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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. 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...

The Moment Everything Changed For Your Character

Character development is a gradual process and there is plenty out there on how to build up to fully-fleshed characters. But within this, as part of the rising plot action, is that pivotal moment when a character changes fundamentally. It is a shift so dramatic...

What is the Difference Between a Novel, a Novella, and a Novelette?

The number of words determines the classification of the book as a novel, a novella, or a novelette. However, that being said, there’s no real consensus for any of the classifications. Even the classification of a short story, a short short story, a long short...

Horror Protagonists We Love to Hate

There's a formula to fiction writing that most writers follow. The protagonist is good, the antagonist is bad, and everyone else is either along for the ride or collateral damage. In horror, this expectation is often flipped on its head. Horror fiction thrives on discomfort,...

How Not to Turn a Setting Into a Travelogue

One of the great joys of writing is building up settings that bring readers into the space that you see your characters in, whether that place exists in real life or is imagined. Yet, there’s a fine line between creating that environment and drowning a...

Mastering the Use of Time in Fiction

Time is one of the most unique aspects of storytelling that an author controls. Characters and settings are always going to be a little bit different in the mind and imagination of a reader, but time is the tool that nobody but its creator can...

The Debunking of Deus Ex Machina in Literature

Few things can make a reader throw their book at the wall as quickly as a too-tidy and convenient resolution. When a novel ends with a deus ex machina or an implausible coincidence, it often feels like a betrayal of trust between the author and...

Assault as a Driver for a Man’s Revenge Story

Storytelling in literature often reflects society’s evolving values. We've come a long way, particularly in how women are both depicted and received. Still, some tropes stubbornly linger despite their problematic implications. Among these is the use of a woman’s sexual assault as a plot device...

Six Ways to Ruin a Sex Scene in Fiction

Oh, baby! The sizzle factor in fiction has hit the mainstream and is currently at its all-time high. Gone are the days when readers were relegated to storage closets to jam in a chapter on their lunch break, and authors have even started to ditch...

Why Questions Are So Important for Middle Grade Novel Writers

Children are full of questions. From the time they speak their first words, children will persistently and constantly ask the annoying questions: why, what if, how come. Younger children ask the basic question of why, but middle graders are full of more in-depth questions, like what...

The Art of the First Line

The first line is a make-or-break moment. Most readers will hang in there for the whole first paragraph, or page, but like any first impression, you will not get a second chance. Over the weekend I binged on a Masterclass called James Patterson Teaches Writing,...