About John J. Geoghegan

Writing may be my passion, but it’s also my business. I have authored four non-fiction books all commercially published, served as a Special Correspondent for the New York Times, worked for the Doubleday Publishing Group in New York City, been employed as an editor in the magazine and newspaper businesses, have published over a hundred magazine and newspaper articles, taught freelance writing at Fairfield University, and continue to teach at UC, Berkeley and the University of San Francisco. I even host a Zoom class twice a year called, “How to Get Your Book Published,” sponsored by Book Passage, Northern California’s leading independent bookstore. As a result, I can bring proven experience and professionalism to your fiction or non-fiction writing project. Click here to see what my clients say.

About Me

I specialize in reporting on unusual inventions that fail in the marketplace despite their innovative nature. I call these inventions White Elephant Technology (WETech for short), and my articles on the topic have appeared in the New York Times Science Section, WIRED, Popular Science, Smithsonian Air & Space, American History, Aviation History, and the San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Magazine among other publications. Click here to see some examples.

I am also the author of the memoir, Hear Today, Gone Tomorrow: A True Story of Love, Hearing Loss, Heartbreak and Redemption, (New Haven Publishing Ltd., 2018). Hear Today recounts what happens when a seemingly successful husband, father, and business exec suffers a hearing loss so severe it renders him deaf overnight. To learn more about Hear Today, Gone Tomorrow click here.

Additionally, I authored the nonfiction book, Operation Storm: Japan’s Top Secret Submarines and Its Plan to Change the Course of WWII (Crown, 2013). Operation Storm tells the true but little known story of Japan’s fleet of underwater aircraft carriers purpose-built to launch a surprise attack against New York City and Washington, DC as a follow up to Pearl Harbor. The Wall Street Journal called Operation Storm, “a fascinating, meticulously researched, and deft account.”  Operation Storm has been published in hardcover and paperback, and translated into Dutch, Japanese and Mandarin. The Wall Street Journal called Operation Storm, “A fascinating, meticulously researched and deft account.” To see what other praise Operation Storm earned, please click here.

My follow-up to Operation Storm--When Giants Ruled the Sky: The Brief Reign and Tragic Demise of the American Airship, was published by The History Press in the UK in October 2021 and in the US April 2022. For more information, or to order a copy click here. 

Finally, I’ve also worked in the world of documentaries. I helped shepherd into production, co-wrote, and served as technical consultant on Japanese SuperSub (2010), an hour-long documentary produced by PBS Television, National Geographic International and Britain’s Channel 5, based in part on research for my book, Operation Storm. The New York Times called Japanese SuperSub, a “consistently interesting program serving up fascinating history.” Additionally, I served as one of two on-camera expert for the Smithsonian Channel’s America’s Lost Airship which was based on research for my book, When Giants Ruled the Sky and aired in 2022. To learn more about my documentary work click here. 

I began my editorial career working for the Doubleday Publishing Group, the largest publisher in the U.S. at the time, after which I joined Connecticut magazine’s editorial department where I served as a contributing writer specializing in the state's defense and aerospace industries. I've also served as a Special Correspondent for the New York Times, contributed to the Times’ Science section, and served as Editor of the Connecticut Business Journal. I currently serve as Director of The SILOE Research Institute’s Archival Division in Marin County, California where I research and write about WETech inventions.