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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. Below that are hundreds of articles on topics all authors face in today’s literary landscape. Get help and advice on Writing, Marketing, Publishing, Social Networking 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...

Verbal Irony

Have you ever heard of verbal irony? Take for example during the time for elections. A candidate who is hated by most people loses the election to another contestant and somebody is heard saying, “Oh my! I was really hoping he would win.” Now the speaker’s...

Organic Imagery

Some writers say organic imagery is the hardest type of imagery. But that’s only true when you haven’t exhausted every resource that can teach you one or two things about organic imagery. The definition of organic imagery Organic imagery is a type of imagery that deals with...

Tactile Imagery

The definition of tactile imagery Tactile imagery is a type of imagery that appeals to the reader’s sense of touch. You have probably interacted with this unique literary tool in one of your reading endeavors. Do you remember reading a favorite scene and you developed goosebumps?...

Visual Imagery

Have you ever read a book and you felt like you were right there where the writer was talking about? Let’s say the story includes scenes about the life of inmates in a prison. Assuming you have never been to prison, you now get a...

Auditory Imagery

What is auditory imagery? There are various types of imagery in literature, and auditory imagery is one of them. Auditory imagery deals with the sense of hearing. The definition of auditory imagery Auditory imagery is a form of imagery that is used to organize and analyze sounds when...

Gustatory Imagery

Imagery is a literary device that allows writers to paint pictures in their reader’s minds. This is usually achieved by appealing to the reader’s five senses. Of the many types of imagery, we are going to learn about gustatory imagery. The definition of gustatory imagery Gustatory imagery...

Olfactory Imagery

Imagery is a great literary tool that writers use to make their work more interesting to their audience. To fully harness the power of imagery, a writer has to appeal to the five human senses of his or her audience. Therefore there are different types...

What is Euphemism? How to Use It in Writing, and Classic Examples in Fiction

Euphemism is a literary and figurative device that masks offensive or inappropriate ideas into a more acceptable, polite expression. It comes from the Greek “euphēmismos,” which means "words of good omen," and is available in every society as a palatable way of saying something that...

4 Ways to Effectively Write Exposition in Fiction

Exposition is a literary device that establishes crucial background information and fills in the gaps in your narrative. These details can include a backstory and a setting description. And though exposition is required for nearly every story, it’s easy not to execute; it's easy to...

The Meaning, Effects and Examples of Colloquialism 

Colloquialisms capture expressions that have become typical within a specific language, locality, or era. And writers use them to infuse their characters with personality and authenticity. In this article, we explore the nature of colloquialism and how they make a story feel real and keeps...