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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
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)
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...
What's the Feghoot? A Tale With a Pun in Its Tail! New!
Imagine a kingdom postponing its coronation because the future monarch keeps disappearing. Eventually, the exhausted royal clerk asks whether everyone might take a “reign check.” There is your feghoot, provided the writer has earned that last ridiculous phrase. The joke is inevitable only after the...
The Rashomon Effect and the Art of Multiple Perspectives New!
Picture this: Five guests see someone fall off of a hotel balcony. An accusation of murder seems pretty much in the bag, until one recalls a desperate attempt from the balcony to pull the victim back. There's a second guest who was snooping in the...
Old Money, New Money and the Personalities of Huge Wealth in Literature New!
Give a character an ultra-high net worth, and you've given them a bank balance. Give that character the belief that every door will open, and you've given them a personality. That's where writing about serious money becomes intriguing, because wealth teaches people what to expect. Consider...
Getting in the Mood...to Write New!
The writing day has to begin somewhere, and for the procrastinators and procrastinator-adjacent, we know that first sentence isn't always step one. There is that little stretch beforehand when the document is open, but your mind is still somewhere else. You may know exactly what...
How to Scare Readers With Something Completely Ordinary New!
A monster crawling out of a dark basement can be frightening. So can a ghost appearing in a mirror. But what about a phone ringing at exactly 3:17 a.m.? A neighbor who waves every morning suddenly refusing to look at you? A child's drawing that...
How to Create Suspense When the Reader Knows Exactly What's Coming New!
Sometimes, the most suspenseful scenes are the ones where readers already know how things will end. We know the Titanic is going to sink. We know Romeo and Juliet are heading toward tragedy. We know the bomb is ticking beneath the table. Yet we keep...
Pronouns in Contemporary Prose New!
The singular “they” has a long history, but nonbinary pronouns are increasingly visible in contemporary fiction, making this an exciting, inclusive moment for novelists. As writers, we ought to rise to the occasion by giving nonbinary characters the same thoughtful construction we give every other...
An MBA and a PhD Don't Mean Anything Without an F-N-B New!
FNB stands for “Finished Novel, Baby,” and yes, I made it up myself. It sounds like a qualification, which is exactly why I like it. We have become excellent at treating credentials as evidence that somebody is ready to begin. For an independent novelist, the...
The Most Suspicious Person in the Room Shouldn't Always Be the Villain New!
When a character avoids eye contact, answers questions too carefully, and disappears whenever something goes wrong, readers start drawing conclusions. They seem suspicious. Naturally, writers often make them the villain. But if the person behaving most suspiciously is always the one responsible, readers will learn to...
Give Your Romance One Completely Unromantic Memory New!
Readers believe in romance when it feels lived in, and that is the quiet power of one unromantic memory. Here are seven ways to write it. Start With the Ugly First Meeting Ask where your couple first looked at each other badly. Charlotte Brontë opens Rochester and...