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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...

Understanding Random Assignment Part 2

Methods of Randomization Randomization is a vital part of any research study that utilizes human subjects for research participants; however, while the importance of randomization is universal there are different methods that can be utilized by researchers in order to ensure randomization in the selection of participants...

Understanding Random Assignment 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 random assignment in research studies. Understanding random assignment and...

Different Types of Psychology Assessments Part 2

 IPIP-NEO The IPIP-NEO is a personality test designed to assess the personality of the test taker in five main categories: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The results from the test can be very useful if the test taker answered the questions honestly, as the results...

Writing Great Reviews: Reviewing Character Development

As we continue this series on how to appraise books and write more effective critical reviews, we will look at many core elements of book creation. This time, character development takes center stage, as we explore the techniques that authors employ to bring the people...

Different Types of Psychology Assessments Part 1

In my article "Understanding the Creation of Tests and Assessments,” I discussed how fiction writers need at least a basic understanding of psychological testing and assessment if they are writing about characters with mental illness. This is a particularly important area for many writers as...

Writing Great Reviews: Appraising Dialogue

In this series, I hope to teach you how to improve your critical eye and writing skills, so that you can write high quality, accurate reviews and editorials. This session concerns the art of dialogue, as in how authors convey the spoken word in their...

The Acronym Handicap

“What, or should I say, who is LOL?” I asked in all innocence. My friend laughed. “You’re kidding, right?” “No. I’m not.” In fact, I was perfectly serious. I was getting frustrated with all these emails with random insertions of LOL. I wanted to know what or...

Writing a Tutorial Article (Part 2 of 2)

4) Using Jargon Easy-to-follow tutorials do away with jargon. Some tutorial writers, however, will tell you it depends and this goes back to the student’s skill level and what you’re teaching. If you’re offering a tutorial on the basics of a programming language like Python, you expect...

Writing a Tutorial Article (Part 1 of 2)

Providing tutorials is one of the most lucrative ways in which professionals benefit from promoting themselves. Sharing one’s skills in an age where everyone has easy access to information is one avenue that is worth venturing into. You not only impart what you know, but you...

Using Soft Language to add Drama and Plot Elements

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 soft language. Soft language can be used by writers...