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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...

Past Life Regression Therapy for Creatives

The first time I heard about Past Life Regression Therapy, or PLRT, a member of my family had just had two pretty intense sessions. PLRT is a form of hypnosis that its advocates say is a way to guide people to tap into potential past lives....

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Novel

When writing a Christmas-themed novel, the quintessential Hallmark movie formula serves as an excellent blueprint. A small-town setting bursting with holiday charm, a warm-hearted protagonist, and a clean romance full of serendipitous moments are cornerstones of this genre. Your characters should face relatable problems—mending a...

Preparing to Write Good Prepper Fiction

Prepper fiction, a subgenre of speculative and survivalist literature, is appreciated by a unique readership fascinated by resilience, resourcefulness, and the “I knew I was right” preparedness that comes from a specific type of person in a post-apocalyptic world. That person is the prepper. Most preppers...

Should You Use a Pseudonym?

What are the advantages of using a pseudonym (also known as a pen name or nom de plume)? It allows writers some sense of anonymity, though I wonder how much of that is possible in this era where everything is blatantly revealed. Some may view...

Find a Character's Perfect Home with Real Estate Listings

Where a character lives, visits, or, in the case of horror, gets roped into, is a reflection of who they are, or who they hope to be. I'll be the first to admit that details on architecture don't exactly flow from my imagination. One of...

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...