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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...

For Nonfiction Writers: How to Write a Direct Lead

The simplest way to start a nonfiction article, especially for inexperienced writers, is to employ a direct lead. Also known as a traditional lead, a direct lead tells who did what and perhaps when and where they did it. Here’s an example:      George Washington...

Understanding Motivation Part 3

Fun Workplace Theory It has been found that incorporating fun in the workplace can have an influence on motivation. Hazelton (2014) noted that positive emotions contribute to productivity and that positive emotions tend to be generated by fun working experiences. Hazelton (2014) also found that having...

Understanding Motivation Part 2

While it is important to understand the basics of motivation, a deeper understanding can also be useful for writers who wish to go for a more in-depth explanation of their characters' motivations. For a more in-depth understanding and explanations of motivation, one would need to...

Understanding Motivation Part 1

In my article "The Need for Psychology Understanding” I discussed how fiction writers need at least a basic understanding of psychology in order to write realistic content, dialogues, characters, and relationships. One such psychological concept is motivation. An understanding of motivation can help fiction writers...

Use Specific Nouns and Verbs for Vivid Writing

Here’s a tip that improves any genre of writing—make your nouns as specific as possible. The more specific your nouns are the richer the mental picture will be in your readers’ minds. As an example, we might write:             Mud covered her...

Contractions – To Use or Not to Use

Which is better? I’ve been thinking about what you’ve been telling me. You’ll know who’s behind it all. You ain’t e’er seen what he’d’ve seen. Or: I have been thinking about what you have been telling me. You will know who is behind it all. You have not...

Don’t Ever Assume Writing is Easy

So, you think writing is easy. Have you ever read a book and thought to yourself, I could write this? I’m sure we’re all guilty of that sentiment. After all, there are only a few basics to writing a good novel, a good story, right?...

Learn to Use Commas Correctly—Part 2

In part 1 of “Learn to Use Commas Correctly,” I discussed the importance of correct comma use. I also wrote about using commas between equal modifiers. Lastly, I also gave you two useful tests to employ when deciding if you need commas. Part 2 discusses using...

Learn to Use Commas Correctly—Part 1

Commas may be the most commonly used punctuation mark. They also may be the most misused.  The problem of correct comma use is compounded by conflicting advice. For example, in the next paragraph I use a comma before but. However, Microsoft Word tells me to take...

Ignite Your Readers With a Gripping First Page

You want to hook your reader from that first line. In fact, you want the entire first page to grab the reader’s attention so they can’t put your book down. How do you do that? First of all, study other authors and decide what works and...