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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...
How Does the New Trend in Self-Publishing Affect Literary Agents?
The self-publishing or e-publishing revolution has gone full force and there is no denying that it has had a great impact on how publishers and literary agents conduct business today. How does the new trend in self-publishing affect literary agents and publishers? There used to be...
A Brief History of Young Adult Literature
Young adult literature or YA is fiction that is written, published, and marketed for adolescents and young adults. The following is a brief history of young adult literature. The Beginning of Young Adult Literature Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly is a novel about first love that was...
Can a Literary Trend Do Harm?
If you’re an aspiring writer, you have probably been advised to follow literary trends and try to cash in on their success. Is it worth it to chase literary trends? Can a literary trend do harm? Jumping on the bandwagon can be dangerous You may have been...
What is the Difference Between a Literary Movement and a Literary Trend?
A literary movement and a literary trend are two very different things, though these terms are often used interchangeably. The Harlem Renaissance and the Beat Generation were literary movements; vampire romances and real-life survival tales are literary trends. So what is the difference between a...
Five Literary Movements that Shook the World
A literary movement is a period of time when numerous authors produced works with similar subjects, approaches, patterns, or sensibilities. Literary movements are often shaped by social, political, cultural, and economic conditions of the time. Here are 5 literary movements that shook the world. Early Modernism and...
Current Trends in Children’s Literature
When it comes to children’s literature, there are some formats, subjects, and genres that have always been popular and will probably be bestseller list staples for decades to come. Picture books, books that make children laugh, and fantasy stories are just some of these. However,...
How To Decide When To Self-Publish
Though the self-publishing bug has already bitten many authors, a lot of people still don’t know whether or not they should self-publish. However, it is not difficult to figure out whether to self-publish or not. Authors struggling with this question should know two things. 1. For...
Four Current Trends and Movements in Literature
Over the centuries, people have witnessed how literature has evolved. Trends like the romantic paranormal Gothic movement of the 17th century, or the exhilarating magic realism of the 20th century were once popularly used in novels and stories. However, literary trends and movements have changed again....
Five Big Mistakes Indie Authors Are Making
There are many talented authors out there, but unfortunately there are not enough book deals to go around for everyone. Some authors therefore have to self-publish their own books if they don’t want them to become frequent reminders of their failed attempts to publish. Sometimes...
Literary Trends That Have To Go
The world today is indeed a free world. Yes, you can do almost anything you want: write about anything your heart desires, have the entire world read it, and you bear the fruit of the success that comes with it. However, this does not mean...