Quick Facts
Biography
Scott Waxman is a literary agent, entrepreneur, and the founder of both the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency and Diversion Books. He also works in ePublishing.
Early life and career
After graduating college, he worked for HarperCollins as an editor in the early 1990s. In 1997, Waxman founded the Waxman Literary Agency. In 2012 Byrd Leavell joined the agency as a partner.
In 1999, Waxman founded LiveREADS, a company that produced enhanced eBooks of works from Jack Kerouac and other authors. The company went out of business. Waxman noted that if ePublishing ever did become popular, he wanted to be ready.
Entrepreneurial career
Waxman Leavell Literary Agency
In 1997, Waxman founded the Waxman Literary Agency.
Diversion Books
In 2010, Waxman founded Diversion Books, a digital publishing company which specializes in commercial fiction, sports, health, and business titles. Diversion Books publishes both original and backlist titles.
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. The book became a New York Times Bestseller. 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. Cuban said that he chose Diversion Books and ePublishing since promoting a physical book was too financially risky.