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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...

Treating Your Writing as a Business

Are you self-publishing a series in a particular genre, say erotica, young adult, romance, sci-fi, crime, etc? With such an objective, the thought of profiting from your work has crossed your mind. Why not? Why shouldn’t you earn a few bucks for something that you...

SEO 101 (Part 2 of 2)

Another bonus is that most companies have an SEO expert on board who would help you determine the SEO specifications they want. Because of this, most companies are even willing to train new writers from the basic to the advanced concepts of SEO. As mentioned earlier,...

SEO 101 (Part 1 of 2)

Writing online requires a specific set of skills not commonly needed in old school writing. This is why writers must keep themselves up to date with the latest trends through continuing writing education. You have seen and heard it before--companies looking for writers with SEO...

How Newsletters Help Market Your Book

I’d be lying if I said we, as writers, didn’t have to market our own work. Not only do we have to worry about query letters, but with the rise of self-publishing and indie publishing, we also have to worry about marketing ourselves to our...

Honesty Without Brutality in Negative Reviews

For authors, negative reviews are a bane, the hammer that shatters their masterpiece. The tragedy is that negative reviews break potential authors. I have seen young writers who have authored books, but upon reading scathing reviews, have stopped. Negative reviews are often insensitive. They mean well,...

Sell More Ebooks by Optimizing Your Metadata

Self-publishing authors who rely heavily on sales generated on their website gloss over metadata and its importance. Metadata is a vital part of your book’s success as it helps your book become visible in the vast world of internet. If your reader cannot find your...

Introversion and Marketing

Somewhere out there, a shy, reclusive would-be author is “in the zone,” typing away words that will assemble a potential masterpiece and he considers taking the self-publishing route. Then it hits him: marketing is not his strong suit. No introverted writer ever shouted, “Buy my...

Pitching Your High-Concept Book

What is a high-concept idea? Writers often confuse the meaning of this term. Simply put, it starts with a highly original “what-if” premise that you can use to pitch using a one-liner or two. A high-concept is often a fusion of plots or themes inspired...

Tips for Making a Commercially Successful Audiobook

More and more authors are trying to delve into the deep and very lucrative waters of audiobooks. More readers are now into listening to audiobooks than reading a novel as they offer more convenience and an experience unlike any other. While there is a huge...

Newsletters

Any writer will tell you that having your own newsletter can really boost your sales and help solidify your fanbase. A newsletter can be sent out to your email list on a regular basis, letting your subscribers know about new releases, deals, and giveaways. So...