John Sandford, born as John Roswell Camp, on February 23, 1944, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a Pulitzer-winning American journalist and novelist. He is widely recognized for his popular Prey series, which he wrote under the pseudonym John Sandford. With the success of this series, he continued using this pseudonym for subsequent novels, including sequels to his earlier Kidd novels.

Sandford attended public schools in Cedar Rapids, graduating from Washington High School in 1962. He then pursued American Studies at the University of Iowa, earning his bachelor's degree in 1966. In the same year, he married Susan Lee Jones, a fellow student.

From 1966 to 1968, Sandford served in the U.S. Army. Following his service, he worked as a reporter for the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian (1968-1970), and later returned to the University of Iowa, where he received a master's degree in journalism in 1971. His journalism career continued as a reporter for The Miami Herald (1971-78) and the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (1978-1990).