Blurbs Sell Books

Today on the show, Jim and a very hungover Abigail tackle author-submitted blurbs to rip them to shreds and build them back up, one line at a time. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

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

Jim's thoughts on Star Wars: www.jimheskett.com/starwars

CONTENT WARNING: MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR SMALL EARS

Author: Justin Salisbury

Title: Antioch Swinger's Church

A pedophile pastor with a dark past.

A nudist nymphomaniac neighbor.

A new school teacher recovering from injuries taken in Vietnam.

Ed is the new K-12 teacher at a one-room schoolhouse in a small sawmill town in central Appalachia.  Something is amiss in this town, his neighbor is a nudist, and one of his students tries to seduce him the first time they meet.  He attempts to attend the church, but it’s invite only.

When he joins the congregation, he realizes it’s a swinger’s church run by a cult leader pastor, Sisler.  He decides there are worse ways to spend a few years and settles into his new life as a pervert. Everything goes awry when Sisler takes a 14-year-old student of Ed’s into one of the sex rooms.  Sisler tries to murder Ed and convinces the town to rise against him.

Can Ed, as an out of work outcast, save his former students?

Antioch Swinger’s Church is the first book in the Religion in Appalachia series.  If you like dark, gritty, adult historical fiction, this book is for you.  

Buy today!

Your first paragraph (and ideally its sentence one) needs to set the tone for the book. This is especially true if your book has a big reveal that leads to a change in (tonal) direction. 

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, Jim and Abigail tackle author-submitted blurbs to rip them to shreds and build them back up, one line at a time. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

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

Author: Liberty Speidel

Title: The Darby Shaw Chronicles Box Set

One call could change her life forever...

It’s not every day you discover you have superpowers.

The only problem: Darby Shaw’s particular brand has never been seen before, and the agency in charge of monitoring superhumans have her in their sights.

They want to know why she’s different—and they won’t give up until she’s tested.

But Darby’s department knows the value of having a super who can revive the murdered.

Training Darby is the task of homicide detective Mark Herman. He can’t figure out just why she mesmerizes him, but he’s not going to let anyone stop her from succeeding in her new role.

The thing is, she has to figure out how to use her powers again. If she can’t, the police can’t use her.

Then Darby will be easy pickings for the corrupt bureaucrats who want her in their lab…

If you enjoy the futuristic thrills of J.D. Robb’s world, or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Darby Shaw Chronicles box set is for you!

Get the box set now!

When introducing a new character / organization, etc. add in some guiding descriptors or context clues. (Otherwise, we won’t know who to root for and who to boo.)

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, Jim and Abigail tackle author-submitted blurbs to rip them to shreds and build them back up, one line at a time. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

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

Author: Peter DeHaan

Title: Woodpecker Wars: Celebrating the Spirituality of Everyday Life

Are you a spiritual person? 

What parts of your life are spiritual?

Sorry. Trick question. 

All parts of our lives are spiritual. Seriously. It’s just that most people don’t know it.

Most people think of church as a spiritual activity and everything else is not, as in secular. They live their life with a spiritual/secular divide. They compartmentalize their spiritual activity, shoving it aside so it doesn’t interfere with the rest of their life. 

It’s time we (re)discover the spirituality of everyday life. It’s time we celebrate the spirituality of living.

•       Our family and our holidays are spiritual.
•       Our work and our passions are spiritual. 
•       Our money is spiritual and so is our health.
•       Our existence in God’s creation is spiritual.
•       Yes, every aspect of our life is spiritual.

Let’s explore the spirituality of everyday life. Let’s embrace the spirituality of living. Read Woodpecker Wars to discover more. It’s playful yet profound, quirky yet insightful.

Get your copy of Woodpecker Wars today!

(No woodpeckers were harmed in the writing of this book.)

Nonfiction blurbs should lay out the target readers’ problems, solutions the book offers, and benefits they can expect to enjoy.

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, Jim and Abigail tackle author-submitted blurbs to rip them to shreds and build them back up, one line at a time. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

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

Author: Andi Cumbo-Floyd

Title: The Steele Secrets Series Box Set

A cemetery. A school. A tree. Each with its own ghosts. 

The ability to see ghosts was never an ability Mary Steele ever dreamed of having, even after watching EVERY episode of The Ghost Whispererer. But once she sees these murdered souls, she has no choice but to hunt down the truth, even the truth that some people would rather her never find. 

Mary's courage is tested as she is threatened and bullied, and she sometimes wants to quit. But this quirky teen doesn't stop, even in the face of violence, prejudice, and long-seeded racism. 

The Steele Secrets series is magical realism for the young and the young at heart. If you enjoy a bit of magic mixed with a bit of justice and a good dose of history, then you'll love the Steele Secrets series. Buy the full box set now and dive into the ghost stories of history today.

When creating blurbs for box sets, always include the number of books within the set (and any additional novellas, etc.) 

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, Jim and Abigail tackle author-submitted blurbs to rip them to shreds and build them back up, one line at a time. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

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

Author: Frankie Bow

Title: The Fever Cabinet

All Professor Molly wanted to do was teach literature. Instead she's just been named chair of her department at Mahina State University, and her department has been relocated to a run-down former asylum. She's buried in paperwork and her dean has assigned her to mentor the department's new "star",  the prickly Fiona Spencer.

Fiona Spencer had her own reasons for joining the faculty at remote Mahina State University. She is willing to put up with the broken air conditioning and constant construction noise in the College of Commerce building (formerly the Territorial Inebriates' Asylum). She can even tolerate her annoying department head, Molly Barda. But when she finds a body in her office, clamped into an antique medical device, it's all a bit much. Especially when she becomes a murder suspect. 

Now Fiona and Molly have to work together to find a solution. And the answer won't be found in the back of the textbook.

Author: Paul Sating

Title: RIP

• Women are being murdered. A serial killer on the loose. One reporter with a story to tell.

Always put your dead body in the first cliffhanger! (end of your first paragraph)

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, Jim and Abigail tackle author-submitted blurbs to rip them to shreds and build them back up, one line at a time. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

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

Author: A. R. Kavli

Title: With Our Dying Breath

A lifetime of war takes its toll on a person.

Lt. Colonel Pierce Oswald is the flight commander of the starship Roland. The war against the Proximans has consumed the last twenty years of his life. It's a war Earth is losing. It's a war that has just killed his daughter, thanks to his command decisions. He’s ready for it all to end—one way or another.

But the war isn’t over. Fleet Command has ordered him to abandon his squadron and lead a secret mission to recover a mysterious, alien artifact. It might be Earth’s only hope of winning the war. The mission is a disaster, and he returns to find the Sol system changed in ways he cannot fathom.

Oswald must lead his divided crew through mutiny, sabotage, and starvation on their new mission—revenge against the Proximans at any cost. Can he convince his crew to make the ultimate sacrifice to achieve his vision?

With Our Dying Breath is a dark, military sci-fi adventure that explores the choices a desperate ace commander makes when he has nothing left to lose.

If you like tales of space warfare that explore the darker side of command, then you'll enjoy A.R. Kavli's grim, apocalyptic sci-fi novel.

Buy With Our Dying Breath today to fight alongside Pierce Oswald and the crew of the starship Roland on their final, deadly mission.

Author: Helen Allan

Title: Kept

• She kept a vampire's journal. Now he wants to keep her. But first, he has to catch her...

Read each sentence (or phrase) of your ads on its own. Check for possible alternative meanings to avoid confusion or misreading

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, Jim and Abigail tackle author-submitted blurbs to rip them to shreds and build them back up, one line at a time. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

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

Author: Alexa Rivers

Title: Falling for the Veteran

True love is hiding in plain sight...

Sophie Delaware could forgive almost anything. The key word being almost. But when she catches her on-again-off-again boyfriend getting down and dirty with his secretary, it’s one clichéd mistake too many.

Rather than dwell on the train wreck her life has become—still living in the house where she grew up with her mother, a cantankerous cat, and no dating prospects—Sophie barrels impetuously into her next great idea: a wild fling with her best friend’s hot brother. Sure, friend’s siblings are supposed to be off-limits, but if no one knows, it can’t be a problem. Right?

Former solider Cooper Simons hasn’t had a serious relationship since he returned from active service. Waking up in a panic every night has put a crimp in his love life—though it hasn’t stopped him from enjoying light-hearted affairs with like-minded women who never stay over.

When Sophie proposes a few weeks of no-strings-attached, unadulterated pleasure, there are only two problems. First, she’s his little sister’s best friend. Second, a few weeks with Sophie will never be enough.

Can Cooper prove that he’s in it for the long haul? And can Sophie overcome her mistrust of men for long enough to give him a chance?

Author:  R.M. Gauthier

Title: The Realm of Lost Souls

• Escaping is a magician's greatest illusion, but there's no escape from life, even in death.

Before writing your blurb, consider your MC’s character arc. Where does she start out her journey? Where does she end? Mirror that same personal growth within your blurb. 

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, Jim and Abigail tackle author-submitted blurbs to rip them to shreds and build them back up, one line at a time. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

Author: G. Sauvé

Title: The Nibiru Effect

A cryptic dream. A strange symbol. A magical ring.

Will’s life will never be the same.

Lured away from his life at the orphanage by the promise of a family reunion, fifteen-year-old Will Save unwittingly embarks on an adventure through time and space.

Catapulted into the distant past. Struggling to survive a dinosaur-infested land. Plagued by a mysterious shapeshifting ability. These are only some of the challenges Will faces as he battles mythical creatures in a desperate attempt to save a race of prehistoric humanoids from a deadly plague.

Avalon is obsessed with altering the course of history. If she succeeds, Will’s entire life will come crumbling down around him. Desperate to protect those he loves and reunite with his long-lost mother, he must accept his destiny and become the saviour everyone believes him to be.

Can he live up to his name and save the world?

Find out in this action-packed, pulse-pounding first installment in a brand-new YA series about courage, love, and destiny.

What are you waiting for? Buy this book today before this timeline is altered and life as we know it ceases to exist.

Author: Chris Vines

Title: Azyl Academy (Elemental Gatherers Book 1)

• What would you do if you could learn magic mixed with martial arts? But you had to grow strong enough to save the world? Follow Aiden’s journey!‬
• "You have chosen and been chosen. Now, it is time. Grow stronger and save my world" -- Follow Aiden's journey to learn magic and become a hero.
• A second chance at life, in a world where magic is real. A mission to save the world, but from what? First, magic academy and learning how to use it.

Could’ve, Would’ve. When laying out the final stakes in your blurbs, think BIG. Consider the worst possible outcomes. Don’t just consider how failure could affect your MC. How it could impact their whole world?

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, Jim and Abigail tackle author-submitted blurbs to rip them to shreds and build them back up, one line at a time. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

Author: K. E. Brungardt

Title: Dr. Trouble

Xandria Trebelin, MD, is a highly trained, highly skilled Physician, certified for all known species, Alien and Human.

Xandria has completed all her years of training with excellence, expecting to be hired by the most prestigious hospitals on the close-by worlds.  However, she has a problem.  

No one will hire her.

She has passed every test, saved uncountable lives, found solutions for the oddest medical problems, earning her a nickname, Dr. Trouble.   As in everyone considers her a bad luck charm and doesn’t want to work with her because she seems to attract the most bizarre medical problems ever known.  

Xandria jumps at the obscure chance of a job on a planet far, far away where perhaps they don’t know her propensity for trouble.  The problem is, on her way to that planet, she runs into an unknown species—literally—and finds she has a bigger problem than not having a job.  She now faces the possibility she may not be able to practice medicine ever again.  

Can she overcome her new difficulties and be able to do again what she loves the most, saving lives?

Author: R.M. Gauthier

Title: Control (The Mystery of Landon Miller Series)

• Buckle up and go for the ride of your life in this fast-paced, suspense filled, adrenaline rush of a novel. Dare you to put it down!
• A heart pounding, mind twisting thriller that will capture your soul from the very first page to the final one!

Your book description should primarily cover plot points that happen during the book. Pre-book details should only be included to: 1) establish character. 2) set the stage for the action to come. 

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, Jim and Abigail tackle author-submitted blurbs to rip them to shreds and build them back up, one line at a time. Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

Author: R.M. Gauthier

Title: The Mystery Of Landon Miller Series: (Box Set 1-3 & Bonus Prequel)

We all chose a path in life. What if you’ve chosen the wrong one?

 Everyone has secrets…

…when Lexi unravels Landon's there will be no turning back.

 One exclusive club.

One troubled man.

One explosive meeting that will change lives forever.

When a married woman enters an exclusive club full of domineering men, it will only take one man’s past to threaten everything she’s built.

Control Book - One

 With her marriage in shambles and life not turning out quite as she imagined, Alexandria turns to her best friend for help to snap her out of the slump that's been plaguing her. Instead she finds herself immersed in a world of danger, tangled in a web of deceit, and wrapped in the arms of an unattainable man. When an FBI investigation lands on her doorstep, she's dragged into a world of crime and punishment. With a club full of domineering men, she wonders who is trustworthy and who is capable of murder.

Bound Book - Two

 Landon's abrupt departure from Alexandria's living room, and her life, leaves her feeling abandoned and more determined than ever to rescue the man she loves. Teaming up with her best friend and an unlikely accomplice, Lexi travels across the world, seeking answers to questions that are better left unasked. In a cat and mouse chase through foreign lands and on home soil, Lexi finds herself caught up in a world of crime and punishment, where the cost of curiosity may just be her very life.

Freedom - Book Three

 In the series conclusion, Lexi discovers the truth and remarkably, the truth is worse than she imagined.

The door to the fifteen-year-old mystery that has surrounded Landon has been opened, but walking through it could result in the destruction of his entire world. In order to keep peace and harmony, Landon must face his unforgiving past and deal with the aftermath.

Longing - Bonus Prequel

Leroy, returns home after serving 8 years in the Special Forces to discover his nightmare has not ended, but is just beginning. After discovering that his sister has been missing for months, Leroy sets out on a mission to find and bring her home. Accepting a management position in an exclusive night club exposes Leroy to a world of crime and corruption he had no idea existed.

Grab a copy today and enjoy the entire series!

Author: Ryan James

Title: Malicious Mates

Mates come and go but demons are forever. Millennials throw their first punch in this darkly satirical novel from down under.

Do not just copy and paste descriptions for each solo book to cobble into a box set blurb. Readers for book two’s solo blurb likely have already read book one. Not true for potential readers of your box set.

Visit http://selfpublishinglive.com/

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