Author Day Jobs: 7 Authors Who Worked On The Side

7 Famous Authors' Day Jobs

Charlotte Brontë was a grossly underpaid governess before she made it big, and Stephen King was a high school teacher. Douglas Adams was a security guard, Kurt Vonnegut worked at a Saab dealership, and Jack London was an "oyster pirate," whatever that means.

The path to authorial fame is a rough and uncertain one, so scores of literary greats have paid the bills by working strange and interesting day jobs.

Lorrie Moore nods to this process in her short story, "How to Become a Writer," in which the first line reads: "First, try to be something, anything, else."

But some authors find fulfillment and inspiration in their day jobs, so much so that even after striking it rich, they choose to forego a fully-devoted writing career.

In honor of Labor Day, here are 7 writers who kept their day jobs:

William Carlos Williams

7 Authors Who Kept Their Day Jobs

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