Although Wendy Werris began her life in books as a bookseller, she became a publisher's rep early on in her career when reps were commonly known as "bookmen." That and so much more has changed over the years in the book business. Werris not only tracks these changes in her new memoir, An Alphabetical Life: Living It Up in the Business of Books (Carroll & Graf, Nov.), she also tracks the changes in her own life from rebellious youth (she was a teenager when she was hired at Pickwick's in Los Angeles) to savvy middle-aged professional. Sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, Werris's journey is the tale of a lonely woman who's running away from herself—until she discovers a professional track that feels right, one she cares enough about that she begins to steer a straighter course. Although filled with insider talk, dishy in terms of writers and book people, informative about books and the book business, An Alphabetical Life is not just a memoir of a profession, but a poignant coming-of-age tale as well.