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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...

Sociopaths and Psychopaths in Literature

Like it or not, we live in a world where sociopaths and psychopaths seamlessly blend into society. What’s more, psychopaths and sociopaths have been portrayed in both the media and entertainment as violent beings with little consideration for anyone else. Even more surprising is the...

Horrific Inspirations: Elizabeth Bathory

Whenever people think of vampires, they think of blood, sex, possibly even Edward Cullen from Twilight. Sometimes, history comes to mind, while other times, it’s fantastical works such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire. But whatever we associate with the...

Sympathy for the Devil

There are times when not everything in a story should be categorized, especially when it comes to complicated things like good and evil. There are, after all, rarely any humans that fully adhere to their own moral code, and to label them as such is...

Character Research

So, you have a great idea for your next novel. A thriller based in a hotel in England. Once you have an idea for your novel, the next step will be creating interesting and engaging characters that the reader can believe in. Every novel has...

Mistakes Made When Writing A Synopsis

The synopsis can vary wildly from writer to writer. The most important thing to remember when writing your synopsis is that you must write it for the benefit of the reader, and not as a guideline to write your novel by. The main objective of...

Horrific Inspirations: The Importance of an American Psycho

Serial killers are, in a twisted way, fun to read about. Whether they’re the protagonist or the antagonist, serial killers are portrayed as unhinged, disturbed, and, in many cases, insane. Though they may have some spark of humanity within them, this little light is often...

Horrific Inspirations: The Suicide Forest

In the movie The Forest, the protagonist must find her sister after she goes missing in a forest called Aokigahara. In the horror game Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, the forest was used as inspiration for the story’s setting. In Jeremy Bates’s Suicide Forest, the forest...

Analysing Poetry - Part 2

(Continuation from Analysing Poetry Part 1) The structure is another vital consideration. The specific arrangement of stanzas and the order of events presented in the poem should make sense. Even though the language used in the poem is not necessarily direct, this does not mean that...

Analyzing Poetry - Part 1

With their unique structures and distinctive styles, poems can be the hardest to analyze and review. One poet's technique may differ widely from another. Are there any rules? What are some of the things that a reviewer can look out for? What is clichéd and...

The Minimalist’s Guide to Becoming a Better Writer

Writing is quite simple, isn’t it? You read, write and critique. But there is something missing – the hard work that goes into it all. Newbie or old-hand, you cannot and should not avoid deliberate practice. Over time, writing will become easier but you should...