Book Review and Contest Insights from Real Reviews and Submissions

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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 Mythical Spirits of Venezuela

In How to Write a Unique Spooky Story, I wrote about how to write a unique spooky story by either creating your own monster, creature, or horror yourself or by finding a monster that is not well known. I advised finding a monster by researching...

Monsters of Poland

Writing Violence

If you have ever written an action or crime novel, then you realise the importance of writing realistic acts of violence. Knowing the key ingredients needed, you can create violence that the reader can empathise with and relate to. It is vital that when you...

The Darkness of a Portrait: Dorian Gray

Morality is a funny thing. Whether that be seen through the eyes of a bystander, or through the protagonist themselves, there’s no doubt that everyone has a moral compass. However, when we’re led astray, we try to blame our fall on someone else, despite the...

The Sorrow of Edgar Allen Poe

One of the most time honored writers in American history was also the one who laid the foundations for the Gothic genre. From his dark, dreary poems, to his nostalgic phrases, to his eerie short stories, there’s no doubt that Edgar Allen Poe has made...

Weird Behavior Makes For Interesting Characters

When you are creating your characters, the most memorable ones are always those with a strange quirkiness.The line between sanity and insanity is not always clear cut. If you think of characters in a Dickens' novel, such as Miss Haversham or Fagin, their madness was quite...

Understand The Psychology Of Your Characters

When you are creating characters, it is vital you have a basic understanding of psychology, which is what makes any character behave and think in a certain way. If you can figure out the inner workings of your character's mind, then you will know immediately...

How To Become A Writing Genius

As you stumble through life just trying to make a breakthrough in the world of literature, it becomes harder to consider yourself a genius. But allow me to let you into a little secret; you already are a genius, you just need to know how to...

How To Make The Perfect Manuscript Rewrite

So you have completed the first draft of your book and are ready to allow a person read it. This person must have a clear understanding of storyline and plot development. Their feedback must be non-biased and constructive. Once you have received the feedback from...

Writing The Perfect Villain

Every protagonist needs an antagonist to conquer because without a battle to overcome evil, there is a very flat storyline. When you are creating your protagonist, keep in mind that every value and goal they have, the antagonist will oppose and vice versa.However, it is...