Author Services

Author Articles

Hundreds of Helpful Articles

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 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...

Essential Tips for Writing a Fantasy Novel Part 2

Tip #5 Define the Limits Even though some of the characters in the book possess supernatural abilities, there should be a limit to their abilities. An undefeatable foe will make the reader become bored and will do little in establishing a realistic conflict where either side could...

Essential Tips for Writing a Fantasy Novel Part 1

This article contains a few tips that you may want to review when writing a fantasy novel. Tip #1 Determine which category your fantasy novel falls into There are different fantasy subgenres. They include dark fantasy, fairy tale fantasy, contemporary fantasy or even historical fantasy; the list is long....

Writing Young Adult Fiction

Young Adult fiction refers to a wide range of genres written to a specific readership that falls within a certain age group, mainly 12-18 years. Included in this article are key points and insights to think about when writing for young adults. Audience Writing for young adults...

Defining and Maintaining your Writing Routine

Creating and maintaining any productive habit can be difficult and many times frustrating. When established, however, these habits can be extremely beneficial in relation to adopting a more productive lifestyle. As a writer, it can be challenging to define a writing routine that works for...