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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...
Conflict – Every Story Needs It!
“Joseph!” she called again. Grabbing her jacket from behind the door to ward off the November chill, she shrugged into it as she jogged across the backyard. “Joseph Alon Tomah! What do you think you are doing?” she demanded, reaching the boy before he could...
The Pros and Cons of Doing Public Readings
You’ve published your first book and are looking for ways to promote your writing and yourself. The first thing that comes to mind is doing a book signing event at a local bookstore. But, how about a public reading? Is your book suitable for young...
Why Using AI to Write Fiction Is a Terrible Idea
Artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm and users are curating everything from code generation to resumes to, yes, writing entire books. As an editorial reviewer, the sheer volume of AI-written books and novels has completely changed the landscape. I'm here to tell you...
The Role of Conflict in Fiction: How to Create Tension That Drives the Story
While most of us hate conflict in our real lives, when we've settled in to read a book, there's very little that we actually want more. If there's no conflict in the story then what's the point? The characters have nothing to motivate them truly,...
The Power of Description
Must you describe everything to the ‘nth’ degree? Charles Dickens did. So have a lot of other authors. A description is important. It sets the place of the events in the story. It develops characters and their actions. It’s the filling that provides details to...
I Breathe Therefore I Write
Do you write every day? You should. Even if it’s not good writing. You can always edit what isn’t good and make appropriate improvements. You can’t edit what you haven’t yet written. Writing should be a vital part of your daily regimen. After all, that’s...
The Importance of a Sensitivity Reader When Writing Books About Ethnicities and Cultures Different From Your Own
As the world becomes more unified, authors often wish to tell stories, or at least involve characters, from ethnicities and cultures different from their own. Diversity in literature is incredibly important, but it also carries significant responsibility. To make certain that these portrayals are respectful,...
Make Your Characters Stronger
What would your story be without characters? Good, strong characters, that is? Have you developed them in every possible way? Given them depth and maturity as needed and used descriptive narrative and dialogue effectively? What more can you do to strengthen your characters? Here are...
What If Your Main Character Could Only See in Black-and-White but Starts Seeing Color with Each Secret They Uncover?
In fiction, authors are always looking for new ways to create interesting stories. One technique is manipulating the main character's perception of color to reveal hidden truths. Imagine a world where the protagonist sees only black and white, but with each uncovered secret, vibrant hues...
How To Effectively Bring Music Into Your Story
Music is all around us. We can’t go anywhere without hearing music, whether it’s the natural music of the world around us, the birds and wildlife, the rustling of a breeze through the leaves, or the piped music that infiltrates every public space imaginable. And...