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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...

Linking Your Chapters

When writing our novels, it’s far too easy to forget that every little part is a working mechanism of its own. Like the chapters. Each one is unique in its construction and in the tidbits it reveals. It’s not just a matter of flowing one...

Make Your Characters Real

One of the most useful exercises I use is to find photographs/ images (either in print media or online) that show what my characters look like. I tape these up on a board so I can visualize the characters while I write about them. I...

The End

You’ve written your last word. Your novel has reached a satisfying resolution. With great flourish, you write (or type): The End. Center stage, those words have some meaning to you, the author. It means you’ve finally done it! You’ve written your novel from beginning to...

Tone and Mood in Prose

Every situation in your story has a different feel to it, and this is what is known in creative writing as the tone and mood. The tone and mood of your prose should always be compatible with the situation that you describe. When we talk...

Dialogue and Narration

Readers pick up a novel to be entertained, to temporarily escape from the mundane, to enter a world where they can enjoy the escapades of a formidable hero, and to empathize with his laughter and tears. Readers are concerned with twists and plots and they...

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...