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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...

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...

The Black Rose

The black rose is an enchanting flower that blossoms only in the rarest of places (in our case, Turkey). For years now, the black rose has been associated with death, darkness, and decay. In Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’s Den of Shadow series, the black rose is represented...

What to Write About in Science

Science is a vast field to write about because there are so many different types of sciences. The vastness of the topic means that the writer needs to narrow the topic down by perspective and focus. The writer should take care to choose a perspective...

Why Isn't It Selling?

Getting a book completed and ready for market is a daunting task. Most authors spend hundreds of hours polishing and pulling together their work and are remotely exhausted when they finish. Once the book is "done", many indie authors make the fatal error of publishing too...

Manuscript Rejection Feedback: What To Change And What To Ignore

There are many reasons a manuscript can be rejected. When an agent or publisher rejects your manuscript, they will give you feedback on why they think your work is not good enough for publishing. When you receive this feedback, you have a couple of options....

Writing Young Adult and Children's Fiction: Avoid Parenting Your Characters.

When writing for kids, your parenting instincts might take over the story and lead you into policing your characters. Parenting characters is brought on by the natural instinct to protect. Policing often leads to adult characters taking over the story. This is usually because you...

Create The Ideal Heroine And Draw Readers In

First things first, there is no such thing as a perfect heroine. What you should aim to create is a believable and relatable character - not perfect, just believable. There are no clear cut rules on what the ideal heroine should look like since every...

What Is The Throughline? And How Is It Used In A Story?

A throughline is that invisible glue that binds your story together. It is like a thread that ties your narration together to form a story and keep it on track. It refers to the critical elements of your story that must be kept consistent throughout...

Why Your Heroine Should Have Flaws

The ideal heroine is one that embodies the concept of perfect imperfection. The best heroine is one that is strong but with flaws. No one wants a perfect heroine or a perfect character of any form for that matter. A flawless character is seen as...