Books Forward

12/25/2025

Happy Holidays from the Books Forward staff! Wishing you and yours a restful end to 2025. 💖

12/23/2025

Books Forward author, Liz Parker, recently received this awesome review from Chapter 16, Humanities Tennessee, for their recent release, Witches of Honeysuckle House.

"Liz Parker delivers a riveting tale of overcoming generational trauma and forging a new life built on love, trust, and acceptance, despite all the pain and heartbreak and death that came before.”

Check out the full review here:

Liz Parker’s Witches of Honeysuckle House explores the often harsh and unsavory realities of generational trauma and its reverberations through one family’…

12/22/2025

Just Jenn spinning around in her office chair through the end of 2025! Check out some of the awesome books she picked up this year. 📚✨

12/22/2025

🌟 STAFF SPOTLIGHT ALERT 🌟

Today, we’re highlighting the head and heart of Books Forward, our fearless leader, Marissa! A former journalist with national exposure, Marissa joined the Books Forward team more than 15 years ago. She oversees the day-to-day operation of the firm and is the driving force behind ensuring that Books Forward and its sister company, Books Fluent, take clients’ writing and publishing careers to the next level. With her background in journalism, she has a first-hand understanding of how media works and what reporters want.

Named one of Publishers Weekly’s Star Watch Honorees, Marissa is both respected and adored by clients for her always encouraging and can-do approach. Her friendly personality and extremely detail-oriented management style ensure that our team stays fresh, motivated, and creative. She is the first and final voice on all Books Forward matters, and she presides over all aspects of our publicity campaigns, including media and book tours, events, social networking, production and creative planning, and business decisions.

“Marissa’s journalism background gives her a noticeable edge in securing relevant press for our books and authors.” – Senior VP at Penguin Young Readers

12/19/2025

There’s nothing better than finding a great new fantasy book under the tree during the holidays! We’re so excited for B.R. Kang’s inventive new fantasy debuting in March.

This upper middle-grade hopepunk blends the arts of Avatar: the Last Airbender with epic adventure & heart of Percy Jackson.

“In the gripping fantasy novel Caput Mundi: The Head of the World, newfound friends band together to uncover a treacherous plot.” –Foreword Reviews

Interested in an advanced reader copy of Caput Mundi? Reach out to Layne, [email protected]!

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[ID: B.R. Kang unwrapping a copy of CAPUT MUNDI]

12/19/2025

Foreword Reviews gives Books Forward author B.R. Kand a 4 out of 5 for her debut middle-grade fantasy novel, “Caput Mundi”: “In the gripping fantasy novel Caput Mundi: The Head of the World, newfound friends band together to uncover a treacherous plot.”

Don’t miss the full review here:

Caput Mundi the Head of the World: People’s ultimate loyalties are tested against a backdrop of alchemistic magic and political machinations in the exciting series-opening fantasy novel Caput Mundi: The Head of the World. A boy contends with family alienation and a mysterious...

12/18/2025

Foreword Reviews gives Books Forward author Peter McChesney a 4 out of 5 for his forthcoming sci-fi debut, Quinto’s Challenge: “In Peter McChesney’s sweeping science fiction novel Quinto’s Challenge, a brilliant young outsider’s theories change the trajectories of physics and philosophy.”

Don’t miss the full review here:

Quinto’s Challenge: A neurodivergent scientist takes up the challenge to defy death in the intricate science fiction novel "Quinto’s Challenge". In Peter McChesney’s sweeping science fiction novel "Quinto’s Challenge", a brilliant young outsider’s theories...

12/17/2025

Books Forward author M.B. Courtenay shares an early look at his thriller withThe Nerd Daily! le Carré meets Black Mirror in this cerebral espionage thriller about secrets, power, and the cost of truth. Intrigued?

Well, read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from M. B. Courtenay’s A Spy Inside The Castle:

le Carré meets Black Mirror in this cerebral espionage thriller about secrets, power, and the cost of truth. Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from M. B. Courtenay’s A Spy Inside The Castle, which releases on December 9th 2025. When intelligence analyst Ethan Briar i...

12/16/2025

🎉 HAPPY PUB DAY 🎉

Congratulations to Michael G. Colburn on the release of the second installment (can be read as a standalone) in The Lady Black Mystery series, ASYLUM MURDERS!

1890's Melbourne. In the flickering gaslight of Victoria Parliament's inner chambers, a prized symbol of government-the ceremonial Mace-disappears following a night of decadent indulgence involving parliamentarians and officials. Lady Edith Black, a former thief turned Melbourne's most unconventional investigator, is drawn into the mystery. Though her past remains hidden, her talent and determination is unmatched-and her instincts tell her the Mace is merely the tip of something far darker.

The night the Mace disappears, a young woman is discovered near death. The two crimes intertwine and lead Edie to the foreboding gates of Kew Asylum, where her closest friend, Britina-a novice nun assigned to care for patients, has made a disturbing discovery: patients are vanishing without explanation. When Britina becomes a risk to a sinister plan, she is swiftly silenced, declared criminally insane, and locked away among the very souls she sought to protect.

To rescue her friend, Edie must step into the asylum's grim world of medical secrets, patient abuse, a chilling conspiracy ...and enemies willing to kill to keep their secrets buried. But exposing the truth could cost more than her freedom. It could cost her life.

Grab your copy TODAY wherever you buy books! And don’t miss the first book in the series, STOLEN BRILLIANCE, also available now!

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[ID: Slide 1: A photo of Michael Colburn sitting in a chair and holding copies of STOLEN BRILLIANCE and ASYLUM MURDERS
Slide 2: A copy of ASYLUM MURDERS sitting on the arm of a green sofa]

12/15/2025

The Stacks sits down with Books Forward author, Evette Davis, Author, to chat about her completed supernatural series, THE COUNCIL TRILOGY! Evette delves into her inspiration for the book, her travels to New Orleans (where the last book is set), and her travels to Serbia (in the dead of winter) for research for THE GIFT. All three books are available now wherever you buy books!

Don’t miss the whole episode here:

We discuss The Council Trilogy, our MyLibrarian November 2025 Book Club pick, with the author, Evette Davis.

12/12/2025

Publicist and social media manger, Layne, takes us along for a day in the life during Books Forward’s winter team meeting!

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12/12/2025

Maybe you’ve heard the phrase: advertising is what you pay for; publicity is what you pray for.

It’s accurate and can almost perfectly sum up the differences between marketing and publicity.

In general, most successful book promotion campaigns will utilize both marketing and publicity. Marketing gets the word out fast, and publicity builds trust and long-term reputation — think of it as the gas pedal in your car. Publicity builds trust, authority, and staying power — it’s like your engine and really keeps your brand going and consistently moving forward. Learn more about the difference between publicity and marketing here:

Unlock the power of marketing and publicity for your book. Learn how each contributes to effective promotion strategies.