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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...
Keeping Up with Current Trends in Children’s Literature
Even children’s literature is not immune to change. It is not surprising since new writers emerge and societies present new interests and ways of doing things. Changes in children’s literature are aimed to keep kids interested in reading. Television and computers have influenced their interests, giving publishers and authors a challenging task in providing new ways to present books. It requires them to understand kids today to determine how they can meet young readers' needs for knowledge and entertainment with books. Despite modern technology, there is still room for books in the lives of children. Books, whether in the physical or electronic format, are important in nourishing the mind and spirit of every child.
Here are some of the current trends in children’s literature:
Images and Color: Graphic novels and illustrated books are made for children from pre-school to tweens. Viewing images is still part of reading. This is called visual reading – a skill many kids should develop.
Use of images and color can help kids grasp the ideas conveyed by the writer. They carry the same narrative structure as text based books and encourage analytical thinking as well.
Illustrated and picture books that seek to inform are also popular with pre-schools, especially if aimed at vocabulary building. Series remain as big favorites, regardless of their genre.
Popular Subjects and Themes: Animals and dinosaurs remain as popular subjects. Picture books with animal characters are very popular among kids. Young children can enjoy these as coloring and drawing books.
Middle school kids are more interested in stories about school and other aspects of daily life. They are also taking interest in intriguing nonfiction books that provide information.
Ebooks and Audio books: It’s important to have all forms of books available for kids. In the age of eBooks, parents are encouraged to continue setting a good example of reading habits and literary selection for their children. Kids are more liberated nowadays in selecting their reading materials. Since parents can’t always guide them, it is best they set an example by reading more and choosing better literature.
Libraries encourage balance with electronic types of reading materials and physical books. While they may have eBooks, kids are encouraged to browse the book shelves.
Audio books remain the favorite for kids who are building their vocabulary. Schools are encouraged to help parents and kids enjoy and learn through the use of audio books, accompanied by a physical book with illustrations. These can help kids grasp the idea of letters and sounds, making learning more effective.
Creating Memorable Books: Book publishers should emphasize how a book is exceptional and will stand out compared to previous versions. Too many projects are already similar, and enhancement is needed to keep readers curious about a book. It is critical also for publishers to ensure that the book’s package includes an e-book platform.
Publishers should make sure that the book they publish is fun and doesn’t look like homework. The current trends in children’s literature are based on subjects kids are interested in. It is part of encouraging reading and learning, whether it’s nonfiction or fiction.