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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...

Have We Lost the Knack of the Gab?

During the Covid lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, our sojourns outside of the house were minimized for the better part of two years. We didn’t call friends and family often and were ordered not to socialize in public. We may have resorted to short emails, private messaging...

Stories Are Always Looking For Their Writers

I have been writing short stories, articles, poems, and book reviews for 25 years. I find it fascinating that there seem to be more things to write about during intensive writing, as opposed to times when I am not writing, when there seems to be...

From Idea to Story

You have this fantastic idea floating around in your head. You know it’s a great story because it’s captivated your entire being: you’ve dreamed of this story many times and you think about it whenever you go out to do errands or simply to walk...

So, You’re a Writer?

It always happens at a meet-and-greet party. Everyone is getting to know everyone else and, in the process, questions are asked, like “What do you do for a living?” There are inevitably doctors and lawyers in the group, those who receive due respect merely based...

Writing Faster and More Frequently

If you want to write, do so. Don’t dither about, wishing you were doing the one thing you often dream of doing: writing. Becoming a writer won’t happen until you are writing. As Louis L’Amour wrote, “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not...

When Political Nonfiction Writing Falls Into the Rant Trap

Political nonfiction is an essential genre for understanding and engaging with the pressing issues of our time. However, even the most well-meaning authors can fall into a common pitfall: transforming their work into an extended rant. This all too common issue not only diminishes the...

What the Punk is the Difference? Cyberpunk vs Steampunk vs Dieselpunk

I've found myself drawn into Punk literature and have turned to the main "punk" subgenres to get my fill: cyberpunk, steampunk, and dieselpunk. I admit that I ventured first into cyberpunk, blindly, and then ploughed forward from there. It was a crash course for an...

As You Know, Bob.... Info Dumps Stink

Ah yes, the lazy and totally ineffective "info dump" seems to have reared its ugly head once again, despite it being the literary equivalent of a bucket of cold water. It is the abrupt, often clunky delivery of background information, history, or exposition that halts the...

OMG! Social Media Influence and Fiction Writing

In the digital age, social media has become an undeniable force in shaping how we communicate. From memes to tweets, hashtags to emojis, the rapid evolution of online platforms has influenced not just spoken and written language but also literary expression. For authors, this linguistic...

Social Criticism in YA Dystopian Writing That Won't Sink It

Young Adult (YA) dystopian fiction has a unique capacity to work deeply with societal issues. It taps into the very real concerns of younger audiences by mirroring their fears, aspirations, and difficulties that are singular to their age group. However, embedding social criticism into YA...