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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...
Good Habits For Freelance Writers
Welcome to adult elementary school. Yes, we were taught skills in elementary school, such as proper English and manners. Back in elementary school, I was in a program for creative writing. However, I was never taught good habits for such a task. As I thought about the contents...
Effective Tips for Concrete World Building in Fantasy Novels
Writing fantasy is not an easy task, especially considering that you will have to come up with a whole new world setup, new cultures, creative names and even dressing customs that haven’t been used before. The setting of your fantasy novel is not just for...
Tips for Developing a Better Plot That Stands Out!
Learning how to develop a story can be very hard for an aspiring author. While authors with more experience know what they need to do to make their plot stand out, debut or aspiring authors have a harder time figuring out what works and what...
Understanding Cognitive Dissonance Part 2
A similar situation of cognitive dissonance was seen in an experiment conducted by Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) where the volunteers who were paid one dollar believed they enjoyed the task they were paid to do while the volunteers paid twenty dollars found it less enjoyable....
Understanding Cognitive Dissonance Part 1
In my article "The Need for Psychology Understanding,” I discussed how fiction writers need at least a basic understanding of psychology in order to write realistic content, dialogues, characters, and relationships. One such psychological concept is cognitive dissonance. Writers can make use of cognitive dissonance...
These are The Major No-No’s of Writing Romance that You Must Avoid
There is a common misconception that writing romance is easy. Writing romance isn’t easy and it takes real talent and creativity to write original romance that becomes an instant hit with readers. Quality writing takes some time, dedication and experience and requires many sacrifices. There...
Understanding Psychological Sales Techniques
In my article "The Need for Psychology Understanding,” I discussed how fiction writers need at least a basic understanding of psychology in order to write realistic content, dialogues, characters, and relationships. One such psychological concept is psychological sales techniques. Psychological sales techniques can be used...
Romantic Inspirations: Hamlet
Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, is one of the world’s most famous pieces of literature. It’s a play that delves into the darker parts of human nature, from corruption, to revenge, to an individual’s descent into madness. It has been reproduced over and over again...
Summer's Vibrant Youth
I live in Texas. And in Texas, it gets hot during the summer. Immensely hot, so much so we even started selling t-shirts that say, “I survived the summer of 2011.” And during my brief stint in medical school, where there was practically no cold...
Spring's Warm Embrace
Although I’m fond of the colder seasons, I can’t help but have a soft spot for spring. After all, the majority of my family’s birthdays, including my own, are in the spring. Plus, spring is a time when all the flowers are in bloom and when...