Author Services

Author Articles

Hundreds of Helpful Articles

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. Below that are hundreds of articles on topics all authors face in today’s literary landscape. Get help and advice on Writing, Marketing, Publishing, Social Networking 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...

Top Five Companies for SEO Content Writers – Part 1

Are you thinking about becoming an SEO content writer? Do you even know where to start looking for work? It is a fantastic niche for freelance writers to get involved in simply because of the sheer amount of work to be found. That’s all very well,...

Tips on How to Write Your First Draft - Part 2

#Tip 5 Create a mind map if that works for you For some authors, mind mapping is more effective than creating a basic outline. Mind maps are great especially for developing the scenes that will appear in your work. Start from your central idea and move outwards,...

Tips on How to Write Your First Draft - Part 1

If you are wondering how and when to begin the draft for a book you have always wanted to write, here are some tips that can help you. While the list does not fully exhaust all the possibilities you can try, it gives direction on...

How to Write Powerful Scenes - Part 4

Use scenes to reveal the conflict in the plot Again, in this case, do not directly state what the particular conflict is; rather show feelings of discontentment or apprehension. The conflict in the scene should be meaningful to the whole story. Do not create scenes where your characters...

How to Write Powerful Scenes - Part 3

Ensure scenes remain authentic and fit other elements of the story For example, a character should not appear benevolent in one scene and cruel in another without a good reason. Scenes should contain details that are consistent with the roles of the characters and they should...

How to Write Powerful Scenes - Part 2

Connect different scenes Earlier in the novel, a character can do something or experience an event whose consequences or meaning are revealed through scenes that appear towards the end of the book. Connecting scenes together gives the story direction and provides the reader with satisfaction. For instance,...

How to Write Powerful Scenes - Part 1

A scene is a point in which an incident occurs in a plot. This definition allows us to draw the first reason for having scenes in your work - the happening of an incidence. Any scene that appears in a novel has either of these...

Avoid Those Name Brands!

While the radio played the latest song by (name of famous pop star), she saw his (name of a luxury car) pull up in front of the house. Slipping into her (designer name) shoes that looked stunning with her (designer name) dress, she dabbed some...

About White Noise

As a writer, I need white noise to concentrate. Yes, there is good in peaceful silence, such as at a church service. However, as for writing, it is just a different story. So, I am going to share with you most of the sounds I...

How to Format Dialogue Correctly

Keep it simple. Dialogue tags—he said, she said, etc.—are usually all you need to indicate who’s speaking, so resist the urge to get creative and overdo it. Mentors and teachers who tell you to do otherwise and find alternatives are, more often than not, unpublished and...