A Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney, John Howard Reid founded his own book wholesale distribution service shortly after graduation. He then moved into publishing and finally into book retailing. As a Publisher, he served as his own Chief Editor and also contributed articles and stories to magazines and newspapers. In his spare time, he acted as a film critic, reviewing both new movies and TV offerings for two rival weekly newspapers. After selling his book shops, Reid concentrated on his own writing career, although he now also spends a lot of time working as Chief Judge for three of America's largest literary competitions: The Tom Howard Poetry Contest for All Styles and Genres; The Margaret Reid Prize for Traditional Verse; and The Tom Howard Short Story, Essay and Prose Contest. Reid is the author of the bestselling "Write Ways To Win Writing Contests."