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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...

Why You Should Write Flash Fiction

Flash fiction has been around for almost a century. Ernest Hemingway even dabbled with something shorter—a micro-fiction about unused baby shoes. Flash fiction has come of age in our time, where the internet has made it possible for everyone to materialize the stories inside their...

How to be Continually Motivated - Part 2

Choose to be optimistic Contrary to popular belief, optimism is a choice you decide to make every day. Optimistic people are not unaware of the issues that surround them, but instead of focusing on them, they choose to see the good that is also happening around...

How to be Continually Motivated - Part 1

Life for everyone, including writers, contains ups and downs. Sometimes it is easy to remain motivated but most times we have to find ways to remain motivated not only in our careers but also in our personal lives. Remaining motivated, as addressed in this article,...

Developing your Supporting Characters - Part 3

Develop the secondary characters too Supporting characters should not appear from anywhere in the book and then disappear just like that. Even though the main characters appear in more scenes, the supporting characters’ backgrounds should be explored too. If possible, let them appear in every major...

Developing your Supporting Characters - Part 2

Clearly define their role in the work The reason most characters’ stories go on for longer than they should is because the writer has not established a clear reason why they should appear in the story in the first place. The role of the supporting character...

Developing your Supporting Characters - Part 1

Though not commonly spoken or written about, supporting characters are as integral to your book as the main characters are. Even though their role is not central to the plot, supporting characters make the work complete. However, creating secondary characters is not as easy as...

Why Keep a Diary?

Samuel Pepys elevated it into an art form. Anne Frank made it famous. People keep diaries for different reasons, but often, it is rooted in something deep and personal. While many of us keep a diary to keep track of our own affairs, others keep...

Thoughts on Hemingway

Who does not know the name, Ernest Hemingway? The man is a literary fixture whose work has become recommended reading in schools, and his works are easily found in libraries. He is no doubt one of the greatest American writers who ever lived. However, like most...

Writers and an Education

Are you reliable? Do you produce quality work? I feel this is better than a degree. I disagree about needing a degree. Do you have plenty of examples of your work to provide? Make a resume with your portfolio and move your tush onto websites...

Steps to Follow While Writing Your Memoir

Writing your own memoir or a memoir about someone you love is exceptionally difficult. You have to open old wounds or talk about difficult things that can leave you exhausted for days. However, more than that, most authors experience self-doubt about writing their stories and...