Author: sonjadewing

  • The Most Common Self Publishing Question

    The Most Common Self Publishing Question

    …What I did was I actually brought on three people to edit it. My niece was willing to go through it as well as another friend and then I hired an editor who was good but also was going to charge something I had in my budget. Once it was edited, I had to figure… Read more

  • How to get my indie book into bookstores

    How to get my indie book into bookstores

    …I found she was reluctant, and I was lucky that she said yes, because when I had a chance to chat with her I found out the last author she let in the door had been a shark. He stood at the door, and handed his book to every person who walked in And tried… Read more

  • Writing a Prologue

    Writing a Prologue

    Often your main character does not appear in your prologue. Think of it this way, you have an opportunity in a prologue to build suspense for the reader. The reader is privy to information that the main character doesn’t know.  Use a prologue to share something that’s important to the plot that happens before the… Read more

  • How to work with multiple characters in your story

    How to work with multiple characters in your story

    …As for props – one of my characters always has a drink in his hand or he’s standing behind a bar. Another character is very animated, he’s always talking with his hands.  As for their own way of talking, if you listen in to a group of people, notice how they each sound different. Maybe… Read more

  • How to Write a Book Description

    How to Write a Book Description

    Hopefully, this episode will help you figure that out. Now some people say to write it from your main characters perspective and others say write it from a third person perspective. I think you should see how your sales go. Especially if you’re running amazon ads, you could try one version for awhile and then… Read more

  • When and How to Use a Pen Name

    When and How to Use a Pen Name

    …I do have two pen names. I did that because the genres are so very different. For example, I wrote a short story for a super spice dark fantasy retelling of fairy tales (and that’s code words for erotica) in case you don’t know. I did that because I don’t know that my fans of… Read more

  • Author as Business

    Author as Business

    …As authors, we solve a lot of problems. Our books send a reader to a new world – we’re getting rid of boredom, maybe our story inspires someone, maybe if it’s a nonfiction we’re teaching.  So we have a product that we probably spent a bit of money on and we manage it with ads,… Read more

  • Surviving and Winning NaNoWriMo

    Surviving and Winning NaNoWriMo

    …First, find some write-ins – virtual or in real life. You can find some through Nanowrimo or other writing organizations. You could check meetup or Facebook for events near you. Write-ins create a space and time for you to focus on your writing and it’s accountability – like meeting a buddy at the gym. Put… Read more

  • Finding the Right Book Cover

    Finding the Right Book Cover

    …That’s what you’re competing with when you’re selling your book. You must have a book cover that conveys the right genre as well as attracts a click. Now, every author’s journey is different, so I’m going to first share how I found my cover artists and then share with you other ways to find covers.… Read more

  • An ebook from start to finish

    An ebook from start to finish

    …So, let’s start with writing platforms –  Most of you are probably going to use Google Docs, Word, or Scrivener. I know there are other platforms out there, but these are ones I’ve used and that I get the most questions on. Whatever platform you’re in, you’ll make your life much easier if you format… Read more