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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...

Citing Your Sources in Non-fiction Writing

If you are a postgraduate student at a university or college, you will most definitely be required, at some stage or other, to provide at least one, if not more, lengthy piece(s) of work reporting on your research that you have had to undertake in...

Tips for Titling Your Book or Story

By definition, your book’s title is what potential readers usually see first. (A possible exception is your cover, but even there, the title is an essential part of the cover.) So how do you create a title that will grab a potential buyer’s attention? Here are...

How to Use Transitional Words and Paragraph Hooks

Transitions words and phrases allow you—and your reader— to move smoothly from one thought to another. Without them, writing sounds stilted and unnatural, such as this:      "Jones, a junior psychology major, made the All-American team last year. He carries a 3.5 grade point average." Clearly,...

Interviewing Tips Part 2

Start with easier questions, then move to most difficult ones Don’t start by asking the WW II vet how he felt about his friends dying. Start with less-emotionally laden ones and move on to more difficult ones. Then end with easier questions so your source...

Interviewing Tips Part 1

All writers, whether nonfiction or fiction, need to research their subject. Although online research is valuable, the best research is done by interviewing people. Yet the thought of conducting an interview makes many writers shake like a leaf in a hurricane. As a word of encouragement,...

Avoiding the Passive Voice

One of my editors recently wrote to me suggesting I refrain from using the passive voice. “You use passive too often,” she claimed. I hadn’t realized I was such a ‘passive’ writer, but, taking another look at the novel she had finished editing for me, I...

Writing With a Purpose

There’s an old saying that goes, “If you aim at nothing you’ll be sure to hit it,” meaning, of course, that you must have a specific goal in mind when performing any task. That’s good advice for writers. We must aim at something, that is, we...

How To Use Dialogue Tags

Compelling books and stories use abundant dialogue. Realistic dialogue adds interest and brings characters to life. Along with the dialogue itself, writers must indicate who is speaking. This is called a dialogue tag. It’s important to follow standard practice in using dialogue tags, so observe these...

Writing a REAL Letter

How many of you can remember the excitement of collecting the stash of envelopes dropped through the mail slot or left in the mailbox every afternoon, Monday to Friday? I do. They were (and are) stories tucked inside an envelope. My favorite letters came from...

The Importance of Using Dialogue or Quotations

Here are two ways to present the same information. Which is more attention-grabbing?      Editors are busy people, and they expect writers to respect their time. If you call or visit when the deadline is near you’re not going to get the editor’s full attention. Or:  ...