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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...

How to Get More Creative in Your Creative Fiction

Anyone can write a story, but not everyone can write good fiction. Writing great fiction is more challenging to create. It is the by-product of adherence to discipline and the demands of the craft. Creative fiction is like a wild beast that needs taming. The...

How to Link Episodes in Your Novel

In an episodic novel, how the writer links events determines the degree of unity and suspense in his story. The writer must use the linking episode technique with precision. Linking episodes are distinct from events that happen one after another — linking two episodes works...

Ways For Writers To Cope With The Winter Blues

In the United States, we have what is called 'seasonal affective disorder.' For an easier explanation, such a symptom is called the winter blues. Lack of sunshine during the dreary days and nights of winter are at fault basically. So, why is this being brought...

What is Blatant Foreshadowing?

Sometimes the writer cannot help but feel impressed by his own writing. It happens when the plot all fits together, and it feels like magic. How the writer connects events and conflicts is brilliant, and one of the excellent ways this happens is by foreshadowing....

Two Types of Conflict Resolution

Traditionally, novels tell stories chronologically, from Point A going to point B, and so on. The skillful twists and turns the writer creates are what make the reader turn pages. Along with the plot, conflicts arise that a character must resolve to end on a high...

Expanding your Readership - Part 3 of 3

Edit and check for errors Nothing is as uninviting as a list of grammatical errors noticeable in your article. Grammatical errors give the impression that the work was hurriedly done which affects its credibility. The reader will, therefore, more likely doubt your content as it appears...

Expanding your Readership - Part 2 of 3

Create dialogue Another way to hook readers into your writing is by creating dialogue within your content. Just like a story, a conversation will engage them and your writing will not feel like a list of facts put together. Blog posts, especially, require this technique to...

Expanding your Readership - Part 1 of 3

Whether you are a blogger, an author, or a writer in any capacity, attracting readers to your content is crucial. After all, we write and post our work publicly for others to read. However, it is not always that simple and sometimes we grapple with...

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...