Scott Waxman

Scott Waxman is a literary agent, entrepreneur, and the founder of both the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency and Diversion Books.^[1][2]

Early life and career

After graduating college, he worked for HarperCollins as an editor in the early 1990s.^[2] In 1997, Waxman founded the Waxman Literary Agency.^[1] In 2012 Byrd Leavell joined the agency as a partner.^[3]

In 1999, Waxman founded LiveREADS, a company that produced enhanced eBooks of works from Jack Kerouac and other authors.^[1] The company went out of business. Waxman noted that if ePublishing ever did become popular, he wanted to be ready.^[1]

Entrepreneurial career

Waxman Leavell Literary Agency

In 1997, Waxman founded the Waxman Literary Agency.^[2]

Diversion Publishing Corp.

In 2010, Waxman founded Diversion Publishing Corp, a publishing company which specializes in commercial fiction, sports, health, and business titles.^[4] Diversion publishes both original and backlist titles.^[5][6]

Diversion Books published college football coach Mike Leach's book, Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and in Life, after Leach's original publisher expressed reluctance.^[5] The book became a New York Times Bestseller.^[7][8] The company also published How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.^[9] Cuban said that he chose Diversion Books and ePublishing since promoting a physical book was too financially risky.^[10][11]

References