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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...
Writing a Picture Book: Is My Idea Strong Enough?
So you need a good idea for a strong picture book story. Just how do you find an idea and, more importantly, test that it is a good one that children will love? Picture book ideas might come from everyday life, but they must be...
The Thin Veil: When Reality Begins to Blur
Some stories don’t take you away from reality - they take you deeper into it. They don’t simply construct fictional worlds, but gently dissolve the one we thought we knew, until the line between what is real and what is imagined becomes something far less...
Why Your Villain Should Open a Bakery (Seriously!)
Have you ever considered that the key to making your villain unforgettable might be —cinnamon rolls? Not a secret lair. Not a cursed dagger. Just a warm little bakery on a quiet street, where your antagonist wakes up before dawn, ties on an apron, and spends...
How to Make Your Elves Less Perfect and More Relatable (Maybe Even Annoying!)
Have you ever read a fantasy story where the elves seem too perfect? They glide, they glow, they speak in riddles, and they always seem to be ten steps ahead of everyone. They're beautiful, wise, ancient, and often just plain boring. If you want readers...
Your Dragon Doesn't Have to Breathe Fire… What Else Could It Do?
Let's be realistic: dragons have been burning castles, roasting knights, and hoarding gold for centuries. Fire-breathing is their brand. But what if you ditched the cliché? What if your dragon wasn't a flying flamethrower, but something weirder, stranger, maybe even smarter? Because here's the truth: a...
The Art of Writing a Cliffhanger That Makes Readers Scream and Forgive You Anyway
Have you ever thrown a book across the room and immediately picked it back up? That's the power of a great cliffhanger. It tortures you, taunts you, and somehow earns your undying loyalty. But before that, let's get one thing straight: what is a cliffhanger? A cliffhanger...
Why Your Fantasy World Needs a Dysfunctional Public Transport System
Picture this: dragons fly overhead, kingdoms rise and fall, ancient prophecies unfold, and your chosen hero is still stuck at the ogre-run bus depot because the "next available troll cart" is delayed by three hours. Exactly. Fantasy worlds are full of chaos and wonder, but most of...
Can I Write What I’m Not?
When I was in seventh grade, my teacher told the class that when writing a persuasive paper, it’s often easier to argue the opposite of your beliefs or opinions. That idea stuck with me, and over the years, I’ve used it many times. It remains...
Writing Without a Routine: Embracing the Occasional Writer Identity
I am not a writer by trade. I don’t wake up early to hit a word count. I don’t outline novels in coffee shops. And I don’t own a dedicated writing desk with a mood board pinned above it. And yet, I write. I write...
Why Your Next Villain Should Be Based on a Houseplant!
A strong villain often makes a story exciting and engaging. Writers often put a great deal of effort into creating memorable villains that enhance the plot and can become reader favorites. However, while creating this villain, writers often traditionally portray them as a powerful, dark...