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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...
The Pros of Joining Writing Groups and Communities
You may have realized in your journey as a writer, that writing is more than just words on paper. There is so much that comes with writing. Writing is more like a process of growth. You adopt new ideas and routines while abandoning others as...
Self-Publishing After a Traditional Publisher Closes
There are many articles in cyberspace about how to do self-publishing right. I should know because I have read hundreds of them since learning that my publisher was going out of business as of the end of last year. It was a small independent publisher...
What to Consider When Designing Your Book Cover
Even though a wise man once said “Do not judge a book by its cover,” most people judge books by their covers. It may not occur to you as a writer the important role the cover of your book plays in the success of your...
How to Find the Perfect Font for Your Novel
The font is the workhorse of your book and sends out a message to readers about the kind of content to expect. But before you set out to find the perfect font for your book, you need to understand the basic terminology. 1. Font Terminology - A...
How To Create A Digital Book Cover That Sells
It is recommended that authors enlist a professional designer to create their book covers. But authors need to know the basic design principles and elements of a great book cover. After all, the designer will present you with a few options, and you will have...
Let's Talk Traditional Publishing: My Experience
It is every author's dream to have an agent or a publisher look at their work and say, "Yes, this is exactly what we want," and publish their book, as it was my dream too. To have your book published by a company is great...
Benefits of Publishing with an Independent or Small Publisher
You have a book that you’ve decided, for whatever reason, isn’t right for mainstream publishing. Maybe enough agents have passed so that you’ve decided to take a different path, maybe your work is too short, maybe it's a better fit for niche markets, or maybe...
What Are the Pros and Cons of using a Pseudonym?
"Who would have thought that famous names in literature such as Mark Twain, Lewis Caroll, and Dr. Seuss were actually pseudonyms for Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, and Theodor Geisel?" - Pseudonyms for Authors: Self-Publishing Pen Name Tips Many writers have published their books using a pseudonym, alias, or...
A Small Introduction to Selling Foreign Rights and Foreign Rights Agents
Whether you are a beginner author or established, you will probably have come across the term “foreign rights”. When you publish your book in your own language it may reach a wide audience, but what about the global market where readers speak many other languages? Getting your...
The Pros and Cons of Publishing Through the Traditional route or Self-Publishing
The author of a book has two choices when it comes to publishing his or her book. These are through the traditional route (publisher) or by publishing the book themselves. Each of these two methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. This article will serve...