The 5 Minute Author
Sonja Dewing
Welcome to the award-winning 5 Minute Author, the only short form podcast to get you informed about writing and self-publishing. I’m Sonja Dewing, award-winning creative writer, CEO of Women’s Thriller Writers Association, and happy dog mom to giant puppy Bo. Let’s get started.
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Top 10 The 5 Minute Author Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The 5 Minute Author episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The 5 Minute Author for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The 5 Minute Author episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Writing a Prologue
The 5 Minute Author
11/25/22 • 4 min
Before I get into the does and don’ts of prologues remember, this is your book, you can have a prologue if you want to. Just make sure you’re using it to the best possible advantage for your story and your reader....
Find show notes on my website at https://womensthrillerwriters.com/blog-2/
Successfully Write a Novel in November (NaNoWriMo)
The 5 Minute Author
11/08/22 • 5 min
It’s week two of November and maybe you were thinking of writing a novel this month but you haven’t started or maybe you’ve only written a hundred words.
IT’s ok! You’re not the only one. I’m going to share some ideas on how to get those words written as well as surviving National Novel Writing Month...
Find show notes on my website at https://womensthrillerwriters.com/blog-2/
Use ARC Readers To Hit Best Selling Lists
The 5 Minute Author
10/18/22 • 5 min
Wether you’re writing a short story or a novel, having a list of early readers who are going to leave you a review, also known as a group of ARC readers is essential if you want to hit a best selling list.
All of my short stories have hit best selling status with a miniature version of ARC readers, and if you’ve heard of Kiersten Modglin, she uses a really smart, targeted use of ARC readers to hit those best selling lists for her novels.
So, how do you do it? ...
Find show notes on my website at https://womensthrillerwriters.com/blog-2/
How to Get Started Writing Your Novel
The 5 Minute Author
01/14/24 • 6 min
You have an idea in the back of your mind for a book. Great! But how do you get it from idea to paper?
Starting a novel is like embarking on a grand adventure. Are you going to write your ugly first draft and then your next draft and then your next one and then your final and then your final final on for those of us who have published there’s always the final final final draft.
But you can’t have any of those things, unless you write it all down. Here are some tips and tricks to get you started...
Find show notes on my website at https://womensthrillerwriters.com/blog-2/
An Author is a Business
The 5 Minute Author
11/11/22 • 4 min
An author is a business (author as business; author mindset)_
Last night I was at a startup event pitching my business alongside other new businesses. My pitch is about how I help people with their books from start to finish. I had a lot of people come up and talk to me about it and a few new clients sign up for my help.
Then I had someone approach me with this very confused look on their face to ask me why I was there, as if coaching someone on writing a book or publishing or marketing their book isn’t a business.
Coaching and teaching is definitely a business.
And, if I hadn’t had Women’s Thriller Writers Association as a business, I could have been there as an author and pitched my books...
Find show notes on my website at https://womensthrillerwriters.com/blog-2/
Getting the Best Book Cover for your Book
The 5 Minute Author
11/04/22 • 5 min
Let’s say you opened up Amazon and you’re looking for the perfect next book to read. You narrow it down to your favorite genre and now you’re scrolling through lines of book cover images to pick something.
The book covers are about twice the size of a postage stamp and you’re only taking a few seconds to scan them. You stop and finally click on one that entices you to learn more....
Find show notes on my website at https://womensthrillerwriters.com/blog-2/
An ebook from start to finish
The 5 Minute Author
10/28/22 • 5 min
My friend and fellow writer Dita wanted to know about writing ebooks, what are the best tools to write them in and platforms to publish on?
Let’s say you want to make your life easier and you just want to publish an ebook and not worry about print. I get it, I do want to mention that there are some books that don’t lend themselves to ebook. My nonfiction books on writing and self-publishing are available as ebooks, but people tend to buy the paperbacks more. And a children’s book I published through my publishing company, Gramita’s Tortillas, 95% of sales are paperback.
If your book is none of those, then ebook is going to be just fine for you...
Find show notes on my website at https://womensthrillerwriters.com/blog-2/
Tips for Writing a Page Turning Thriller
The 5 Minute Author
10/26/22 • 4 min
There are techniques for creating thriller books that readers just can’t put down. That page-turning story that they’ll stay up all night to read.
Here are the tips to do just that: Page turning books are those that create suspense. You can do that by having a ticking clock (in other words something bad is going to happen unless the characters solves the problem fast)
show the reader important things that the protagonist doesn’t know (that can come from a point of view of your antagonist) - maybe we see them scheming their evil plans unbeknownst to our hero or heroine...
Find show notes on my website at https://womensthrillerwriters.com/blog-2/
Why Write Short Stories
The 5 Minute Author
10/20/22 • 4 min
Someone once said to me, I could write a short story, but I wouldn’t know what to do with it. Well, here are some ideas on what to do with and why to write short stories.
First, if you are going to write novels, having a short story that leads readers into your world is a great use for a reader magnet. That's something you can offer when people sign up for your email list (and by the way, yes, you should have an email list)...
Find show notes on my website at https://womensthrillerwriters.com/blog-2/
Using AI for Authors
The 5 Minute Author
11/27/23 • 5 min
Let’s talk about AI. Tons of people are talking about it and mostly about how AI is going to negatively affect so many people and industries. I’m really relived that organizations like SagAFtra, Writer’s Guild of America, and the Authors Guild have taken on the issues to protect creatives. Definitely, in the hands of people who have no ethics AI will just be a bad thing. However, we have to acknowledge that AI is not going to go away. Our competitors are going to use AI ...
Read the rest on my website: https://womensthrillerwriters.com/using-ai-for-authors/
Find show notes on my website at https://womensthrillerwriters.com/blog-2/
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FAQ
How many episodes does The 5 Minute Author have?
The 5 Minute Author currently has 44 episodes available.
What topics does The 5 Minute Author cover?
The podcast is about Publishing, Writing, Podcasts, Books, Arts and Creative Writing.
What is the most popular episode on The 5 Minute Author?
The episode title 'Recognizing Scam Advertisers' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The 5 Minute Author?
The average episode length on The 5 Minute Author is 5 minutes.
How often are episodes of The 5 Minute Author released?
Episodes of The 5 Minute Author are typically released every 4 days, 15 hours.
When was the first episode of The 5 Minute Author?
The first episode of The 5 Minute Author was released on Aug 2, 2022.
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