Author Services

Author Articles

Hundreds of Helpful Articles

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. Below that are hundreds of articles on topics all authors face in today’s literary landscape. Get help and advice on Writing, Marketing, Publishing, Social Networking 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: Morgan le Fay

In Meg Cabot’s series, Avalon High, a young high school student moves to a new school called Avalon High, where she meets a whole host of stereotypical students, one of which is the reincarnation of King Arthur himself. When the book became a graphic novel,...

The Greek Deities

Greek mythology is certainly a popular topic to write about. From Rick Riordan, to Josephine Angelini, to Aimee Carter, Greek mythology has often been incorporated within a plethora of genres, including young adult. What’s more, many TV shows have taken a different perspective on these...

Sirens in Literature

From the horrific Greek legends that have graced literature, to the modern interpretations involving them, sirens have had an important impact when it comes to mythology. For example, in Supernatural, the Winchester brothers had to fight against a siren, a creature that almost succeeds in...

War: What is it Good For?

Perfect. You’ve decided upon a conflict, the conflict of war, but before you move forward ask yourself a few of the following questions: 1. What could cause a war? 2. Win or lose? 3. What sort of war is this going to be? 4. What are civilians doing while...

Romantic Inspirations: Persephone and Hades

The legend of Persephone and Hades is a rather odd romance, to say the least. From the forceful abduction to the arranged marriage, to even the twisted concept of love at first sight, their relationship has influenced various modern novels. In Abandon by Meg Cabot,...

Writing Early Readers, Part 1: Understanding Lexile Levels

The genre of early readers can be fun and delightful (Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham) or dull as dry toast (Dick and Jane). Maybe the only element these books have in common is the ease with which they can be read. If you want...

The Different Ways We Express Love in Literature

Have you ever seen a weird character that just seems so out of place with their affection that readers end up asking themselves What’s their problem? How about a time when a love interest seemed to like stalking our precious protagonist, and rather than explain to...

Horrific Inspirations: The Creation of Zombies

In Jonathan Maberry’s Dead of Night series, zombies were created based on a series of biological agents that manifested into a single corpse, one that had expressed the desire to spread the disease across the world. However, in Laurel Black’s His Grey Eyes, it was...

The Makings of a Good villain

The villain has to be exciting. They have to be thrilling in a way that makes them seem almost inhuman. There has be twists and turns, but there also needs be a few predictable character traits here and there. While these requirements can be incredibly...

A Writer’s Worst Weaknesses and What We Can Do About Them

Being a writer isn’t an easy profession. From the endless hours we spend slaving over our books, to the constant pressures of marketing, to dealing with the constant criticisms whenever we’re simply writing what we like; it’s a profession that’s certainly not for the faint...