John Vercher is an accomplished American author, best known for his debut novel, Three-Fifths. This compelling work was the first release on Agora's diversity-focused imprint, Polis Books, and was named one of the best books of the year by the Chicago Tribune. Despite the success of Three-Fifths, Vercher had previously published fiction in Akashic Books’ flash fiction features, Mondays are Murder and Fri-SciFi.
Before finding success as a writer, Vercher pursued a different career path. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Mountainview Master of Fine Arts. Initially, Vercher did not believe he had the necessary skills to succeed in writing, leading him to pursue a career as a clinician instead. However, after a decade of dissatisfaction in his role, Vercher decided to take a chance on writing. Recognizing that he had only written occasionally and that his craft needed refinement, he made the smart decision to return to school to strengthen his writing skills and increase his chances of becoming a published author.