It was twenty years ago when I learned there was another Erik Deckers in the world. He was a real estate agent in Belgium, and he seemed a little perplexed when I first emailed him. But we chatted back and forth a few times, and he seemed like a decent guy. Fast forward to four years ago, when I learned there are four other Erik Deckers in the world, and they’re all from Belgium and The Netherlands. My dad’s from … Read More »

I’m a writer. I write about a lot of things, but my primary genre’ is middle-grade. I recently finished the first novel in what will be a series of three. It’s been proofed, edited, and it’s all shined up and ready to go. So how do I know if the time is right, if the current publishing trends are in my favor? As part of my process, I religiously search the sites listed in my Guide to Literary Agents. They … Read More »

One of the things I do is coach authors on improving their book marketing, and ultimately sales. And I’ll tell you – everyone wants to be famous – that is, everyone wants to be a known author and sell enough books to quit their day job. But I’ll tell you this – no one, save for the Kardashians, is born famous. It takes a lot of time and effort. Even though everyone wants to be famous, the truth is that … Read More »

As a writer, Twitter is going to be your best friend and your worst enemy. Because it’s the best, most fun waste of time you’re ever going to have. I’ve wiled away many an hour on Twitter, responding to tweets, retweeting clever remarks, or coming up with something funny and thinking, “I’ve got to send this out right now!” all while my deadlines dripped slowly away. But rather than treating Twitter as a den of inequity to be shunned and … Read More »

Book signing events can be a great tool in an author’s arsenal, but many new authors may be surprised to learn that sales are not the best measure of a successful signing event.  Of course, sales are always appreciated, but when considering the overall cost of attendance versus the profit made, the value of participation is rarely found in the day’s receipts. Signing events are about relationships–creating new ones and solidifying existing ones. Networking with Authors Writing can be a … Read More »

For three years, I sat perched behind my laptop. During that time frame, I posted a weekly blog, published one short story, Circle of Justice, my urban fantasy book, Reaping the Harvest, and the erotic romance novel, Losing Faith. At that point, I was informed it was time to get out of the recliner and meet other people––other authors as well as the readers who said they enjoyed my work. Basically, it was time to stop hiding behind the laptop … Read More »