In 1957, Harry Shorten sought a way to invest the money he made from his comic strip, and ended up settling on a paperback book publishing company with an interesting gimmick. Naming the company "Midwood Books" after his neighborhood in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York, his gimmick was simple – give the “average American slob” what he liked.

No, Midwood wasn’t known for its classy titles or high literature, and it was definitely no Random House, but it succeeded pretty well. That just goes to show that the mosaic that makes up the American population has always had varied tastes. In order to be a success, a publisher need only discover and capitalize on a niche.

In addition to finding his niche in what the average guy liked, Shorten’s business practices broke down some gender barriers. A gay man from New York, he clearly understood the need to make a place in the literary world for the oppressed sexual minority. It is interesting to note that some of the lesbian titles Midwood churned out, and there were many, were written by men. But don’t be fooled ‒ he was no sexist. Shorten employed women writers and editors ‒  an unheard of practice at the time. He didn’t employ people on the basis of gender at all, but purely on the basis of their talent in the industry. A truly revolutionary act in the 50s and 60s.

While many of the titles Midwood published were admittedly aimed at men’s pleasure, Shorten wasn’t afraid to address the lesbian subculture. The cover art of Midwood’s titles was one of the primary things the company counted on to sell their titles. Employing artists like Robert Maguire, Rudy Nappi, and Paul Rader, many of these covers were racy enough to catch the eye of someone looking to indulge in a guilty pleasure. Some might even say that Midwood was known for its sleazy titles, given the conservative times. Shorten’s willingness to address a multitude of sexuality issues, however, advanced the paperback industry in its own little way.

There was a small group of men that wrote for him at the start of his company, and each took on several pen names – many of them, female names. This tactic was undoubtedly designed to make Midwood appear to be a much larger company to its readers than it actually was. Shorten also added women to his staff not long after he started. Elaine Williams, an editor and author (author of First Person, 3rd Sex) and Julie Ellis (writing as Joan Ellis) were two of Midwood's hottest writers.