Blurbs Sell Books

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:

Author: MZ Lowe

Title: The Case of the Wicked Web

A picture tells a thousand … lies

As plucky photojournalist in the Middle East, Ryanne Dax has negotiated with desert warlords and eaten sheep’s head. But nothing prepares this human/gremlin mix for the family’s real business.

At her aunt’s cryptic plea, Ryanne returns to the Alaskan hometown she fled decades earlier. Only to find her eccentric relative missing and accused of unleashing a lethal enchantment.

With the help of an intrepid welsh corgi, a vampire drag queen, and a garden gnome addicted to Shakespearean insults, Ryanne pursues every lead ignored by the sheriff.

Except, more bodies drop and the video evidence implicates her aunt.

Now, Ryanne must race to untangle the web of family secrets, while dodging her werewolf ex and comforting a haiku-spouting espresso machine.

Can this misfit photographer develop a clear picture of the truth before the artifact kills again?

The Case of the Wicked Web kicks off the HAVEN: Alaska series set in the Finders-Keepers story-world.

If you enjoy a colorful cast of kitchen appliances, small town shenanigans, and a middle-aged, non-witch sleuth with more determination than a corgi smelling bacon, then you’ll love this paranormal cozy.

Buy your next wholesome read today and solve the riddle with Ryanne.

Don’t just consider what you should cut from your blurb. Make every piece of info earn its place. 

Want to submit your own blurb for consideration? Fill out the form at www.bestpageforward.net/podcast or send an email to [email protected]

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:

Author: Caroline Muntjewerf

Title: Of Dutch Descent

After WW2 a small girl is torn from the life she knows. She struggles with her identity. She struggles to belong. Will she ever find peace within herself?

In 1951 six-years-old Ellie is torn from her home in Holland by her mother Rita to start a new live in New Zealand. Or are her mother’s reasons for emigrating a lot darker than meets the eye? Rita’s reluctance to inform Ellie about her past only adds to Ellie’s desire to know more about her roots and about her father. The relationship between her mother and her uncle Pieter is not what it seems either, and for Ellie the truth is elusive. Pieter's father still bears a heavy grudge against Germans. As a result, Pieter's marriage to the German immigrant Birgit doesn't go down well.

Ellie is determined to discover more about her Dutch roots, much to her mother Rita's frustration. Ellie is 22 when she makes the journey back to Holland but the visit to her home country only disrupts her feelings of belonging even further when she uncovers additional facts about her past. Facts that Ellie could never have imagined.

Of Dutch Descent, a moving family saga, seen through the eyes of a war child. Set in the post WW2 years when many emigrated to flee war torn Europe.

If you like annoying mothers, post WW2 drama, children born after liberation, then you’ll love Caroline Muntjewerf’s family saga Of Dutch Descent.

Focus on a single idea or character arc aspect to build your blurb around. Write it out and keep it nearby as you draft.

Want to submit your own blurb for consideration? Fill out the form at www.bestpageforward.net/podcast or send an email to [email protected]

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:

Author: Caroline Muntjewerf

Title: Of Dutch Descent

After WW2 a small girl is torn from the life she knows. She struggles with her identity. She struggles to belong. Will she ever find peace within herself?

In 1951 six-years-old Ellie is torn from her home in Holland by her mother Rita to start a new live in New Zealand. Or are her mother’s reasons for emigrating a lot darker than meets the eye? Rita’s reluctance to inform Ellie about her past only adds to Ellie’s desire to know more about her roots and about her father. The relationship between her mother and her uncle Pieter is not what it seems either, and for Ellie the truth is elusive. Pieter's father still bears a heavy grudge against Germans. As a result, Pieter's marriage to the German immigrant Birgit doesn't go down well.

Ellie is determined to discover more about her Dutch roots, much to her mother Rita's frustration. Ellie is 22 when she makes the journey back to Holland but the visit to her home country only disrupts her feelings of belonging even further when she uncovers additional facts about her past. Facts that Ellie could never have imagined.

Of Dutch Descent, a moving family saga, seen through the eyes of a war child. Set in the post WW2 years when many emigrated to flee war torn Europe.

If you like annoying mothers, post WW2 drama, children born after liberation, then you’ll love Caroline Muntjewerf’s family saga Of Dutch Descent.

Focus on a single idea or character arc aspect to build your blurb around. Write it out and keep it nearby as you draft.

Want to submit your own blurb for consideration? Fill out the form at www.bestpageforward.net/podcast or send an email to [email protected]

Does writing salesy text for ads and book blurbs make you cringe?

Never fear: expert copywriter Abigail Dunard and her apprentice Jim Heskett teach you all about writing effective sales copy by breaking down book descriptions.

To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward.

Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

Author: Jeff Chapman

Title: The Great Contagion: A Merliss Tale

Plagues kill in more ways than one and Merliss soon discovers she has far more to fear than a disease.

Merliss is no ordinary cat. She's a young girl's spirit trapped in a cat's body. While the magic that banished her has snatched away her human speech, it has given her a life spanning millennia. For centuries she has lived with the cunning folk, assisting their efforts to heal the sick and ward off malevolent creatures. Now a bleeding sickness has thrown the community into chaos.

The cunning man and his apprentice are in danger from the disease. The life Merliss has worked so long to build is in jeopardy. Before she entered the cat, she had trained to be a shaman. Do her centuries of experience hold a secret to a cure? But disease isn't her only nemesis.

A pair of malevolent creatures move into the neighborhood threatening more havoc. With disease and monsters ravaging the land, Merliss is up to her whiskers in trouble. It couldn't be worse, until a mob looking for a scapegoat turns its wrath on Merliss.

The Great Contagion is the gripping first novel in the dark fantasy Merliss Tales series. If you like strong and dynamic characters, rich description, magic and intrigue, then you’ll love Jeff Chapman’s imaginative Merliss Tales.

Buy The Great Contagion today to watch Merliss use her wits and magic to rescue her friends and herself.

When and where does your story take place? Take a close look at your word choices and supporting details to ensure there are no contradictions or confusion.

Don’t forget to visit www.storyonthespot.live to be a part of all the hijinks!

Want to submit your own blurb for consideration? Fill out the form at www.bestpageforward.net/podcast or send an email to [email protected]

Does writing salesy text for ads and book blurbs make you cringe?

Never fear: expert copywriter Abigail Dunard and her apprentice Jim Heskett teach you all about writing effective sales copy by breaking down book descriptions.

To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward.

Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

Author: Jeff Chapman

Title: The Great Contagion: A Merliss Tale

Plagues kill in more ways than one and Merliss soon discovers she has far more to fear than a disease.

Merliss is no ordinary cat. She's a young girl's spirit trapped in a cat's body. While the magic that banished her has snatched away her human speech, it has given her a life spanning millennia. For centuries she has lived with the cunning folk, assisting their efforts to heal the sick and ward off malevolent creatures. Now a bleeding sickness has thrown the community into chaos.

The cunning man and his apprentice are in danger from the disease. The life Merliss has worked so long to build is in jeopardy. Before she entered the cat, she had trained to be a shaman. Do her centuries of experience hold a secret to a cure? But disease isn't her only nemesis.

A pair of malevolent creatures move into the neighborhood threatening more havoc. With disease and monsters ravaging the land, Merliss is up to her whiskers in trouble. It couldn't be worse, until a mob looking for a scapegoat turns its wrath on Merliss.

The Great Contagion is the gripping first novel in the dark fantasy Merliss Tales series. If you like strong and dynamic characters, rich description, magic and intrigue, then you’ll love Jeff Chapman’s imaginative Merliss Tales.

Buy The Great Contagion today to watch Merliss use her wits and magic to rescue her friends and herself.

When and where does your story take place? Take a close look at your word choices and supporting details to ensure there are no contradictions or confusion.

Don’t forget to visit www.storyonthespot.live to be a part of all the hijinks!

Want to submit your own blurb for consideration? Fill out the form at www.bestpageforward.net/podcast or send an email to [email protected]

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 great sales copy. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward.

Author: Stephen Cataldo

Title: Cognitive Politics: a Communications Workbook for Progressives

How can you have more effective and engaged political conversations?

Cognitive scientists are discovering the underlying differences between liberal and conservative mindsets. Scientific discoveries are not leading to better conversations — yet. Cognitive Politics reviews recent scientific discoveries, successful historical campaigns, and communications strategies. We’ll integrate ideas that are rarely combined, and explore the contradictions.

After introducing these ideas, Cognitive Politics is a workbook, applying a variety of techniques to different issues that are notorious for getting us into confusing and unproductive political arguments.

Cognitive Politics is both a difficult book and a hopeful book. It doesn’t give easy answers. It doesn’t fall into either camp, neither saying we should just hug it out nor just shout louder. There is no single trick, no sudden understanding of value differences or marketing techniques that can by itself erase the ugliness of modern American politics. It’s not instant gratification. The ideas and techniques require not just rallies and money but turning inward, examining old habits, going deep. These are not the same requests that political campaigns ask of us — but it is a practice for healthier politics that could work, that will make your political conversations more interesting, more connected, and slowly more effective.

Political conversations are among the most difficult conversations, which means they are a great way to learn about ourselves and learn how to communicate better.

In nonfiction books, it’s even more important to establish how your book differs from similar titles. Do your research! 

• The Juggling Author: Time Management for Authors
• Story On The Spot: improv for authors!

Want to submit your own blurb for consideration? Fill out the form at www.bestpageforward.net/podcast or send an email to [email protected]

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 great sales copy. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward.

Author: Stephen Cataldo

Title: Cognitive Politics: a Communications Workbook for Progressives

How can you have more effective and engaged political conversations?

Cognitive scientists are discovering the underlying differences between liberal and conservative mindsets. Scientific discoveries are not leading to better conversations — yet. Cognitive Politics reviews recent scientific discoveries, successful historical campaigns, and communications strategies. We’ll integrate ideas that are rarely combined, and explore the contradictions.

After introducing these ideas, Cognitive Politics is a workbook, applying a variety of techniques to different issues that are notorious for getting us into confusing and unproductive political arguments.

Cognitive Politics is both a difficult book and a hopeful book. It doesn’t give easy answers. It doesn’t fall into either camp, neither saying we should just hug it out nor just shout louder. There is no single trick, no sudden understanding of value differences or marketing techniques that can by itself erase the ugliness of modern American politics. It’s not instant gratification. The ideas and techniques require not just rallies and money but turning inward, examining old habits, going deep. These are not the same requests that political campaigns ask of us — but it is a practice for healthier politics that could work, that will make your political conversations more interesting, more connected, and slowly more effective.

Political conversations are among the most difficult conversations, which means they are a great way to learn about ourselves and learn how to communicate better.

In nonfiction books, it’s even more important to establish how your book differs from similar titles. Do your research! 

• The Juggling Author: Time Management for Authors
• Story On The Spot: improv for authors!

Want to submit your own blurb for consideration? Fill out the form at www.bestpageforward.net/podcast or send an email to [email protected]

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 great sales copy. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward.

Author: Aurora Weiss

Title: Dungeon Worlds: A Reborn Online LitRPG Adventure Kindle Edition

The car crash was the last thing I remembered... then I woke up here. Where "here" was felt like an impossible nightmare. I died, but this wasn't what I'd expected to find when they said I'd meet my maker.

The afterlife is just like a video game, except I didn't start in a noob world like everybody else. I started out on one of the most challenging dungeon worlds meant only for ancient souls who've been dead much longer than I have...

Welcome to Epoc.

I don't have the right stats for this place, not even a little bit. I'm in complete noob gear with the standard human sword and shield. I don't even have any crafting skills to make a decent breakfast with the high tier ingredients in this place.

Dying in the afterlife is even worse than dying on Earth. Earth, you only die once, but here, you can die over and over again and each one is just as miserable as the last.

There's only one way I can survive the cycle, one way to stay sane.

I need a power leveler... and fast.

Dungeon Worlds is Book 1 in a new LitRPG / GameLit series "Reborn Online" filled with unique monsters, challenging crafting quests, and skipping the grind with some much needed power leveling in an endgame world that'll make you look forward to the afterlife! Just... we recommend building up those stats up first.

When death isn’t the worst that can happen to your MC, establishing meaningful stakes becomes more difficult. Ask yourself: what does your MC stand to lose? What serves as collateral damage? 

• Visit www.storyonthespot.live to see what it’s all about!
• Big announcement next week

Want to submit your own blurb for consideration? Fill out the form at www.bestpageforward.net/podcast or send an email to [email protected]

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 great sales copy. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward.

Author: Aurora Weiss

Title: Dungeon Worlds: A Reborn Online LitRPG Adventure Kindle Edition

The car crash was the last thing I remembered... then I woke up here. Where "here" was felt like an impossible nightmare. I died, but this wasn't what I'd expected to find when they said I'd meet my maker.

The afterlife is just like a video game, except I didn't start in a noob world like everybody else. I started out on one of the most challenging dungeon worlds meant only for ancient souls who've been dead much longer than I have...

Welcome to Epoc.

I don't have the right stats for this place, not even a little bit. I'm in complete noob gear with the standard human sword and shield. I don't even have any crafting skills to make a decent breakfast with the high tier ingredients in this place.

Dying in the afterlife is even worse than dying on Earth. Earth, you only die once, but here, you can die over and over again and each one is just as miserable as the last.

There's only one way I can survive the cycle, one way to stay sane.

I need a power leveler... and fast.

Dungeon Worlds is Book 1 in a new LitRPG / GameLit series "Reborn Online" filled with unique monsters, challenging crafting quests, and skipping the grind with some much needed power leveling in an endgame world that'll make you look forward to the afterlife! Just... we recommend building up those stats up first.

When death isn’t the worst that can happen to your MC, establishing meaningful stakes becomes more difficult. Ask yourself: what does your MC stand to lose? What serves as collateral damage? 

• Visit www.storyonthespot.live to see what it’s all about!
• Big announcement next week

Want to submit your own blurb for consideration? Fill out the form at www.bestpageforward.net/podcast or send an email to [email protected]

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 great sales copy. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward.

Author: Amber Morant

Title: Kalla

A government conspiracy uncovered. A powerful underground agency. A lone girl to unveil it all.

Abyss, with the help of the government, has weaponized humans who had the ability to control time and space. They planned for every contingency, except Kalla. They weren’t prepared for a coup d’état from their own creations led by Kalla. Assisted by her ability to manipulate the climate around her, Kalla embarked on a mission to stop the underground government agency before they send the whole world careening into an abyss. Traveling through the deep alcoves of the Abyss Experimentation Labs and the forests of the renegade Myst, Kalla learned that not every battle can be won, and some victories come at a dire price.

Find the subject in every one of your sentences. We challenge you to rework any sentence in which your main character(s) is not taking action. 

Want to submit your own blurb for consideration? Fill out the form at www.bestpageforward.net/podcast or send an email to [email protected]

• Story on the Spot (the improv story prompt experiment with Jim Heskett, Kevin Tumlinson, Nick Thacker, and RA McGee)