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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...
Writing Sci-Fi With ONLY 3 Technologies (and Making It Feel Massive)
Have you ever read a science fiction story that felt enormous, even though it only introduced a handful of futuristic ideas? No endless gadgets. No ten-page explanations of how things work. And yet, the world felt alive, deep, and real. That’s not an accident. Some of the...
Your Futuristic City Needs Trash: Writing Waste, Sewage & Recycling in Space
Have you ever noticed how futuristic cities are always spotless? They have towering skyscrapers, glowing transport lines, floating billboards, and streets that look freshly polished at all times. No trash bags piled in corners. No clogged drains. No signs that anyone ever flushed a toilet. It looks...
The 3 Laws of Writing Scientific Nonsense That Feels Real
Have you ever read a story with impossible science and thought, “This makes no sense… but somehow I believe it”? That’s not an accident. That’s good writing. From time travel paradoxes to magic systems disguised as physics, some of the most beloved stories are built on...
Narrating From A Black Hole: Using Unusual Perspectives To Unlock Fresh Storytelling
What happens when the narrator isn’t human, isn’t alive, or doesn’t even exist in any traditional sense? Most stories are told by someone we recognize. A person. A voice with eyes, hands, memories, and a place in the world. But some of the most striking...
5 Great Benefits of Attending a Writer’s Conference
If you’re an author or even an aspiring author, attending a writer’s conference can be a great step in your journey. I attended my first writer’s conference back in 2017. The decision to go seemed somewhat risky since I had not been to Philadelphia before,...
Inventing Slang for the Year 3000 That Doesn’t Sound Like Teenager Speak
Have you ever opened a sci-fi novel set hundreds of years in the future, only to find characters saying things that sound suspiciously like modern teenage slang? It’s jarring. Not because slang is unrealistic, but because it feels lazy. Language evolves, but it doesn’t evolve randomly....
Teaching Robots to Lie: How Flawed AI Make Better Characters
Have you noticed how the most unsettling robots in fiction aren’t the ones that malfunction, but the ones that almost behave correctly? They follow the rules. They answer politely. They do their jobs. And then, at some point, they lie. Not because they were programmed to...
How and Why You Should Consider Giving Back as a Writer
If you’ve been a writer for any length of time, you know the thrill of receiving positive feedback or a monetary reward. Tangible incentives like this are awesome, but giving back can be a great joy, too. If it’s not something you’ve considered, let me...
When Your Planet Has Two Suns: Building Cultures Around Impossible Physics
Ever seen that scene in Star Wars where Luke watches two suns set at once? It sticks with you. Two suns feel magical and wrong at the same time. They tell you right away: this world is not Earth. And when the sky changes, everything below...
4 Ways to Push Past Self-Doubt as a Writer
Self-doubt as a writer is one of those things we all struggle with from time to time. It’s that unpleasant thought that our work isn’t good enough. No one wants to think like that, but it’s not always easy to stop those unbidden thoughts from...