Day Jobs of Famous Writers - The Work They Did Before They Were Famous

Most writers have been faced with the challengeof Salem and Beverly as well as Inspector of
of making a living while waiting for that big break.Revenue for the Port of Salem. He also wrote a
Day jobs I've held included dishwasher, custodian,campaign biography of his friend, Franklin Pierce, in
film processing lab technician, copy-editor,which he left out some key information, such as
advertising copywriter, publisher, and print shopPierce's drinking. On his election, Pierce rewarded
stripper (it's nothing dirty; I "stripped" negativesHawthorne with the position of United States
into paper frames which were used to "burn"consul in Liverpool.
offset printing plates--with today's direct-to-plate- Dan Brown: Before striking gold with Angels and
technology, printers may not even need strippersDemons, The Da Vinci Code, and The Lost
anymore).Symbol, he was a high school English teacher.
Here's a look at jobs held by a few famous- Zane Grey: Early 20th century author of such
writers before they were famous. Some of thempopular novels as Riders of the Purple Sage, he
eventually were able to write full-time, otherswould eventually publish nearly 90 books and sell
never sold enough books and had to keep theirmore than 50 million copies worldwide. After
day jobs, and others like Scott Turow (whoyears of rejection, he sold his first book at age
continues to practice law) and John Grisham (who40 and was able to give up his day job as a
remains interested in politics and considereddentist, a job that he hated.
running for U.S. Senator from Virginia in 2006)- J. K. Rowling: After her daughter was born and
maintain their non-writing career interests.she separated from her husband, the author of
- Dashiel Hammet: The author of hard-boiledthe Harry Potter series left her job in Portugal,
detective stories and novels started out as awhere she taught English as a second language,
private detective. His first case? To track down aand returned to school to study for her
thief who had stolen a Ferris Wheel.postgraduate certificate of education (PGCE) so
- John Grisham: Author of such legal thrillers asshe could teach in Scotland. She completed her
The Firm and The Pelican Brief, is an attorneyfirst novel while on welfare.
who, from 1983 to 1990, served as a Democrat- Mary Higgins Clark: After graduating from high
in the Mississippi House of Representatives.school, she was secretary to the head of the
- Jack London: The author of White Fang, The Callcreative department in the internal advertising
of the Wild, and The Sea Wolf had a variety ofdivision of Remington-Rand, a business machines
experiences, including oyster pirate, goldmanufacturer. She took evening classes in
prospector, and rail-riding hobo.advertising and promotion and was promoted to
- Langston Hughes: One of the first Africanwriting catalog copy--future novelist Joseph Heller
American authors who was able to supportwas a coworker. She also modeled for company
himself by writing, he was, according to legend,brochures with aspiring actress Grace Kelly. Her
discovered by poet Vachel Lindsay while workingthirst for adventure led her to become a
as a busboy at the Wardman Park Hotel instewardess for Pan American Airlines where she
Washington, D.C. Hughes had dropped his poemswas on the last flight allowed into Czechoslovakia
beside Lindsay's plate. In his poetry readingbefore the Iron curtain cut off east from west.
Lindsay included several of Hughes's poems, which- Harlan Ellison: The man who would later
resulted in journalists clamoring to interview thedistinguish himself as a preeminent speculative
"busboy poet."fiction and mystery writer held many jobs before
- William Carlos Williams: The poet and fictionhe was 20 years old, including tuna fisherman,
writer was an excellent pediatrician and generalitinerant crop-picker, hired gun for a wealthy
practitioner, although he worked harder at hisneurotic, nitroglycerine truck driver, short order
writing than he did at medicine.cook, cab driver, lithographer, book salesman,
- Ralph Waldo Emerson: The American poet,department store floorwalker, and door-to-door
philosopher, and essayist assisted his brotherbrush salesman.
William in a school for young women they ran out- Scott Turow: The author of such best selling
of their mother's house. He later was a ministernovels as Presumed Innocent and Reversible
and lecturer.Errors, still practices law as a partner of the
- Henry David Thoreau: He began as Emerson'sChicago firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal,
handyman, moved on to selling vegetables,although on most of his cases he works pro bono.
returned to the family pencil business, was a tutor- Nicholas Sparks: After graduating from college
and a teacher.the author of such best sellers as The Notebook,
- Nathaniel Hawthorne: The author of The ScarletDear John, and The Last Song tried to find work
Letter and The House of the Seven Gables wasin the publishing industry and applied to law school
a weighter and a gauger at the Boston Custombut had no luck in either area. So he embarked on
House, which housed government offices forother careers, including real estate appraisal,
processing paperwork for the import and exportwaiting tables, selling dental products by phone,
of goods. Later he was Surveyor for the districtsand starting a manufacturing business.