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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...

Okay!!! Let’s Add … More Punctuation….

In the beginning, supposedly before it all happened, one might assume there were merely commas and periods and question marks. Not much else. But…. What about??? The repetitive nature of all of these wonderful markings? And! Why not a few exclamation marks to make your point! And…....

The Self-Doubting Writer

It can be depressing to be negative all the time. Life can be unfair, but then the world doesn’t owe us anything. A simple existential observation of life’s unpredictable events can be summed up in two words: Shit happens. This weighs upon our shoulders even more when...

Authenticity in Dialogue

Authentic dialogue should not be confined to reporting speech as it is spoken. People are either timid or ramble when they speak. They are not always direct when they speak. When two people are engaged in a one on one dialogue, the writer must take...

Larger than Life Heroes

Books, films, and television are saturated by heroes and heroines. These characters possess attributes that go beyond realistic dimensions. Most of them don’t die, especially when they are featured as the protagonist in a popular series. No matter how insurmountable the odds are, they emerge...

What Motivates Your Character?

Captain Ahab is determined to exact revenge on a whale that bit off his leg. Fantastic Mr. Fox steals food from three ruthless farmers to save his family and friends. Yossarian walks backward to make certain that no one will sneak up on him from...

On Letting Family and Friends Read Your Work

No matter how solitary the writing profession can be, every writer needs moral support. That support is an extrinsic motivation that they need to keep going, an assurance that the world will be waiting to read the story that they have been putting their blood,...

Your Characters' Identifying Traits

Memorable characters have identifying characteristics that make them unique, and these identifying traits must be sustained throughout the story. Think of the snarky Severus Snape, the resentful Holden Caulfield, the vengeful Captain Ahab, and the repressed Dr. Henry Jekyll. Your character’s traits can be modified by...

Applying Moral Pressure on Characters

Major characters, the protagonist and the antagonist, are at the opposite poles of the plot that creates tension and conflict. The protagonist is expected to be heroic or admired. However, if he needs to earn the love of readers, he will have to perform a...

The Art of Personification

The sun can smile rather than shine, and a breeze can sigh rather than blow. Personification, giving inanimate things human characteristics, provokes a reader’s imagination and awakens his senses. Giving objects human attributes can wake a reader up to the unique within the ordinary. Everyday things...

When to Show and When to Tell

Although “show, don’t tell” has become a cardinal rule in the writing community, feelings remain divided. Is it really more challenging to describe than to simply put the right adjective? Does showing instead of telling encourage writers to exercise their brain muscles in evoking sensory...