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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

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)

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...

Chapter 1: How to Start a Fiction Novel

Many people say that fiction writing is a very difficult task. This is because you have to create your characters and settings from your imagination. However, writing can be easy and fun, as long as you know the basics. In this post, you will learn...

Ten Simple Rules When Writing Fiction

Writing fiction may seem like a very daunting task. However, it is easier if you have some guidelines to follow. If you want to create a great fictional story, read this set of rules first before you grab a pen and paper. 1. Show, don’t tell....

Top 10 Useful Websites to Help You with Writing

Do you feel that you are in a creative slump? Do you feel the need to improve on certain areas like grammar, character development, world building, or story composition? No matter how good you think your writing is, there are always some aspects about it that...

Writing Tips to Help You Perfect That Autobiography

Writing your autobiography is an interesting way to let people know more about your life. Such books contain valuable first-person views as the author also doubles as the subject. While creating an autobiography may seem as simple as telling a story about your life, it’s...

Writing Tips for Nonfiction Writers

Nonfiction is a very appealing area of writing for many individuals. Instead of putting emphasis on sheer imagination like in fictional writing, nonfiction emphasizes the statement of facts and an in-depth analysis and perspective related to the person or event in question. Due to this...

Top Ten Tips to Improve Your Writing

In all things in life, we tend to ask for tips. If you pick the right set of advice, it can make a huge difference in the things you do. You may be a rookie writer or an experienced one, but you can always use...

Five Practical Tips to Improve Your Poetry

The first thing that you need to remember about writing poetry is that there are no wrong ways of creating it because it is an expression of your emotions and state of being. However, it does not mean that you can’t make it more beautiful. By...

Five Important Story Components

Every fictional story is made up of several components. Each element has its own role and importance in keeping your masterpiece running smoothly and progressing in a logical structure that your audience will comprehend. In this article, you will learn more about the basic elements...

Five Important Tips when Writing Non-fiction

Most people find non-fiction more daunting to write than fiction because you are bound by facts and the laws of reality. You cannot create characters and places from your imagination; you have to do extensive research about them. You have to read a lot of...

Five Useful Tips for Writing Great Fiction

Having trouble writing fiction? Well, don’t worry because you are not alone. Many people find it hard to build imaginary places or mold characters with complex personalities from just their imagination. Writing a great fictional story takes a lot of time and practice. You need to...