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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

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)

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...

Background Story in Your Story

Part of which makes characters believable are their background stories. It is the component that makes readers love or hate them. Any character devoid of their own what, when, why, who, where, and how becomes unrealistic and forgettable. But in fiction, too much of anything...

7 Favorite Claimants to Shakespeare’s Authorship (Part 2)

Christopher Marlowe Marlowe was just two years older than Shakespeare and had the required talent to pull it off. Marlowe’s death was said to be faked, or that he kept working covertly while bleeding from a stab wound for twenty years. Under the protection of his...

7 Favorite Claimants to Shakespeare’s Authorship (Part 1)

As Shakespeare’s plays oozed with grace and expertise, it has bred envious scrutiny as a number of people throughout history claimed that the Bard was simply a stooge who allowed his name to be used by someone greater, who refused the prestigious credit of becoming...

Defining Character Relationship Through Sex

During the conservative era of literature, the depiction of sex was considered taboo and was better left in the sanctity of the bedroom. But times change, and defiant writers believed that sex as a natural, biological function must be depicted. Otherwise, all things that come...

Supporting Characters as Source of Information

Internal monologue, action, and dialogue may reveal character, but how far can the writer allow it? Most of us are familiar with this Aristotelian maxim: Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. It is a question worth applying to fictional characters. In the application...

Avoiding Excessive Stream of Consciousness

Stream of consciousness or internal monologue reveals additional information on a character’s thoughts and reveals motivation. Modern-day writers must observe caution in using this technique. It has changed according to the tastes and trends of the times. Stream of consciousness gained favor during the twentieth...

The Myth About Fictional Characters

A three-dimensional character is one of the sturdy foundations of an effective story. How many times have you often heard readers saying that they didn’t like the characters because they are flat, or that they don’t jump out of the pages? This creates anxiety for...

Reasons Why Writing is Good for You

There are many benefits that come with writing. One major benefit is that writing helps in developing a more focused mind. Writing requires concentration and the dedication of your time to a specific task. This helps the mind become more accustomed to solving one task...

Tips on Self-Editing your First Draft

You are done with your novel, now it is time to edit. Self-editing can be a rigorous activity that many overlook yet it is necessary for the success of your book. There are a few tips that you could make use of to create the...

How to Achieve Clarity in your Writing

One of the basic functions of the written word is to communicate a message from one person to another. Achieving clarity in your writing is not always easy, especially if you are writing a longer piece such as a book. Even though challenging, creating clear...