Spencer Coffman is a Psychology graduate from Minnesota State University Moorhead and a certified expert on body language according to Paul Ekman’s SETT and METT courses. He has been studying body language since 2010. He has published research articles, books, blog posts, as well as created podcasts and YouTube videos to help others learn the language that everybody speaks, but no one understands. Body language.
His books include:
A Guide to Deception
Deception Tips
Deception Tips Revised and Expanded
Available at:
https://spencercoffman.com/books/
https://spencercoffman.com/a-guide-to-deception/
https://spencercoffman.com/deception-tips/
https://spencercoffman.com/deception-tips-revised-and-expanded/
https://spencercoffman.com/Deception-Tips-Blog/
What sets your books apart from all others?
A Guide to Deception is a very comprehensive book about the patterns of body language and signs of nonverbal communication that people display when being deceptive. There are dozens of books on body language, hundreds of research articles, and thousands of blog posts, articles, et cetera.
A Guide to Deception is a book that provides readers with specific signs that are backed by research, which is all referenced. You can either spend hundreds of dollars and hours of time, reading through over 150 peer-reviewed research studies containing hundreds of pages, or you can read a 100 page book that contains the cliff-notes for less than $20.
In short, A Guide to Deception contains all the needles from all the haystacks regarding detecting deception in one place.
Deception Tips is even more condensed. It is for readers who want the headlines without any extra information.
Deception Tips Revised and Expanded contains a detailed explanation after each deception tip.
What can we expect to gain or enjoy or understand from reading your books?
Readers will gain a comprehensive understanding of the body language that is displayed when people lie. They will learn how to understand and interpret this body language so that they will be able to communicate more effectively with those around them.
How or why is your book important?
Understanding body language is the most important part of communication. It is the only truthful communication that exists. Therefore, if you want to know the truth, then you must know body language.
Who is your target market?
Anyone who doesn’t like to be lied to or hurt by lies. Especially people in high-stake professions such as law enforcement, counseling, attorneys, mergers and acquisitions, business development, et cetera. Anyone in any profession where people are motivated to lie will benefit by reading these books and learning the information within them.
What authors inspired you most and how so? What do you admire about each one?
Paul Ekman. He was the pioneer of body language and studying human emotions.
I have dozens of books and hundreds of research articles piled on my bookshelves. I read them all before writing A Guide to Deception. They are from authors like Aldert Vrij, Joe Navarro, Stan Walters, Ekman and Friesen, Pamela Meyer, Harley and Karinch, and others.
What advice do you have to offer in support of other authors?
Write and publish because you want to. Don’t do it for money. Don’t do it for fame or recognition. Do it for yourself. Publish it so others have the chance to read it if they are wise enough to do so.
What is your genre of choice? How did you come to write in that particular genre or niche?
Psychology. Specifically human behavior and body language.
I really enjoyed reading about it and learning it. After I gained knowledge and understanding, I recognized that many of the books and articles out there didn’t provide specific instructions or signs of deception. Once I recognized that as a need, I was determined to fill it.
What are your future writing endeavors? What’s next on your authorship agenda?
I’d like to publish a book that contains the transcripts to the Deception Tips Podcast. Perhaps another book containing the transcripts from the Deception Tips Videos.
Is writing for you synonymous with living and breathing, or just something you do as a hobby, and how so and why?
It is a hobby mainly because it takes so much time. However, I really enjoy it. Once I begin the words simply flow. It’s almost like I can’t type fast enough. They simply keep pouring out. If I had help with editing, layout, and all of the technical stuff, then I’d write and publish a lot more.
Indie/Self-Published Author and/or Traditionally Published? What do you favor more and why?
I’ve tried both and prefer self-published. The reason is because when I’ve gone with a publisher they’ve charged several thousand dollars that I’ve never made back in royalties. In addition, everything they’ve done, I can do. In some cases, I have done it better than they did.
One book, I’m working on republishing because I still notice typos from a poor editing job of a publisher.
I know that if I found a publisher who was willing to publish my book and do all of the promotion, set up interviews, and everything like you see in the movies, then YES. I’d be a HUGE fan of publishers.
How is your writing controversial, profound or mind boggling, or how would you describe it?
It is profound because there isn’t much on the market like it. Yes, body language and detecting deception is becoming more and more popular. A Guide to Deception was published in 2015 years ago. The Deception Tips Videos I created were made in 2018 and recently, I’ve seen creators copying what I did. That tells me people like the content and recognize it as something people want to see. It also shows that my work may someday be thought of as inspirational or pioneering.
What do you hope to accomplish with your literary creation? What change or enlightenment do you want to bring about to your reader if any?
I’d love it if people were inspired to learn how to read people and understand body language.
What have you sacrificed, if anything, to be a writer, or to write as you do? What have you gained from writing, how has it rewarded you personally?
I’ve sacrificed a lot of time writing, editing, blogging, recording, and more.
I’ve sacrificed money with publishers, advertisers, recording studios, that I may never make back. There has been a lot of frustration and grief about people not producing the quality of content I expected or achieving the results promised. Yet something keeps me going. I persist at creating content to help those who desire to learn how to know and understand body language. I receive the personal satisfaction that once I create the content and get it out there that I know it is completed properly. I know that people will be able to read, watch, or listen to it forever because it is timeless. As long as there are humans, there will be body language and people will need to understand what it means. Hopefully someday soon, I’ll also receive some financial rewards so I can create even more content at a much faster pace.
Check Out the Ministry:
https://socialmediaministries.com/
