Author Services

Author Articles

Hundreds of Helpful Articles

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...

How To Choose The Main Character And His/Her Counterpart

There are two very important characters in every novel: the main character and his/her essential counterpart. During the course of the novel, the relationship between these two characters inevitably changes. It is therefore important to choose the two characters very wisely. It is important for...

Are Archetypal Characters Important To Create Drama In A Story?

This is one of the most confusing parts of characterization. All major characters should have dramatic roles, but some authors are unwilling to use their archetypes because using them might seem unoriginal. This fear has no basis because the dramatic functions of characters that authors...

How To Give Your Plot A Satisfying Climax And Resolution

Some authors don’t like to think about the endings of their stories until they are almost through with their novels. These authors prefer to write the endings that come naturally as a result of the preceding events. Other authors might plan for the ending but...

8 Easy Steps To Create A Plot Outline

Not many authors know this but you can create a compelling and dramatic story outline of your novel in about one hour. There are eight main plot elements that an author must incorporate. 1. Story goal: It is the problem that a protagonist in a story...

The Story Goal: Finding A Perfect Fit

The problem or story goal is the most important element of any plot. It is the unifying idea on which the entire plot is based. The goal is crucial for any novel because it creates a sense of purpose – without it a novel will...

Which Is The Best Approach To Story Structure?

There are thousands, maybe millions of ways an author can approach story structure. However, a good approach to story structure should possess certain features including: 1. It should simultaneously address all aspects of a story including the plot, the characters, and the theme. 2. It should have...

Tips on Writing Romance

Writing a love story takes a lot of effort to avoid making it cheesy and predictable. In fact, romance writers would rather do something as noteworthy as Romeo and Juliet or The Notebook. Mastering the art of writing romance is all about remembering a few...

Tips on Writing Horror Stories

Every reader wants to enjoy a good horror story from time to time. Whether one wants to adopt a storytelling style that is grandiose, foreboding or subtle, becoming a good writer of horror stories is easy. Provided, of course, that one keeps a few writing...

Tips on Writing Short Stories

Writing a short story is generally an easy task. So as long as one remembers the basics of writing, their story will be effective in conveying a thought or message in just a few sentences. While there are technically no rules in creating a short...

Great Ways To Get Ideas For Your Novel

The best novels start as ideas that effortlessly creep into an author’s mind and nag the author until he finally gives in and converts the ideas into novels. Such ideas are wonderful because they often mark the beginning of an author’s writing career. Although good...