Short went on to study Journalism at Chiswick Polytechnic and his father, a cabinet maker and furniture shop owner, helped him secure a place at the Staines and Egham News local newspaper.
[5] [6] After returning to the Staines and Egham News, Don moved to Cirencester with his wife and began work at the Gloucestershire Echo.
[8] He got a world scoop about the marriage of Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher and was appointed to the role of Showbiz reporter at the Daily Mirror.
[18] Short ghosted several bestselling books including those of Swedish actress Britt Ekland,[19] Peter Sellers, Lady Norah Docker,[20] and an authorised biography of Engelbert Humperdinck.[21].
[22] Short steered Solo in the direction of celebrity books as they were a lucrative concern for publishers for the first time and corresponded with his experience and contacts in the showbiz industry.