AJ West is a novelist, media trainer, and presenter. A former BBC journalist and charity communications director, he has written widely on the challenges facing authors in a changing publishing landscape. His debut novel was published without an agent, while his second, The Betrayal of Thomas True, became a Sunday Times bestseller and won the 2025 CWA Historical Dagger Award. AJ co-founded The Book Party, a reader-writer event series that has grown from a one-off gathering into regular large-scale celebrations of the book community, connecting traditionally published and independent authors with audiences around the country. He also works with authors to develop skills in public speaking and interviews. AJ has toured extensively in support of independent bookshops, and he remains an active advocate for the role of booksellers in sustaining the literary ecosystem.