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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...

Fan Love Overcomes Obscurity

Obscurity is a new indie author's worst problem. It's a perplexing issue but writers can use generosity to drive their author platform growth. One simple strategy can move an indie writer beyond obscurity. This proved itself repeatedly in my experience. During my marketing agency years, content marketing...

Anatomy of a School Visit

School visits are a great way to reach student readers and to provide an experience for them that will have a lasting, positive impact on their lives—especially if they aspire to be authors themselves. It’s also a great way to supplement your income as a...

The University Newspaper Review Niche

When my book came out, I immediately emailed my alma mater’s student-run newspaper. I asked if they would be interested in reviewing it, thinking that because I was a former student and was born in the city itself, that it was a sure thing. It’s...

Do You Know Who Your Target Audience Is?

Do you know who your readers are? It is so easy to get into a habit of writing what YOU want or to impress an editor but that may not attract the readers you want. No doubt you have heard the phrase “target audience” more times than...

Time-Saving Marketing Strategies

Every writer knows that simply writing a great novel is not the end of the process. If no-one knows your novel exists, then how will any reader be able to enjoy the content you have created? This means that, as a writer, you have to...

The Benefits of Book Awards Part 2

As the new year begins, so should authors start gearing up for entering book awards. Entering book awards is not as difficult as it seems. In a previous post I outlined the pros and cons of entering, and having achieved numerous awards and nominations for...

The Benefits of Book Awards Part 1

Have you thought about entering your book into an awards contest as part of your marketing drive? I firmly believe in the value of book awards when marketing one’s book/s so this article will highlight the benefits of entering book awards and competitions. I have...

Social Media Platforms: Using Facebook to Engage Readers

Not every author is comfortable with using multiple social media platforms as they have their own level of proficiency using social media. You don’t have to be on every social media platform to be able to connect with your readers and engage with them. If...

Marketing Techniques that Work

The process of self-publishing your book is pretty straightforward, and more importantly, free on websites such as Amazon and the KDP program. But once your book has been published on their website, it can quickly disappear amongst the competition. If you do not learn how to market your book effectively, then there is a high chance no-one...

Which Social Media Platform To Use As A Writer

Whatever genre you write, fiction, non-fiction or poetry, having a presence online is absolutely essential. Social media can increase your fanbase enormously. This follows that if you have a wide audience already, agents and publishers are more likely to take an interest in your work. They will see you have a proven track record of an established reader...