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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...
The Cozy Dystopia or When Small-Town Fiction Meets the End of the World
I almost fell off my seat on the London Underground, laughing, when a friend described her preferred style of dystopian fiction in the most British way imaginable: “I want it to be the end of the world, but with a lovely tea and tomatoes.” And...
Using Real Brands in Creative Writing
As someone who lived in Las Vegas for over a decade, I know as well as anyone what it means to have brand names flashing in neon, screaming to be seen. I've also seen those same neon signs being stripped down and replaced by the...
How to Turn a Mundane Object Into a Plot Device That Changes Everything
When we write stories, we often feel tempted to embellish them with grand drama or jaw-topping trick twists. While those elements have their charm, we sometimes forget that simplicity can often be the ultimate brilliance. Even the most ordinary object can turn a story around,...
How to Make Your Readers Believe a Lie
Great stories often play with the truth, making us believe in something that later turns out to be completely different. That's the art of deception and is a crucial factor in making your story more engaging. The best kind of deception tricks readers and convinces them...
Your Story Needs a ‘What the Heck Just Happened?’ Moment
Every great story has that one moment—a mesmerizing scene with immense twists or jaw-dropping sequences that makes readers sit up and say, "Wait, what?" That's what we call a 'What the Heck Just Happened?' moment. This kind of scene makes the story intriguing and keeps readers...
Maintaining Consistency
There’s nothing worse for a reader than settling into a good story only to discover that you no longer know who’s narrating the story. Some writers consistently jump from one character’s point of view to another. Take Jodi Picoult, for example. Her novels employ multiple...
Your Antagonist Needs a Hobby—Here’s How to Make It Weird!
As readers, we often think about protagonists and believe they have been exemplary in inspiring us with their traits, struggles, or hobbies. But antagonists can also be astonishingly good at playing excellent roles and making an impact through their weird hobbies. A thoughtfully crafted antagonist...
Writing a Plot That's Just a Series of Unfortunate Coincidences!
Crafting a story by relying on the ordinary can get stale. To write a great story, writers have to unleash their imaginations and dive into the extraordinary. Imagine a plot that unfolds as a thrilling series of unfortunate events. Won't that keep readers on the edge...
Your Protagonist’s Morning Routine Could Reveal Their Deepest Flaws!
Have you ever wondered what a character's morning routine says about them? Writers spend hours for backstories, quirks, and emotional arcs, but sometimes, when getting to know a character, the first hour of their morning routine in a day says it all. How about we explore...
What is Your Story’s Theme?
While working on my first novel, “Spring” (PublishAmerica: 2005), as well as the subsequent books in the series, “Summer” (Baico: 2007), “Autumn” (Baico: 2009), and “Winter” (Baico: 2012), I never gave any thought to the idea of ‘theme.’ Why would I? I was writing a...