You’ve gotten to know Stacey Hamilton; now it’s time to learn more about SAS Press acquisitions editor John West!

John  West typically works on programming and statistics titles and has been with SAS Publishing for 22 years: He started at SAS as a proofreader, then moved into technical editing where he edited and tested online documentation before becoming an acquisitions editor with SAS Press 11 years ago.

Here’s what John’s colleagues have to say about him:

John’s longevity with SAS Press...

a) means he can select any office he wants if we ever move; seniority = good office space
b) has given him a great perspective and occasional headaches
c) has not aged him one little bit
d) has given him the experience and expertise to simultaneously (and patiently) shepherd multiple projects through completion with keen attention to detail
e) has given him a greater understanding of what SAS is all about—the software and the company

John’s SAS Press superlative is …

a) most likely to be a baker in another life—he makes awesome Valentine’s Day cookies
b) most supportive of his authors
c) most likely to survive any difficult situation—without losing his cool
d) easiest to work with
e) most likely to gamble

John’s authors enjoy working with him because …

a) he gives them lots of attention
b) he’s intelligent, grounded, calm, and makes them feel well taken care of
c) he is a dedicated, patient, thorough editor
d) he cares deeply about them and the success of their projects
e) he is so professional

John will be representing SAS Press at WUSS (October 12–14 in San Francisco) this year. If you get a chance to meet him, definitely ask him about …

a) his collections
b) his favorite books
c) Vegas, baby
d) his interest in old cars
e) peonies

If John won the lottery, the first three things he’d buy would be …

a) more lottery tickets (he’s lucky like that), a beach home, two tickets to London and Paris
b) a one-way ticket to Vegas, a fenced-in yard so that he can adopt a huge dog, and a walk-on role on “Madmen”
c) a penthouse in Vegas, all the antique stores in North Carolina, and a second iPad 2
d) his dream house, a new car with every possible upgrade, and a trip back to Las Vegas
e) a ’65 Thunderbird, a trip to Las Vegas, and Carolina Hurricanes season tickets

All in all, John is an experienced, detail-oriented, attentive editor. He considers himself “boring,” but really, how boring can you be if “Vegas” is your destination of choice?!

Stay tuned for the next installment of this series, when we find out why editor George McDaniel’s motto is “Don’t let them get the right idea about you.”