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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...

Philosophical Ponderings: Nihilism

There are times when we’ll just pick up a book and read a few pages. Then we realize how hopeless and depressing the book is. The character realizes how meaningless their actions are, how pointless the plot is, how insignificant they are as they’re swept away...

Tips for Writing a Superb Blurb – Part 3

A blurb may be the shortest piece of writing you have to come up with for your novel, but it is one of the most important aspects of your novel. You need to get your blurb right to be able to capture the attention of...

What A Writer Should Learn From Santa

You, as a writer, need a little stimulation. This may come in different ways. Have you ever thought about presents? Unless you have different religious views or something, why not write a letter to Santa?  Here is a list to get you started.  Many people remember better...

Tips for Writing a Superb Blurb – Part 2

The blurb of a novel is a powerful tool for an author, especially when they want to grab the attention of the audience and increase sales. While most authors give their utmost attention to the cover to make their book stand out, they more or...

Pets and Writing

Writing is a solitary vocation. We spend hours inside our heads, transferring abstract ideas into concrete written words. At times, it can get lonely and the company of a pet proves beneficial for all the right reasons. Our pets keep us company. They provide much needed...

Tips for Writing a Superb Blurb – Part 1

You never judge a book by its cover, but we are all guilty of that. Anyone who picks up a book will always look at the cover first and judge it. However, what actually makes or breaks a book is the blurb. The blurb or...

Mythical Monsters and Creatures of China Part 3

 Ao Ao is a giant turtle that holds the three islands of the Eight Immortals, Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou, upon his shell. Ao is considered to be one of the older immortal beings living in the South China Sea during the time when the world was...

Mythical Monsters and Creatures of China Part 2

Taotie Taotie is a monster that has only a head and a mouth as in its hunger it ate everything within sight until the only thing left for Taotie to feed upon was its own body. For its greed, Taotie died soon after consuming its own...

Editing Tips - Most Common Mistakes

As a writer, one of the key tasks in getting your book published is to have it professionally edited. Before sending the book to your editor, it is important that you edit it yourself and make sure that the book is as polished as it can...

Why You Should Never Use Clichés

More and more authors nowadays are producing books, thanks to the booming electronic publishing industry. With increasing competitors jostling for readers’ attention, the imperative of making your work stand out is a golden rule a writer must never ignore. One surefire way to make your...