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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...

Tips for Making Your Fairy Tale Retelling Different

To write a fairy tale you need to know your fairy tales. There are several out there, many that are rarely heard of. There's French, German, Chinese, and so many other tales from around the world. Even the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson have...

Advice for Writing Historical Fiction

There are several fascinating people in history that can be used for inspiration, from Anne Frank to the love affair of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Don't be afraid to tell stories based on real life people, and give an inside look into the personal...

Tips for Writing the Hard-Boiled Detective

Hard-boiled detectives originated with pulp magazines and were first in circulation in the 1920s. These detectives were popular, especially in noir. The detectives often lived outside the law, made up their own rules, had a rough outlook on life, and usually had a tragic back...

What to Write about in the World/International

The World/International is a very diverse field because of the numerous different countries and cultures that it can involve. The immensity of the topic area means that the writer needs to narrow the topic down by both perspective and focus. In choosing a perspective the...

Tips for Collaborative Writing Long Distance

When someone thinks of a novel, it's usually with the thought of one author. Or you think about your own novel, and don't think of having someone help with the writing process. Not many people think about collaboration. It can be difficult enough to navigate...

Laying The Foundation For Your Novel: Step One

What makes a superb novel? Is it scintillating characters? A strong storyline? A brilliantly executed character arc? Or, perhaps it is the fifty-page outline and two sentence synopsis? Although we are still in search of The Sure-fire Formula for writing a best-selling novel, there are...

Indie Authors: Disney and Saving Mr. Banks

As an admitted lover of sentimental and feel-good movies, I felt compelled to recently watch the movie, Saving Mr. Banks on DVD. It starred Tom Hanks as the genial yet shrewd businessman, Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as the dour author, P.L. Travers, the writer of...

What to Write about in Sports

Sports is a very large topic field because of the numerous different sports and the many different teams and leagues each sport has. The immensity of the topic means that a writer needs to narrow the sports topic down by perspective and focus. In choosing...

What to Write about in Sex and Gender

Sex and gender has grown into an enormous field to write about because there are so many new topics about sex and gender. The vastness of the topic means that a writer needs to narrow the sex and gender topic down by perspective and focus....

What to Write About in Technology

Technology has grown into an enormous field to write about because there are so many diverse types of technology. The immensity of the topic means that the writer needs to narrow the field down by perspective and focus. The writer should take care to choose...