Category: The Five Minute Author
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10 Ways Authors can De-Stress
Writing is beautiful—but let’s be honest—it can also be lonely, frustrating, and exhausting. Today, I’m sharing 10 ways to protect your peace, reset your brain, and keep those words flowing. 1. Give Yourself Time Take a look at your calendar. Is there something—anything—you can say no to? Not forever, just for now. You’re allowed to claim time… Read more
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How to Write a Novel
…Let’s start though with that nagging thought you might be having that says “Is this idea good enough to be a story?” Or maybe that thought is “Am I a good enough writer to write a novel?” These are the same things that go through everyone’s brains when they’re writing. Someone in my creative… Read more
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Top Tips for Authors to Boost Book Sales with Amazon Ads
Top Tips for Authors to Boost Book Sales with Amazon Ads Tip One Set up for success My first tip is to set up your book for success on Amazon before you start any ads – that means having a great cover. Your book cover is the first thing potential readers notice, it’s also the… Read more
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An Author’s Guide to Getting on the News
…you really need to be talking about something other than your book. Especially when you watch the big shows where they interview authors about traveling as a single mom, or the latest fashion trend with an author, who wrote a book about the same subject. That means the interview isn’t about the book, but about… Read more
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Marketing 101 for Authors
I saw an author get a little mad about a book being called a brand, she said, “It’s just a book.”and I whole heartedly disagree. Just like any product, your books need a brand that readers can recognize and connect with. This includes your book covers, your writing style, an author website, an author bio,… Read more
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Using AI for Authors
…we have to acknowledge that AI is not going to go away. Our competitors are going to use AI from everything from creating social media continent to creating stories. As authors, we have an opportunity to use AI to work faster. I’m definitely not saying to use AI to write your next book. However, there… Read more
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Recognizing Scam Advertisers
Let’s take a look at this email I received today. Just like all the other ads are going to get first of all they’re going to try to push you. For example, in the subject title it says reply fast for toy the gods. The text of the email says hey Sonja Dewing how… Read more
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Using setting as character
…In The Martian, the planet Mars is a foe to be defeated. Mat just wants to survive and at times it seems that Mars is working with Mat Watney, but mostly it’s throwing obstacles in Mat’s way. If your location is fictional, like Hogwarts, you’ll want to write up information on how the fictional location… Read more
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Imposter Syndrome – How to kick it to the curb as a writer
…3. Keep writing 4. Write down your accomplishments and keep them close at hand 5. Review your accomplishments 6. Change the negative talk to positive When we go outside our comfort zone, we begin to grow confidence in ourselves. What might that look like? Pitching your story to an agent or publisher, submitting a story… Read more
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Persevere as a Writer
…I started researching agents and publishers and started the whole process for publishing the traditional way. I had bites but no one seemed to want to take it. So, I planned on going to a thriller conference and talking one on one with agents. In 2014, at a conference, I tried my pitch to a… Read more