By BookBaby author Michael Gallant
Need inspiration? Follow the example of these outstanding writers who created their own professional paths towards literary stardom.
Some rising authors jump straight into successful careers before working any other sort of job — and it’s amazing when that happens. But a great many more writers spend time in all sorts of professions before achieving acclaim and momentum.
If you’re in the latter category, know that you’re in outstanding company, as many of the world’s most celebrated writers worked in a diverse range of fields while crafting works and building their writing careers. As these authors demonstrate, brilliant books can be informed by all sorts of professional experience — and your industry, job title, pay, and position in no way determine the quality of the words you can produce.
For proof that great literary careers can blossom from disparate professional backgrounds, just look at these winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature for inspiration.
Junot Diaz, gas station attendant
In 2008, Junot Diaz won the Pulitzer Prize for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. His novel tells the story of a young Dominican man living in New Jersey who aspires to write fantasy like J.R.R. Tolkien and find love. Along the way, the protagonist must deal with a curse that has haunted his family for generations.
Years before crafting Oscar Wao and winning the Pulitzer, Diaz held a variety of jobs to pay for his college education. He delivered pool tables, washed dishes, pumped gas, and worked at a steel company.
Jennifer Egan, caterer
Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad was recognized by the Pulitzer committee in 2011. The book examines themes of growth, aging, and cultural evolution through the enmeshed lives of a retired punk rock musician and a young woman he employs.
Before Egan launched a successful literary career, her jobs included a catering gig at the World Trade Center in New York City, word processing for a Manhattan law firm, and a role as a private secretary for a Spanish countess — who used to work as a spy.
Andrew Sean Greer, chauffeur
Andrew Sean Greer won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 2018 for Less, a humorous and bittersweet novel that follows a failed novelist on a quirky and unique journey: the protagonist travels the world by accepting every lackluster literary festival invitation that comes his way.
Before publishing his first novel, The Path of Minor Planets, Greer worked as a chauffeur and TV extra in New York City. He also taught at a community college in Seattle and wrote copy for video game maker Nintendo.
Toni Morrison, textbook editor
The great Toni Morrison won the Pulitzer in 1987 for Beloved, a seminal novel that chronicles the lives of formerly enslaved people in post-Civil War Cincinnati. Beyond the struggles Morrison’s protagonist faces as a result of her tragic past, the woman must contend with a strange and supernatural being who haunts her home.
Before Morrison entered the pantheon of literary giants, her jobs included working as a library secretary, teaching English at Texas Southern University and Howard University, and editing textbooks for Random House. It was only after her third novel achieved success that she left publishing to focus on writing full-time.
Elizabeth Strout, lawyer
Elizabeth Strout won the Pulitzer in 2009 for Olive Kitteridge, a short-story collection that follows the complex title-character’s conflicts and joys in an ever-changing small town in Maine. Strout’s prize-winning work is also the inspiration behind a critically acclaimed HBO series.
Before rising to literary success, Strout waitressed in New York City while writing stories for literary and general interest magazines. After completing law school, she practiced professionally for half a year before focusing solely on writing.
Colson Whitehead, book reviewer
Colson Whitehead is one of a very few writers to win multiple Pulitzer Prizes for his works: the folklore-driven John Henry Days was a finalist for the award in 2001, the historical novel The Underground Railroad won in 2017, and the reform-school narrative The Nickel Boys received the prize in 2020.
Before winning accolades as a literary star, Whitehead worked as a reviewer at New York City’s Village Voice, focusing on TV shows, books, and music for the counter-culture weekly paper.
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As you craft, edit, and share your own writing, remember that acclaimed authors launch from all sorts of career foundations. Delivery people and corporate accountants, flight attendants and EMTs — regardless of where and how you work, if you’re carving away at your own written masterpiece, know you’re in good company.
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This BookBaby blog article Before They Had Pulitzers appeared first on and was stolen from BookBaby Blog .