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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...

Do Your Characters Fail to Come to Life?

Many writers are very good at creating characters and some even have a natural talent for creating living, breathing, three-dimensional people without working up a sweat, while other writers have to apply all manner of life support just get their characters to breathe on their own....

Tips for Coming up with Great Character Names

Every story is its own world; whether it is set on another planet, a small town, a bustling city, or a future time. So choosing the right names for your characters can be a challenge. You want a name that will stand out in your...

Zimbabwean Legends

You can write your unique spooky story by either creating your own monster, creature, or horror yourself or by finding a monster that is not well known. Researching myths and legends in other cultures will help you to find something that has a rich history...

Argentinian Myth Monsters

Want to write your own spooky story? In How to Write a Unique Spooky Story, I advised 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 myths and...

Mythical Creatures in The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria

In How to Write a Unique Spooky Story, I advised finding a monster by researching myths and legends in other cultures to find a creature or creatures with a rich history surrounding it, but that is not considered modern and that is certainly not well known....

Monsters and Creatures of Albanian Myth

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...

Different Types of Dictation and Transcription

When it comes to writing, most writers immediately think of typing with a computer or writing on paper with a pen or pencil. There are, in fact, very few writers that think about dictation as a writing method because only recently have people been able...

The LGBT Community in Literature

I remember taking a course on the psychosocial issues of HIV, and learned about the different issues surrounding the LGBT community. From political discrimination, to religious and societal prejudice, there’s no doubt that in the past this group has been ostracized. However, in that class, I’ve...

Why It’s Completely Fine For Your Character To Go Insane

I recently had the pleasure of watching a play of a video game called Nier Automata, which encompasses a beautiful story where existentialism and philosophical negativity intertwine. I even cried when one of my favorite characters had gone insane, and struggled between hating his love interest,...

Horror in Children’s Literature

Recently, I’ve had the absolute pleasure of reading Portraits of the Eerie by Mathilde Musset, a poetry book that talks about the different monsters we encounter in our childhood. The dark yet playful illustrations, the gothic atmosphere of the words, the smooth, soothing rhymes; to...