that lasers in on the protag's initial emotional state. Hit your reader hard to get their attention, and then you can give them more detail. That's a surefire way to deliver a sales knockout.

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Kate the Kitty Goes Potty by Kristine Hokstad-Myzyri Is potty training going slow? You are not alone. Make potty training fun! Includes a free potty chart, coloring pages, and worksheets. Kate loves to play outside. But today, playtime is at stake when strange noises in her tummy disturb her. Kate worries when her belly growls like a bear. What is making the sounds? Will she reach the potty in time and complete all the steps, or will she miss playtime? Story-driven step-by-step guide to potty training Rhyming prompts to make learning fun Written by a child care professional Beautifully illustrated A happy, potty-trained toddler in just one easy step. That step is ‘Add to Cart'. Targeted Takeaway: Have you ever solved a problem? You know, one of those big problems? The kind that vexes you, that seems like a giant mountain you could never climb? I'm certain you have. Every one of us has experienced that sense of cutting the Gordian Knot. And it's a powerful, satisfying feeling. Accomplishment makes us feel alive, strong, potent. When we read, we want that same sensation. In literature, we call this agency. Your MC needs to be able to act on the universe, shape it, master it. They need to be in control of their own destiny. And you have to show this in your book description. Your protagonist should always be the subject of the sentence. To have agency, the protag must perform the action, not have it forced on them. Make them the master of their destiny. Everyone wants agency – in their lives and in their literary heroes. Make sure your protagonist has it and that it shows up in the blurb. Readers will thank you with sales.

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: Timeblink by M.J. Mumford Syd Brixton doesn't want to know what happened to her missing twin…unless a dead man can change her mind. When Syd Brixton was eleven years old, her identical twin Isla vanished from a park in broad daylight and was never found, splintering her family apart, leaving Syd permanently scarred by guilt. Fast forward twenty years. Syd has a comfortable home, a satisfying job at The Merryport pub, and a stable, long-term relationship with Coop, a handsome firefighter who wants nothing more than to start a family. Then it all comes crashing down. On a blustery night outside the pub, Syd's favorite customer, Morley Scott, falls victim to a horrific accident. Moments before he dies, he gives Syd an extraordinary gift: the power to travel back in time. Back to when he was alive. Back to the day Isla vanished. Will Morley be able to convince Syd to uncover the truth about her sister's disappearance? Or will Syd avoid that painful and dangerous truth at all costs to focus on saving Morley's life instead? If she makes the wrong choice, she could lose everything...her home, her family. Her life. All in the blink of an eye. Targeted Takeaway: Focusing on the plot in your blurb fails to make an emotional connection with the reader. You want them rooting for your protagonist, wanting to know if they will succeed. In a blurb, we need to stay focused on the character's emotional journey. And that's where the plot can help us. We use the plot to reveal emotion. Put a plot event in the front half of the sentence, then show the MC's reaction to it. We have to have some of the story in the description. But we don't want to use it to tell the reader what happens. Make it work for you by using it to reveal your main character's inner struggle. That will form the connection that will make them want to know what happens next. Reveal your characters' emotions, and readers will show you the love by clicking that buy button.

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode's read-along selections: Blurb: TERF Wars by Dharma Kelleher A Fight For Justice Has Become A Battle for Truth Bounty hunter Jinx Ballou has been hired to apprehend a fugitive who brutally murdered a transgender woman in a public restroom. As a trans woman herself, Jinx is more determined than ever to bring this bigoted killer to justice. What Jinx didn't anticipate was the powerful media machine her fugitive controlled. She finds herself in the middle of a war of media manipulation, disinformation, and deep-faked videos designed to further harm an already vulnerable community. TERF Wars takes readers on an action-packed thrill ride that dives deep into the issues of identity and intersectionality, oppression and accountability. As one of the only openly transgender authors in crime fiction, Dharma Kelleher delivers a heartfelt tale that will leave readers cheering for more. Targeted Takeaway: When writing your book description, it's important to think about what readers want. That's essentially two things: A main character they can root for and identify with and to buy books they enjoy reading. Your description should let them inside your MC's head. As we often say, don't tell the reader what happens to your protagonist; show the character's reaction to the events of the story. Readers want to walk alongside your MC, feeling what they feel and hoping for them to triumph. Give them that with show instead of tell. It's equally important to sell them your book. Once you've given them a brief taste of the action, you need a selling paragraph that identifies the title, whether or not it in a series, what number book in the series it is, the genre, and the tropes the reader will find inside. This helps them know that this is a book for them – one they will enjoy. And then you need a CTA telling them to buy. A blurb is a sales tool. Its job is to sell the book. And you should not be ashamed to ask someone to buy your work. That's what a reader is there to do! For indie authors, that's the ultimate happy ending.

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode’s read-along selections: Blurb: R.M.Sackville She's running towards her future. He's hiding from days gone by. When their present and past weave together they must learn to trust each other or die at the hands of the greedy. Three Gems. One Destiny. One small town is the epicenter of a battle waged between man and God. And man against man. The victor will save mankind. But are we worthy? Time will tell. Hawk McBride and Randi Ronin could never have expected their chance encounter would be the beginning of the rest of their lives. Neither could they have foretold just how connected they both are in a scheme forged by three men with greed on their minds. However, these men will have a fight on their hands because Randi is no longer a pushover and Hawk is downright determined to protect the one thing he thought he'd never have again--true love. Targeted Takeaway: Have you ever really paid attention to a drug commercial? They all approach convincing you to ask your doctor to prescribe the medicine for you the same way: They make an appeal to your emotions. Well, all those commercials approach convincing you to beg your doctor for this wonder drug in the same way. All of them appeal to your emotions. They feature people looking happy. They’re showing up to their kids’ sports games. They attend weddings. They laugh when something silly happens. They’re out in nature and the neighborhood, living their lives. This is a powerful message. It strikes deep in the heart and is designed to create an emotional connection with the viewer. Your blurb works the same way. Telling the reader the details of your plot does not motivate them to buy any more than describing how the drug works would in a pharmaceutical commercial. You need to appeal to their connection to the character in your novel just the way the a drug ad does. The characters have to carry the story. Show us the MC reacting to and emoting as a result of the plot events instead of telling us what happens. It makes a huge difference in your conversion rate. If you let the characters carry the story, you’ll discover the side effect is readers getting hooked on you as an author.

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode’s read-along selections: Blurb: Our Once Warm Earth Matthew Rasnake One peaceful night on the mountain may be humanity’s last... Restless Army-brat Mel wants nothing more than to settle down to a quiet suburban life. A week after her honeymoon, while enjoying a weekend camping with her new husband and her adoptive father on a northern California mountain, they're driven from their idyllic getaway by a sudden, deadly storm. An unexpected signal warns of disaster, but the promise of safety propels them across the mountain in a desperate race to survive the end of the world. Her dream is shattered, her family is gone, and she and those who are left survive at the mercy of their would-be protectors. Can Mel hold on to hope and find the strength to free them all or will she, like so many others, give in to the darkness and let the Earth swallow her up? Our Once Warm Earth is the first novella from a near-future sci-fi post-apocalypse series. If you like realistic settings; believable, relatable characters; a dash of science-futurism; and a rich vein of hopeful promise, you'll love this compelling story of one woman's fight to preserve her family and humanity itself. Buy Our Once Warm Earth today, and help secure humanity's future. Targeted Takeaway: The start of your story isn’t really the beginning. The opening scenes are establishing shots, setting things up for … the inciting incident! This is an external force operating on the main character, forcing them out of their original place or emotional state and into the action of the narrative. And it’s where your story really begins. That’s why it has to be in your blurb. It creates excitement and gets readers invested in the MC’s journey and struggle. But just like with the opening of your novel, the inciting incident isn’t the first line. Take a moment to establish your character’s initial situation, so that when things change, it’s that much more dramatic. As important as it is to recognize that the inciting incident is an external event acting on the character, it’s equally critical to remember the blurb needs to be about your protagonist, not the story they’re moving through. Stay zoomed in on the MC’s perspective rather than telling the reader what is happening to them. In other words, keep it personal. Potential readers are going to gravitate to your character’s struggle and triumphs, not the things that create that tension. So make that inciting incident personal. If you do, you see your sales “begin” to rise.

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode’s read-along selections: Blurb: Escape from Paradise D. Richard Ferguson He thought it was paradise. Was he wrong? Torn from his family, Adam lands in a world of giants, wild animals, and marauding mountain people. Unable to find his way home, he discovers an alluring paradise—a golden city where he builds a new life, safe from the terrors outside the walls. But when the city begins to crumble, a chance encounter with a strange little girl changes everything. She claims to know why he was brought into this world and the way back to his family, but insists he leave the doomed city and follow her to the high country to join the mountain people. Is she one of the many spies, sent to lure him into a trap? Or should he risk everything to follow her? With plenty of action, mystery, and suspense, Escape from Paradise will take you places you’ve never been and open windows of insight into life in the kingdom of God. Order your copy today and prepare to be thrilled, inspired, and changed.   Targeted Takeaway: Ad copy may be a different beast than prose, but to be effective, it has to be evocative. It needs to show rather than tell. We do this by letting the reader see events through the eyes of the main character. We need to be inside the protagonist’s head, looking out at the world. A few details that tell us who the MC is and what they’re dealing with are necessary to get the message through. But we want to see the protagonist reacting to the events, not be told what’s happening. Show what they’re feeling/thinking as you reveal each plot twist. There’s no business like “show” business. Skip the tell and show us what the MC is feeling, and you’ll realize everything about is appealing – especially your sales.

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy. To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode’s read-along selections: Blurb: Rich and Sexy: An Alpha Male Billionaire Romance Collection Love Alpha Billionaires? This “feel-good” short story collection gives you an “insider look” at the jet-set lifestyle in glamorous New York City. Meet Nina Brown, doe-eyed optimist virgin whose beauty and innocence captures the eye of the most coveted Alpha Male Billionaire in Manhattan. And “say hello” to Mandy Lane, spirited, fresh-faced, “escort” to Manhattan’s exclusive international glitterati. Only one of Mandy’s Alpha Male Billionaire clients knows her secrets …. Targeted Takeaway Your blurb needs to feature strong language. No, not naughty words. Emotive verbs that show what a character is feeling and doing rather than telling the reader. By making choices like “yearns” instead of “wants”, “hammers” instead of “hits”, or “envisions” instead of “sees”, you’ll paint a picture that reveals the heart of your characters and the tension of their conflicts. But it’s not enough to use strong language to convey those emotions. You have to complete the blurb by giving the readers a good idea of what they can expect. You can’t simply stop after you’ve painted a pretty picture. You need to follow through with a selling paragraph that gives readers a motivation to buy. Let them know that your book contains exactly the sorts of tropes they love, so they’ll want to dive in. When you craft a description with powerful words that informs the reader that everything they love about your genre can be found between your covers, they reward you with strong sales. 

Blurb: Hypno-Planticus: An Alien Invasion Metaphysical Science Fiction R.M. Sackville He's being held hostage...no wait, he's in an army...no wait, he's trapped in fire. Wherever he is, he better figure it out if he wants to survive. Stilhz isn't sure what kind of fresh hell he keeps waking in, but what he does know is how eerily familiar everything is, yet oddly different. With a stolen alien plant being used against its own kind, Stilhz must figure out which side of the fight he is on before an entire race is destroyed one by one. Includes bonus content consisting of two never before seen short stories--For My Boys and DUI Cry. Targeted Takeaway: Every sentence in your blurb makes a promise to the reader about what sort of book you’re offering. From the hook to the final cliffhanger, if you introduce an idea, you have to bring it back around. Otherwise, readers can become confused about what sort of book it is. Whether it’s tone, character details, or plot elements, an idea that crops up early in the blurb should make an appearance later. And in the later sentences, new concepts are jarring and cause readers to think they’re getting something different than they thought. So make certain you’re fulfilling the promises you make. Living up to the expectations you create will bring home the result you want: A sale that leads to a satisfied reader.

Renegade Lori Cook   Virtuous college freshman Maggie has always played it safe. That is until she ran into mysterious hottie Ethan and his eclectic group of extreme sports enthusiast friends. Now all she wants is to chase the seemingly forbidden love of Ethan on the thrilling, sexy, and dangerous adventures that Ethan experiences daily. Ethan gives off a dangerous vibe, yet Maggie has never felt so safe. She knows he’s keeping secrets and that’s the reason he won’t commit. But what could possibly be that bad? Tech millionaire Ethan is left stranded while on a camping trip with his best friend. Forced to bum a ride with a very innocent young girl, Ethan is instantly charmed by Maggie’s wholesome sweetness. He should say no and run away but he can’t. He wants her as fiercely as she wants him. But can he protect her from his perilous past?

Blurb: The Undine's Tear (Rise of the Grigori Book 1) Talena Winters She's destined to save the world . . . if she doesn't destroy it first. As the most powerful healer in three millennia, Calandra has been raised to save the all-female undine race using siren magic to bond a human man. She's always done what's expected of her—except that time she promised to free a boy named Osaze, even if discovery means a death sentence. But with her powers getting weaker instead of stronger, following through on her promise might mean she can't fulfill her destiny—and then who would save her island? Across the sea in England, her brother Zale is trying to outrun the merman identity he despises. When a beautiful sphinx-like angel tells him he's the first male of his kind in three thousand years, he's thrust on a quest to rescue his mother and the sister he's never met from an Order as old as the Earth itself. But if he can't control his fearsome elemental powers, he may destroy everything he's trying to save. Meanwhile, Calandra is desperate to prevent the Madness that plagues all the powerful healers before she causes an accident like the one that sank Atlantis. When a mysterious dream spirit promises the answers she seeks, she jumps at the opportunity to train with him. But the more she learns, the darker and more far-reaching his intentions appear, and the closer insanity looms. If she can't find the brother her mother fled their island to raise, she doesn't have a hope of saving anyone—unless she re-bonds Osaze. With the fate of their people and all of humanity in the balance, can Calandra and Zale break the bonds of their past in time to prevent a war with cosmos-impacting consequences . . . and to save the people they love most? * * * The Undine's Tear is the first book in the mind-blowing young adult epic historical fantasy series Rise of the Grigori. If you like complex characters, lush world-building, ancient cultures, mermaids, dragons, angels, and demons, join Calandra and Zale in a search for redemption that will threaten the very fabric of the universe. Buy The Undine's Tear and dive into the adventure today! Targeted Takeaway: A good book description needs some of the details of your novel, but you need to make sure you’re not overdoing it. Readers want a taste of the action, not a nine-course meal. In the Internet Age of Constant Distraction, a long blurb works against you. So make sure you’re giving them just enough to whet their appetites. At Best Page Forward, we recommend your description have only two short paragraphs of story description after the headline. The first paragraph introduces the main character, their central conflict, and the novel’s inciting incident. The second builds in complications and sets the MC up for the final cliffhanger sentence. Then you can add a selling paragraph and CTA to convince the reader to buy. But that’s it. Keep it short and simple. Let them have a taste of the action, but don’t force-feed them more details than they can handle. Do that, and you’ll have readers devouring your books.

It's Jim's final show! Today on the show, author Jim Heskett and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy.  To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode’s read-along selections: --Blurb: Author: Amanda Jane Schiller Title: Wicked Games and Wasted Years, Part 1   Sara is sad. Her brother and Darrel died in that horrible way, and it feels like everyone but her just wants to forget. Even her best friend Tanya who was there to see the gruesome aftermath doesn’t seem to care as much when it comes to Sara’s obsession with reliving their past - around the fire. But Tanya is just a forward thinker, and she does help Sara stay sane. Then when Sara met Brandon, her life too was propelled forward - into marriage - while she clung dearly to the past.   Sara is happy. Her husband Brandon is fun, a great cook, but most of all, safe. It’s easy to trust his advice, and she follows it by starting grief counseling. But then, Brandon starts acting, different. Yeah, he had his ways before they were married, like the whole friends thing. But Sara is quickly finding herself confused all of the time, and feeling uncomfortable around her husband. It’s hard to tell if her feelings are justified. And Tanya’s advice is always the same. Make him talk to you. But talking to Brandon is the thing she dreads most. It’s turned into a game of fighting for her sanity that Sara never asked to play.    How will Sara feel then, when she realizes only one way out of the narcissist’s game?       --Abigail's Targeted Tip: Your blurb should have two layers of meaning: text and subtext.         --Other Stuff: Follow Jim here: www.jimheskett.com Storyonthespot.live Authornewsweekly.com     Want to submit your own blurb for consideration? Fill out the form at www.bestpageforward.net/podcast or send an email to BlurbsSellBooks@gmail.com

Today on the show, author Jim Heskett and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy.  To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode’s read-along selections: --Blurb: Author: Holly Roberds Title: Prophecy Girl (The Five Orders Series Book 1)   Loving her is not only forbidden, it could bring about the end of the world.  I am not a man. I am a weapon that fights the forces of darkness. The desire to make Emma mine goes against everything I’ve been trained to do. Yet she’s all I want.  When a demon from hell crashes into the liquor store where Emma works, we find ourselves caught in an ancient prophecy that has been set into motion, and it may bring about the end of the world.  Emma may appear to be a civilian who’s spent most of her life with her nose stuck in a book, but there is more to her than anyone knows. And I can’t stop Emma from turning my world inside out.  Dark secrets are spilling out, destroying everything I once believed, and bloodthirsty monsters are climbing out from every corner. They must kill the chosen one, and I will do everything to stop it.   But as the hell beasts begin to close in, I am left with one impossible choice.   Save the girl, or save the world.   Prophecy Girl is a gripping, slow burn, urban fantasy romance perfect for fans of Ilona Andrews and Karen Marie Moning.   "Prophecy Girl is a fast paced, exciting novel that left me wanting more!" - Alicia ★★★★★ "I really couldn't put the story down. The fast-paced, action-packed story took turn after turn and the bright descriptions were impossible not to get lost in." - Julia ★★★★★ Download and start binging this hot paranormal romance that will have you clutching your ereader! ***COMPLETE SERIES***       --Abigail's Targeted Tip: What’s at stake in your story? How can you communicate that?         --Other Stuff:   Want to submit your own blurb for consideration? Fill out the form at www.bestpageforward.net/podcast or send an email to BlurbsSellBooks@gmail.com

Today on the show, author Jim Heskett and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy.  To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward. Here are this episode’s read-along selections: --Blurb: Author: C McIntosh Title: Transplant Dance   Three teens face dramatic choices as they come to terms with life, death and other priorities.   Aiden Corwin adjusts to the terror of waiting for a kidney, but can he forgive his father for leaving him when he was younger?   When Zafirah Negrassi returns home after her heart transplant, she expects life to be the same as it was. Can she accept that things are different?   How can Tanya James repair her relationship with her sister when her twin is in intensive care in the local hospital?   This is a fictional story for YA readers, written from alternate perspectives.   If you like thoughtful, inspiring stories filled with courage then you’ll enjoy C. McIntosh’s Transplant Dance.   Unlock Transplant Dance and discover this touching story today!   --Abigail's Targeted Tip:   YA blurbs should include both humor and heartbreak.   --Other Stuff:   Want to submit your own blurb for consideration? Fill out the form at www.bestpageforward.net/podcast or send an email to BlurbsSellBooks@gmail.com