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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...

Let's talk about Juxtaposition

What is juxtaposition? Think about the famous adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” What is clear in that saying is some kind of contrast and comparison. Probably a dog owner long ago had an old dog; he tried to teach it new things but...

All About Assonance

The definition of assonance Assonance is a literary device in which vowel sounds are repeated in words that are in close proximity in a sentence or group of words. Most writers associate assonance with poetry, but assonance can also be used in narratives and in non-fiction. Writers...

What's Motif?

What is a motif? Writers may mistakenly take a motif for the theme of a narrative. Yes, both motif and the theme of a narrative are staunch partners in the narrative world, but they are certainly not the same. Take for example a war story; the mention of...

All About Consonance

The English language offers writers boundless opportunities to express themselves. A writer does not necessarily have to use rhyme to introduce musicality in their work; it is known that musicality increases remembrance in the reader’s mind. Playing around with the sounds that single words or...

What is Synecdoche?

You have heard phrases like, “I crushed my wheels yesterday on my way back home.” As in this case, you automatically understood what the speaker was saying, partly because of the context of the conversation. You figured by “wheels,” the speaker means his or her car....

What's Satire?

Satire is one of the oldest literary devices of the English language. Its origin and use date far back in history. Roman scholars and poets such as Marcus Terentius Varro, Menippus, Petronius, and Gaius Lucilius were very fond of using satire in their literary work....

All About Metonymy

What comes into your mind when you hear the word “Hollywood?” Certainly not a neighborhood in Los Angeles. You automatically started thinking about movies or maybe great actors in the United States. Everybody thinks about the film industry whenever the word “Hollywood” pops up. Why...

What's Anaphora?

What is anaphora? Having read a lot of books (which I assume you have), you must have seen that some writers tend to use the same words to begin their sentences. This may also be in speech. For example: “We came, we saw, we conquered”. (A letter...

What is a Paradox

“This is the beginning of the end.” Consider and think about the meaning of that statement. Don’t you find it quite weird? It makes sense, yet at the same time, it doesn’t make sense. Or in a particular context, say a ceremony, the statement is...

The Importance and Application of Dramatic Irony in Fiction

Remarkable appearance in the tragic end of Romeo and Juliet, prominent writers have always used dramatic irony to create intrigue and suspense. The reader knows what is coming, but the characters don't. And as they act and speak in ignorance, readers can only hope for...