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Book Review & Contest Insights from Real Reviews and Submissions

What separates great books from the rest? Below are articles with insights from real reviews and contest submissions—what works, what doesn’t, and how to improve your book. You’ll also find a wide range of articles covering writing, publishing, marketing, and more. Each article has a Comments section so you can read advice from other authors and leave your own.

Why Some Books Win Awards (And Most Don’t) — Insights From Real Contest Submissions New!

What separates award-winning books from the rest? After evaluating contest submissions across a wide range of genres, certain patterns become clear. Some books consistently rise to the top. Others, even with strong ideas and clear effort behind them, fall short. The difference is rarely dramatic—it...

What We’ve Learned From Reviewing Hundreds of Thousands of Books (And Why Most Don’t Stand Out) New!

After reviewing and evaluating books across thousands of submissions over the past two decades, certain patterns become impossible to ignore. Some books immediately stand out to reviewers. Others—even well-intentioned ones—fade into the middle or fall short. The difference is rarely luck. It comes down to...

7 Ways To Reignite Your Book Sales

One reaches a time when sales of a certain book start to decline. Sometimes it is unavoidable because people have already read the book. The only way for an author to prepare for this moment is to have another book in the works as sales from his previous book soar. Sometimes, however, an author feels that a book did not sell as many copies as it should have. These are the times when the author must market the book relentlessly to increase his sales. The following are some things that an author should consider.

Keep promoting even if you are writing another book

The launch of a book can be an exhilarating time for an author and his audience. However, even though an author makes great sales shortly after the launch, he should not stop promoting the book. The author must have a marketing plan that goes on long after the book is launched. Every author must make sure that he promotes his previous books continuously, even when he is in the process of writing others.

Visit your audience or organize book readings via Skype

When you have a book out, create a buzz around it so that people will be excited when you decide to visit them. You should prepare a package with a summary of what you expect to do during the visit so that your audience feels that they will gain something from it. You can also carry some promotional materials to give out to people who attend the event.

Make offline connections with your readers

You will gain more exposure if you organize book signing events, library readings, attend book club meetings, visit schools, and find other ways to meet your audience physically. Readers feel honored when they can meet their favorite authors face-to-face.

Make use of vacations

You should do some research on the area where you are vacationing. Find local book clubs and try to organize book readings to promote your book. You can also visit local schools, libraries, and bookstores to promote your books.

Promote other authors

Instead of promoting your work during your every waking moment, take time to promote works from other writers in your genre. Review their work and share their blog posts to build goodwill and create a strong network for peer support. These people are very helpful when you need help with your current and future works.

Create virtual bundles

When selling your books, allow buyers to pay less for books if they buy several books at once. You can also package an eBook and print book as well as throwing in some videos and workbooks to give buyers more value for their money.

Encourage your readers to market your work

There is no better way to make people sell your work than some financial incentives. You should tell your readers to sign up as Amazon or Smashwords affiliates to earn money for selling your books. They can add their affiliate links for selling your book on their blogs, websites, and also on social media websites.