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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...

What Are Agents Looking For?

So you have completed your book. Huge sigh of relief. Didn’t think you could do it, but you did. If you thought writing the book was the hardest part, you were mistaken. You will discover this to be the case when you begin to look...

Read the Fine Print (Agents)

You’ve just finished writing your first romance novel, A Dove in the Wind. You know that you have a great novel on your hands because for the past 90 days you have been submitting chapter samples to your various social media followers. Your target audience...

3 More Twitter Hashtags to Land Your Perfect Agent

In my previous article "4 Twitter Hashtags to Land Your Perfect Agent" we listed popular hashtags that industry professionals regularly peruse, but what if you write picture books? Look no further! #MSWL Having troubling finding the agents that really want your book? Then #MSWL is the hashtag for...

4 Twitter Hashtags to Land Your Perfect Agent

The road to publication is paved with hard work. As the saying goes, it is a marathon, not a sprint. But in this new digital era, gone are the days of submitting your precious manuscript to an agent or publishing house and waiting weeks or...

Partners in Literature: Finding Literary Agents

It is frustrating to have your works returned to you by editors and publishers. This is why authors need to pair with literary agents. These agents specialize in matching writers with publishers. They know where to take books of a specific category or genre to...

The Literary Agent as the Writer’s Best Friend

Do you want to sell your book in a stress free way? It might be time for you to find someone who can introduce your writings to publishers. They can act as a bridge between you and the potential publisher. Indeed, finding a literary agent can...

Protecting Yourself from Literary Agency Scams

Protecting yourself from literary agency scams is challenging. Too many agencies are involved in charging large fees from writers, making it hard to determine the real from fake ones. Writers need to be very wary in scouting for literary agents. Fortunately, there are ways to help...

How to Easily Find a Literary Agent for Fiction

After you have completed your manuscript, you need to convince a publishing house to consider your work. In this article, you will learn more about some of the ways to find a literary agent for fiction. You should get your own copy of the latest list...

Tips on How to Find a Literary Agent for Screenplays

After you have written a wonderful script and you have polished it thoroughly, the next step is to determine how to find a literary agent for screenplays. This literary agent will help you sell your screenplay to a producer or a publisher. This article will...

Simple Ways to Find a Literary Agent for Memoirs

In the publishing realm, the literary agent acts as the sifter and sorter of manuscripts until the best copies finally make their way to the publisher. The first thing that you have to do to find a literary agent for a memoir is to get the...