From Computer Operations to Dozens of Novels: A Reinvention as Novelist and Ghostwriter

Updated May 2026 to reflect current data.

Richard Lowe, The Writing King, sits down with Aaron Apollo Camp to trace an unlikely arc, from running the computer systems at Trader Joe’s to a second life as a working author. It’s a reinvention story, and a useful one for anyone who assumes a technical career and a creative one have to be separate things.

What makes Richard’s case unusual is the scope of the output on the far side of that change: dozens of his own novels and dozens more books written for clients.

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In this episode

From running computer operations to writing full-time

Richard’s first career was deeply technical. Over 33 years in enterprise computing he rose to Director of Computer Operations and Technical Services at Trader Joe’s, responsible for the systems a large company runs on. By 2013 he was ready for something else, and rather than chase another director role he followed the pull toward writing he’d carried for decades.

Two careers at once: novelist and ghostwriter

What sets Richard apart is that he didn’t pick one lane. He writes his own novels, more than twenty published so far among the 113-plus books under his own name, and he has separately ghostwritten more than fifty books for clients. The two feed each other: the discipline of producing client books keeps the craft sharp, and the fiction is where the imagination gets to run. It’s also a window into the long tradition of writing under someone else’s name, which is older and more common than most readers realize.

The fiction

The novels range across genres, with a strong streak of science fiction alongside thrillers, reimaginings, and several ongoing series. For readers who want to see the breadth of it, his published fiction is collected on his author site at masterofworlds.com.

Find Richard Lowe at TheWritingKing.com.

Common questions from this conversation

What did Richard do before he became a writer?
He spent 33 years in enterprise technology, finishing as Director of Computer Operations and Technical Services at Trader Joe’s, before moving into writing full-time in 2013.

How many books has he written?
More than 113 under his own name, including over twenty published novels, plus more than 54 books ghostwritten for clients. Those are two separate bodies of work.

Does he write his own fiction, or only ghostwrite for others?
Both. Alongside the client work, Richard has written dozens of his own novels, which is the creative side of his practice.

What genres does he write?
A range, with a particular leaning toward science fiction, plus thrillers, reimaginings of classic works, and multi-book series.

Can Richard write a book for me?
Yes. He ghostwrites books for executives and entrepreneurs, and offers coaching for authors who want to do the writing themselves.