Jenn Northington has worked in the publishing industry wearing various hats since 2004, including bookseller and events director, and is currently Director of Editorial Operations at Riot New Media Group. You can hear her on the SFF Yeah! podcast nerding out about sci-fi and fantasy. When she’s not working, she’s most likely gardening, running, or (obviously) reading. Find her on Tumblr at jennIRL and Instagram at iamjennIRL.
Did you know that both David Mitchell and Sarah Waters are former booksellers, according to The Guardian? If you’ve read Just Kids, you already know that Patti Smith used to work (and occasionally sleep) at Brentano’s. There’s a long tradition of booksellers writing their novels during their lunch breaks, and writers seeking out jobs in bookstores, and current publications are no exception. Here are 13 authors who have slung books for a living — some of whom still do!
Jami Attenberg, author of Saint Mazie (forthcoming June 2, 2015) and The Middlesteins among many others, was a regular (and is still a semi-regular) weekend bookseller at WORD Brooklyn.
Melissa Cistaro currently works as a bookseller and event coordinator for Book Passage, and her memoir Pieces of My Mother comes out May 5, 2015.
You may have seen Edan Lepucki on Colbert for her apocalyptic novel California; you might also have seen her working the stacks at either Book Soup and Skylight Books.
