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The 5 Minute Author - Podcast

The 5 Minute Author

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.

Books Arts Writing
Update frequency
every 4 days
Average duration
5 minutes
Episodes
45
Years Active
2022 - 2025
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10 Ways Authors can De-Stress

10 Ways Authors can De-Stress

Today I'm diving into something we all need - especially if you're feeling overwhelmed, distracted, or maybe the state of the world is seeping into your creative space.

Yep, I'm talking about how to d…

00:07:05  |   Sat 02 Aug 2025
How to Get Started Writing Your Novel

How to Get Started Writing Your Novel

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 …

00:06:34  |   Sun 14 Jan 2024
Mastering Amazon Ads: Top Tips for Authors to Boost Book Sales

Mastering Amazon Ads: Top Tips for Authors to Boost Book Sales

Welcome to the first episode of a new year. I’m your host, Sonja Dewing, and today I’m diving into the realm of Amazon Ads and sharing the top tips to help you make the most of this powerful marketin…

00:07:22  |   Thu 04 Jan 2024
An author’s guide to getting on the news

An author’s guide to getting on the news

Today I’m going to explore the strategies and tactics that can help you break through the noise and make it onto the news. 

A lot of public relations people will tell you that in order to get on the n…

00:07:45  |   Thu 28 Dec 2023
Marketing 101 for Authors

Marketing 101 for Authors

Today I’m diving into Marketing 101 for authors. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, understanding the basics of marketing can make a significant difference in getting your book in…

00:06:26  |   Sat 16 Dec 2023
Using AI for Authors

Using AI for Authors

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, Writ…

00:05:47  |   Mon 27 Nov 2023
Recognizing Scam Advertisers

Recognizing Scam Advertisers

Today, I’d like to talk about scam advertisers. Now, when they take your money they will do what they promised. They’re going to put your book on their website, they’re going share your book to their…

00:07:28  |   Fri 09 Jun 2023
Using Setting As Character

Using Setting As Character

Setting can be an antagonist in the story, standing in the way of your main character or characters in getting what they want. It can also have a wealth of tools your protagonist can use. So your set…

00:05:18  |   Thu 08 Jun 2023
Imposter Syndrome - How to kick it as a writer

Imposter Syndrome - How to kick it as a writer

Imposter Syndrome and Writers

This last weekend, I played roller derby with my team, Elevated Roller Derby. You want to talk about imposter syndrome? It hits hard when I'm supposed to be a jammer. I'v…

00:06:19  |   Tue 09 May 2023
Persevere as a Writer!

Persevere as a Writer!

Today, I want to talk about persevering as a writer. I know it can be hard to keep going, so I want to share some stories. 

I wrote Toy of the Gods in 2010. I knew back then it wasn’t ready for publis…

00:05:33  |   Tue 11 Apr 2023
Common Self Publishing Questions

Common Self Publishing Questions

Here are some common self publishing questions whether you’re publishing it yourself or handing it off to a company that self publishes for you.

I know when I took my book back from my publisher I had…

00:05:04  |   Wed 07 Dec 2022
How To Get Your Indie Book Into Bookstores

How To Get Your Indie Book Into Bookstores

Getting your book in the book stores doesn’t have to be complicated. But the number one rule as for most things and for being an author is just don’t be a jerk.

Bookstores don’t need your book what th…

00:05:21  |   Wed 30 Nov 2022
Writing a Prologue

Writing a Prologue

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 an…

00:04:33  |   Fri 25 Nov 2022
Working with multiple characters in your story

Working with multiple characters in your story

I have a lot of characters in my Idol Maker series. So how did I and how do you keep all of those characters as distinct as possible so that readers don’t get confused. 

First, I introduced just a few…

00:05:18  |   Fri 18 Nov 2022
How to Write a Book Description

How to Write a Book Description

On Amazon hopefully someone’s clicking on your book cover and going to your book page. That’s where they’ll find your book description. Is it telling them what they need to hear and is it capturing y…

00:06:16  |   Fri 18 Nov 2022
Why and How to Use a Pen Name

Why and How to Use a Pen Name

My friend and fellow author Dita asked me to talk about pen names. What is the process? Is it beneficial to have several pen names for different genres? 

I’ll share my own experiences, as well as why …

00:04:54  |   Tue 15 Nov 2022
An Author is a Business

An Author is a Business

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 bo…

00:04:52  |   Fri 11 Nov 2022
Successfully Write a Novel in November (NaNoWriMo)

Successfully Write a Novel in November (NaNoWriMo)

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 t…

00:05:30  |   Tue 08 Nov 2022
Getting the Best Book Cover for your Book

Getting the Best Book Cover for your Book

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 some…

00:05:03  |   Fri 04 Nov 2022
An ebook from start to finish

An ebook from start to finish

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 wan…

00:05:06  |   Fri 28 Oct 2022
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