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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...

The Psychotic Story of Rebecca

World War II was a rather infamous war. From the darkness of the Holocaust, to the antisemitism, to the loss of life from both sides, it's clear that the war left its mark on many people. However, during this time, many of the German soldiers...

Horror’s Sweetheart: Anne Rice

Anne Rice has carved herself a place within history as one of literature’s most beloved writers. From her addictive plots to the twisted concepts found within her books, she is a remarkable woman who is known throughout the modern gothic world. I myself have even...

The Beauty of Jane Eyre

I remember the day when I became enamored with the wicked embraces of the Gothic romance genre. The Romantic era that took hold of Europe was already fascinating enough, but the works that the era produced were as beautiful as they were tragic. However, none had...

Mark Antony and Cleopatra: The Romance that Changed History

There’s no doubt that Julius Caesar was one of, if not the most, famous ruler of all time. From his immortalization in Shakespeare’s plays, to the way he was brutally betrayed by his own Senate, to even the fact that there’s a salad named after...

Romantic Inspirations: Lancelot and Guinevere

One of the most timeless romances in literature is that of Lancelot and Guinevere. From Lancelot becoming a knight for Guinevere, to Guinevere eventually falling in love with him, to the fact that their romance eventually ended in bittersweet betrayal, it’s clear that there’s an...

The Grotesque Protectors: Gargoyles

Gargoyles are creatures you see outside a church or even on top of an old mansion. They’re the ones that watch you with their rather grotesque eyes. They’re the ones who are perched at the very edge of the building, almost beckoning us to taunt...

The Magic of Midnight

In Cinderella, a young woman who had managed to capture the prince’s heart must leave the ball on the stroke of midnight before the enchantment that made her beautiful wears off. Stephenie Meyer’s draft, Midnight Sun, tells the story of Twilight from Edward’s point of view, though the...

Writing Early Readers, Part 2: Using Lexile Levels

Once you understand how the Lexile system works (Writing Early Readers, Part 1: Understanding Lexile Levels), the next step is to use the Lexile system to write at the desired level. This matters most when you are writing books to be read by young readers....

The Addiction of Billionaire Romances

In young adult fairytales, we find nannies and mothers telling tales of how young girls will find love in the form of a rich prince or lord from far, far away. When girls are still growing up, sometimes they’d even dream of that themselves. The...

Romantic Inspirations: The Tale of the Amaryllis

In front of our house is a beautiful flower called an amaryllis. My father told me he saw some seeds that were thrown out into the garbage. He planted them. Afterwards, the small seeds grew and soon became beautiful flowers that my dad usually shows off to me...