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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...

Developing Characters Children Will Relate To

Why are some characters so memorable that they live on many years after the first publication? Parents of youngsters will no doubt still remember their beloved children’s classics, and many of the characters that populated the pages of their favorite books. Every children’s author wants...

Creative Ways of Shaking Off Writer’s Block

Writer’s block is the arch nemesis of every author who wants to finish their novel quickly and effortlessly. Battling writer’s block can be a bit difficult, especially when you try too hard to fight it. You can try as hard as you want, but you cannot...

Mistakes to Avoid While Writing Fiction (Part 2)

If you are reading this piece then you must have read the previous article in the series that discusses the common mistakes that authors make while writing fiction. While writing fiction is not easy by any means, if authors can avoid some common mistakes then...

Mistakes to Avoid While Writing Fiction (Part 1)

Writing is not easy and writing a fiction novel is even more difficult. While many people believe that anyone can write, what they don’t understand is that not everyone can write well. The people who excel at writing fiction will let you know the struggle...

The Don’ts of Writing a Novel

Writing is an art that can be mastered with hard work and a lot of practice. Not everyone is born with the natural ability to write well and write great books. Some of us have to add that extra effort and give ourselves an extra...

What to Look for When Editing Your Novel?

Before you can submit your novel to a publisher or even show it to a literary agent, you must proofread and edit your novel thoroughly to make perfect. Editing takes a long time and will need the utmost attention of the editor, so this is...

Write Your Way

Every writer has their own unique style. The style shines through in every work the author creates, whether it be in a short non-fiction work or a long and drawn out, suspense-filled fiction novel that requires multiple volumes to be completed. An author’s style is...

The Uncanny: The Art of Subtle Horror

In horror and suspense writing, the word "uncanny" demands to come to fruition. It is not just a word used, but a word described and come to life. The uncanny, in writing, is bringing what is familiar and making it unfamiliar and then forcing your...

Key Attributes of a Successful Freelancer

Apart from the writing skills required to be a great freelancer, there are many attributes that help in achieving success as a freelance writer. Some of them are obvious but harder to achieve while others are easier to attain. One of the most important attributes that...

What Attracts Millennials?

It is no secret that their values and outlook on life and what matters to them is different from the generations before them. What has changed? What are they seeking? How can your content give them what they want? Millennials have shaken the foundational principles...