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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 Sirens of Death: Banshees

In Ireland, there are tales of a woman that haunts her family members, a woman that watches over you, if you’re lucky, at least until you die. That woman is called a banshee. Also called the “fairy woman”, the banshee has been known throughout literature,...

The Ethereal Beauties of Horror: Ghosts

Ghosts have an enchanting feel to them that has been noted in various books and movies. From paranormal romance to Gothic horror to even comedy, these tales have had a special place in more bittersweet literature. For instance, in The Lady in the Moonlight by Lathish...

Horrific Inspirations: The Victims of Jack the Ripper

Despite the world’s tendency of producing a fair number of serial killers, there’s no doubt that Jack the Ripper sits at the top. From his grotesque mutilations, to the paranoia he inspired in England, Jack the Ripper was known for his cleverness, his odd tastes,...

Horrific Inspirations: Purgatory

Purgatory has always been a particularly famous realm in human history. The Catholic Church has referenced it as a place sinners go in order to cleanse themselves of their sins before entering heaven. In the TV show Supernatural, the main cast describes Purgatory to be a...

What to Know About Key West 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, setting is not just a location, but everything that would define a location as a place. The seven elements that a writer...

Write A Great Opening Scene

The time has come to begin writing your next novel. But how do you start? You will have written the storyline, but you are not sure what opening scene of the book will be the best to engage the reader. The opening scene is by...

The Penny Dreadful Era

Penny Dreadful is a British TV show that revolves around the lives of particularly famous Gothic characters, such as Dr. Frankenstein, the Frankenstein monster, Dorian Gray, and even Dr. Jekyll himself. These characters, however, all revolve around a woman named Vanessa, who is the target...

The 4 Seasons

In Ginny Clyde’s Heiress to Waitress series, Clyde writes a book for three of the seasons, showing just how much our heroine has matured. Haikus often paint a simplistic, yet powerful image of nature, many of which involve the seasons. Nature writers, such as Annie Dillard,...

How to Write for Middle School Kids Part 1

Most kids tend to be picky about what they read so it is often a challenge to come up with a book that they will enjoy. As a thirteen-year-old reviewer, I know quite a bit about this. As hard as it may be to write...

What to Know About Miami Florida 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 setting is not just a location, but everything that would define a location as a place. The seven elements that a writer...