astonwest said:
If a person was interested in writing songs, and then selling them to musical artists, are there any reference books out there worth reading to learn more on the process (mostly the latter)?
Hmmm....Are you are a lyricist? If so, can you also sing? Do you play an instrument? Do you have the ability to record your songs (a demo)? It's difficult to know how to advise you without that info. Regardless, here are a couple books that will give you a ton of information:
"The Music Business" (Explained in Plain English) by David Naggar, esq and Jeffrey D. Brandstetter, esq.
"All You Need To Know About the Music Business" by Donald S. Passman
Both books are a few years old, but packed with good info.
I wish you all the best! And remember, every successful artist was once just a dreamer...