How to Sell Your Books: A Publisher Speaks: Helping Writers Succeed (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781502902979)

From a stay-at-home mom to an analyst for a fortune five hundred corporation and back to college for a doctorate to put on the hat of a college professor, Joan West has moved from one career to another. After retiring from teaching, she expanded on the article writing niche she had carved out for herself into writing a novel. As a member of a writers' group, she felt that new authors were receiving short shrift from agents and editors and decided to try her hand as a literary agent. After much research, she joined hands with Lois Bennett to form Bennett and West Literary Agency. The two placed many of their clients' manuscripts into the hands of publishers, but with the advent of perceived chaos in the publishing industry, it became more and more clear that new, untried authors were not particularly welcome. With a feeling of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," Joan and Lois embarked on the adventure of operating a small press publishing company, Fireside Publications. Her first nonfiction book, An Agent Speaks: A Primer for Unpublished Writers, is followed by this one, A Publisher Speaks: Helping Writers Succeed, which continues her mission of-what else-helping writers succeed. Joan lives in Florida with her editor husband, Glen. Contact Joan at: firesidepublishers@comcast.net. Put Joan West in the subject line.