 He moved west for his health, founded a book publishing company in Los Angeles and sold copies of the "Mexican Year Book" and other titles for "Los Angeles Times" publisher Harry Chandler.For fifty dollars he purchased an unsuccessful publication called "Smiles" and persuaded the Commercial Board of Los Angeles to take the magazine as its house organ thereby establishing himself as a publisher.In 1926, Boddy was hired as editor of the "Los Angeles Illustrated Daily News", a failing newspaper originally founded by Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr.