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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...

Child Sacrifices and Our Muses

When children are sacrificed in a society, whether it be religion or otherwise, it speaks volumes about the morality that society. Children are generally seen as innocent, incorruptible beings, so it disturbs readers when something bad happens to them. Though we sometimes believe these instanes...

What to Know About Orlando as a Setting

In my article “Setting: Elements of Towns and Cities,” I wrote about how many writers believe a setting is merely a location; however, a setting is not just a location, but everything that would define a location as a place. The seven elements that a...

Australian Monsters Part 2

Hawkesbury River Monster The Hawkesbury River Monster is believed to live in the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales. The Hawkesbury River Monster is thought to be similar to the Loch Ness Monster in that most believe it looks like an aquatic lizard similar to the...

Should You Write How You Speak?

Have you ever received feedback on your novel stating that your dialogue was unrealistic or too formal for the character? Or maybe your characters' speech lacked uniqueness? We were taught in school that when writing non-fiction the use of contractions or metaphors should be avoided. However, when you are...

Inventing Languages: Part 1

Much has been written about J.R.R. Tolkien’s invention and use of languages in The Lord of the Rings and his other works.  Believably, his Elves challenge, sing, and chant in two distinct languages, Quenya and Sindarin; his Dwarves carve, shout and curse in Khazad; his horse riders...

How to Write for Children

The most important thing to remember before you begin to write for young children is to get an equal balance of entertainment and simplicity. You want to engage them without being condescending or making the storyline too complicated. The first and most vital thing to...

How To Get Away With Murder

When I was little, I used to love watching the Investigation Discovery channel. Despite my parents' endeavors to try to drag me away from it, I kept switching on the channel. As such, whenever I read crime novels, I couldn’t help but ask myself who...

Horrific Inspirations: Child Sacrifices

When children are sacrificed in a society, it speaks volumes about the morality of that society. Children are generally seen as innocent, incorruptible beings, so it physically disturbs readers when something happens to them. The instances in history where child sacrifice is practiced often reflects...

Horror Tropes: The Final Girl

Whenever people think of women in the 1950s, especially in the entertainment industry, we think of tropes like the damsel-in-distress, or the supposedly strong heroine who ends up falling in love with the hero and doing everything humanly possible to bed him. Perhaps we even...

Horrific Inspirations: Exorcisms

Exorcisms are one of the most iconic practices of the Catholic Church. Whether it be casting out demons, or simply learning about the hierarchies of Heaven and Hell, or even showing just how good can overcome evil in the most dire of circumstances, exorcisms have...