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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...
Ideas For New Writers
Deciding to become a writer can be quite frightening, especially when you have little or no experience and skill. What is more important is that you have the drive and passion to learn. Over the years, I have managed to gather together some tips and techniques which I have found invaluable. I have described...
How To Develop A Strong Female Heroine
All women love to read a novel where the female characters have strong and vibrant personalities. We all have our favourite heroines in literature, a female who inspired us not to be afraid to have our own values and beliefs. So, how can you create a true heroine in your story, and not...
Literary Tactics Used In Copywriting
Copywriting is something that most novelists avoid like the plague because it can be so boring and they feel it is a pointless exercise. I agree it can become soul destroying, but if you want to have a greater reach to your potential audience, and urge them...
Perfectionism Kills Creativity
Perfectionism; does it even exist, and even if it did, would it be something that would hinder you or propel you into success? Being a perfectionist is something that most people regard as a flaw in their personality, and it is right for them to feel this...
The Nature of Short Stories
Short stories can be summed up in something poet, novelist, and short story writer Stephen Vincent Benét once said, “[short stories are] Something that can be read in an hour and remembered for a lifetime.” Unlike a novel, a short story is usually a dramatic and intense...
Why Is It So Important To Be Productive?
Whether you write for a living or just as a hobby, the planning of your writing schedule, getting the most out of your time is so important. Making your day productive is essential to your creativity for many reasons. I have listed the most important below. First, you can...
How To Repair Plot Holes
Plot holes in your manuscript can make the difference between a successful novel and one that never gets off the ground. But trying to find them might not only be difficult, but so stressful too. So, let's first discuss how we find those menacing plot holes and then how to fix them. Before we...
How To Stop Fear Killing Your Dreams
The fear of failure is the main reason that kills most people's dreams. Nobody likes to admit they have failed in anything they have tried in their life. It is a huge knock to your sense of self-worth, and you begin to doubt that you can ever become...
What Should You Look For In a Mentor as a Writer?
Even though it is not a necessity, having a mentor as a writer helps you grow faster than you could by yourself. However, sometimes challenges arise and it is not always easy to find someone who is as invested in your future as you are....
Three Reasons You Are Not Writing As Much Every Day
Being a writer for a profession can be so hard at times. Not only are there those dreaded periods of writer's block, but also trying to create unique characters and realistic dialogue, along with plots that engage the reader and sub-plots to support the main storyline. A writer predominantly works alone with no one...