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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...

Literary Inspirations: The Lost Generation

When former President George Bush declared a War on Terror, patriotic fervor followed. People were enlisting in the military in massive rates. Americans were uniting under the notion that they were defending their country. And while there was a plethora of human rights violations, from...

Literary Inspirations: Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson was a masterful poet that has left many praiseworthy works. Many authors have even dedicated the very first pages of their books to her poetry. And despite the pressures of societal norms back then, Dickinson still managed to carve out for herself a...

Literary Inspirations: Robert Frost

If I had to pick a poet I would read over and over again, it would have to be Robert Frost. From his realistic portrayals of rural life to his command of literary devices, Frost has been recognized by both critics and the public alike. He’s...

Griffins in Literature

I remembered watching my older brother play a video game called Phantasy Star Online. He was fighting one of the bosses, and I was cheering him on. However, when I saw the boss, I froze. It was this weird monster with wings on its back...

The Complexities of Nature: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

When I first read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, I had to admit, I was interested. From the crisp imagery to the use of science and self-awareness, I was enchanted. So much so it inspired me to read all sorts of nature publications throughout the...

Literary Inspirations: Walt Whitman

I competed in the Academic Decathlon when I was in high school. The theme that year was nature. During that time, I came across a lot of different nature writers from Annie Dillard to Rachel Carson. Yet one writer stuck out, so much so I went...

Writing Fiction With Historical Figures

Clive Cussler, author of the Dirk Pitt adventure series, employed famous people from history as characters in his stories. For example, Fidel Castro, the former dictator of Cuba, was a central figure in the Pitt novel Cyclops. Abe Lincoln is the main character in Abraham...

The Benefits of Writing

We all know there’s something addictive about writing. It doesn’t matter why we do it; once we pick up a pen, or type on a computer, we can’t stop until we’ve finished telling our stories. We create fantastical worlds that make readers ask just where we...

Romantic Inspirations: The Druids

There was a class I took while I was in my undergraduate year, which involved the history of the witch trials in Europe. I learned a lot about the mass hysteria that took over, from the time they thought the world was ending, to the...

Horrific Inspirations: The People Who Love Serial Killers

When Robert Pattinson was asked by a reporter what he thought of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan from Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight, he laughed awkwardly, and said that there was something wrong with both of them. Edward was clearly a murderous vampire, and the fact that...