Category Archives: Sales

Blog, Promotion, Sales

Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale 2026

As always, I’m excited to participate in the Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale running July 1-31, 2026. Thousands of ebooks will be discounted throughout the month.

My novels Testing the Prisoner and By Your Side will be 50% off ($1.49 each) during the sale as will Dreams from the Edge of Reality  ($1.99).

Thank you for supporting independent and small press authors!

Testing the Prisoner and By Your Side paranormal mystery novels and the various awards they've won.

Dreams from the Edge of Reality Front Cover

Blog, Conventions, Sales

The Power of Presentation

The Write Stuff writers conference this weekend proved my point yet again about the power of presenting. After delivering a fun and engaging session first thing Saturday morning on “Writing the Compelling Short Story,” I proceeded to sell 10 books at the afternoon book fair. Compare that to last year where I worked only as a volunteer and sold one book.
Going back further in the time to 2014 when I last presented at the Write Stuff, my sales at the book fair were higher than one year later, when I was the conference chairman. 
 
With one exception, it never fails that delivering a quality solo presentation—or participating in a discussion panel—and connecting with an audience will generate books sales for an up and coming writer. Whereas merely showing up and sitting at a table with your books without first building a rapport with the attendees will almost always fail to generate decent sales unless you’re already a well-established name/best-selling author. 
 
After decades of attending conventions like Shore Leave and Farpoint and becoming a regular participant in discussion panels there, I can always count on selling at least a few books at these conventions. Whereas at Philcon or Balticon, where I am a relatively fresh face, sales are few or nonexistent right now. These things take time. 
 
The aforementioned exception to my rule was last year’s Great Philadelphia Comic Con in April in Oaks, PA. There, I had no presentations or discussion panels. I merely set up a table and proceeded to sell about a dozen books. It was an amazing weekend and I will be returning to the Great Philly Comic Con again in two weeks along with writer pals Steven H. Wilson of Firebringer Press and Bob Greenberger, Peter David, Aaron Rosenberg, and Russ Colchamiro of Crazy 8 Press.
All told, the Write Stuff conference was a fantastic three days filled with brilliant presentations, excellent information, and most of all, camaraderie with generous and supportive writers. Keynote speaker Michael Hauge was outstanding.
Kudos to two-time Conference Chairman Charles Kiernan and the entire Write Stuff committee for their herculean efforts!
Michael Hauge at Write Stuff 2017
Michael Hauge at Write Stuff 2017
Write Stuff Book Fair 2017
Write Stuff Book Fair 2017
Blog, New Releases, Sales

Beach Nights is Now Live!

I’m ecstatic to announce that Beach Nights is now available for purchase!  We will be launching the book at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, DE on Sunday, November 13 from 2-4PM. You can purchase the book now via the links below.

In Beach Nights, readers will encounter a ghostly WWII tower (Phil says: hey, that’s my story!)  and a couple with an unusual annual tradition; a girl who finds her voice at a jazz club and a boy who learns the snow cone king has a secret; an old lady who is inspired to get a tattoo, and a despondent man who is resurrected through the tango.

Beach Nights opens with a funny and romantic story involving a high school prom, and continues through tales that involve a mermaid’s moon, a “Vampire Surf Club,” senior disco queens, a seemingly haunted Funland ride, a murder at a Rehoboth hotel, a moonlit sea turtle rescue, and a kid who sneaks into a James Brown concert and meets the man himself.

Purchase from Cat & Mouse Press!

Purchase from Amazon!

Thank you so much for support small press authors!

Beach Nights

Blog, Sales

Books at the Beach!

Shameless plug here, but if you’re headed to Rehoboth Beach for the holidays and looking for a great read or gifts for the readers on your list, stop into Browseabout Books on Rehoboth Avenue. Not only is it a fantastic shop, but they’re carrying a few of my titles. which makes them even cooler (at least in my book–yes, that was a bad pun).

 

By Your Side at Browseabout Books Testing the Prisoner and Somewhere in the Middle of Eternity at Browseabout