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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...

Romantic Inspirations: A Tale of Two Kings

Whenever we think of LGBT activism, we think of modern progress, such as the Supreme Court’s Ruling on gay marriage, pride parades, and the expansion of the definition of family. We think of many couples coming out and declaring their love for one another. Despite...

Horrific Inspirations: The Yorkshire Ripper

Jack the Ripper was an infamous serial killer in Whitechapel who managed to gut at least six prostitutes. He was known for toying with the police, as well as hiding in the darkness, ensuring that he would continue his reign of terror. Even so, there...

Horrific Inspirations: Centralia, Pennsylvania

In the famous horror game Silent Hill, the protagonist has to wander around in an abandoned mining town inspired by Centralia, Pennsylvania in order to find his missing daughter. What’s more, it’s also been said to have been the sight of several hauntings. The reason for...

Romantic Inspirations: The Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau

In American Horror Story: Coven, Marie Laveau is depicted as a powerful voodoo queen that could kill without ever leaving the comfort of her workplace. In Season: A Novel by Jewell Parker Rhodes, Laveau intertwines with a rather mysterious force whose past interacts with the...

Horrific Inspirations: Madame Delphine LaLaurie

In American Horror Story: Coven, a very powerful witch digs up the unmarked grave of a rather horrible woman. Said woman tries clean up her name by spreading false rumors about it, and at the end of the series, ends up going to Hell because...

Romantic Inspirations: The Tower of London

The Tower of London has a cozy little place in popular culture. From its use in the British movie Johnny English, to William Harrison Ainsworth’s historical romance, The Tower of London, it’s clear that the tower itself has been used in more than one artistic endeavor....

When Writers/Readers Overstep Their Boundaries

Sometimes, authors have legitimate reasons to avoid the public eye. Whether it be through the use of a pen name, or the abandoning of a book signing, some authors usually have good reasons for doing this. Some of the material they write may be controversial,...

Romantic Inspirations: Mordred

As the legendary king of Britain, Arthur Pendragon made more than a few enemies, with one of the most iconic being Mordred. Mordred had once served as one of Arthur’s knights, and had fought Arthur at the infamous Battle of Camlann. However, despite his dark...

Coping With A Bad Review

When we first publish a book, we want it to receive the best reviews. Mostly 5 stars, a few 4 stars, editorial reviews guaranteed to get readers to buy our book. We dream our works will make it to the big screen, like that of...

Generate Ideas Using Writing Bursts

Lots of people have ideas in their heads that would make great fiction stories but most never get around to putting their thoughts into action. Mostly, it comes down to not having enough free time and, if we do manage to find the time, we...