John is a monthly feature writer for Psychic News, the world's oldest and best-selling magazine on the paranormal. He's also a regular contributor to Suffolk Norfolk Life, where he has interviewed celebrities and written about East Anglian folklore. John also writes articles for Starburst and Haunted magazines.
John's first publication was a study of Roman Lincoln in 1991. John co-presented a BBC radio documentary based on this, which quickly became a bestseller in Lincolnshire. Later publications included studies of Roman York, Victorian murders, and Oliver Cromwell. One of John's books, Oliver Cromwell and the Battle of Gainsborough, is housed in the White House library in Washington. It was sent to the library by the publisher (along with two other English Civil War publications) in 1992. JMD Media published John's first book on ghosts, Britain's Haunted Heritage, in November 2019. Here is a link to the publisher's page - www.jmdmedia.co.uk/pages/john-west
Britain's Ghostly Heritage and The Battle of Gainsborough, 1643, were published by JMD Media in April 2022. Britain's Haunted Heritage was also reissued with a new cover designed by Jason Figgis. John's third book on ghosts, Britain's Haunted Land, was published on Halloween 2023. Chilling Stories, a book published in 2023, features a chapter by John devoted to the Grey Man of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. Ghosts of War, a book published in 2024, features a chapter by John devoted to haunted airfields in England. His latest books, The Poltergeist Casebook and In Search of Roman Lincoln, were published by Arima in December 2025 and August 2026, respectively.
John has also written numerous magazine articles on subjects ranging from Dick Turpin to female singers in Suffolk. Magazines featuring John's work include The Lincolnshire Poacher, Haunted, Starburst, Lets Talk, Valued History, Take a Break - Fate and Fortune, Lincolnshire Home and Garden, The Voice, Lincolnshire Past and Present, Cromwelliana, Grapevine, Eternal Spirit, Spirituality Matters, Saxmundham News, Messingham Village Magazine, and Universal.
