It’s easy to look at bestselling authors today and imagine that they’ve always been living the good life, surrounded by stacks of cash and glowing in literary success. But some of the most famous writers you know and love actually started from very humble beginnings. I’m talking ramen-for-dinner, heating-bills-neglected, and "How am I supposed to pay rent?" kind of beginnings. Before fame and fortune came knocking, these writers were in the trenches of financial struggle, wondering if they would ever catch a break.
Curious about which legendary authors were once scraping by? Let’s dive in and take a closer look at some famous authors who were surprisingly poor before finding success and fame and making it big. Spoiler: you might just be inspired to keep pushing on with your dreams!
1. J.K. Rowling (1965 - Present)
 
We can’t talk about rags-to-riches stories without starting with J.K. Rowling—the queen of the literary glow-up. Before the magical world of Harry Potter made her a household name, Rowling’s life was anything but magical. She wrote her first Harry Potter book as a single mother, living on welfare, barely able to afford basic necessities. Struggling with depression and facing rejection from multiple publishers, Rowling persevered, writing in cafés while her daughter napped beside her.
Rowling once described those difficult times as some of the darkest in her life. Yet, her belief in her story kept her going. When Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was finally published in 1997, it was the start of an unprecedented journey. Her wizarding world captured the hearts of readers everywhere, and Rowling went from scraping by to being one of the wealthiest women in the world. Not too shabby for someone who had once been told not to quit her day job!
Much like Rowling, another author who faced intense financial struggles before making it big was none other than the master of horror himself.
2. Stephen King (1947 - Present)
Before becoming the master of horror, Stephen King was living paycheck to paycheck, working as a high school English teacher while writing in his spare time. He and his wife, Tabitha, were so broke that they couldn’t afford a telephone and were living in a rented trailer. King famously sold short stories to magazines to help with expenses, but it wasn’t enough to keep them afloat.
King once said, "We were living the dream... if the dream was to survive on macaroni and cheese." In 1973, everything changed when King’s debut novel, Carrie, was published. Initially, King threw the manuscript in the trash, but Tabitha fished it out and convinced him to keep going. Carrie became a massive hit, and King was able to quit his day job. From there, his career skyrocketed, leading to an incredible catalog of iconic works like The Shining (1977), It (1986), and Misery (1987). But before the success, King’s life was a constant struggle to keep the lights on.
Much like King, another writer who understood the harshness of poverty firsthand was George Orwell.
3. George Orwell (1903 - 1950)
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Before he was writing about dystopian futures, George Orwell was living one. Orwell, born Eric Arthur Blair, is remembered for his searing critiques of totalitarianism in 1984 (1949) and Animal Farm (1945), but before he became an influential voice in literature, he knew what it meant to struggle. Born into a lower-middle-class family, Orwell lived much of his life on the brink of poverty. After attending prestigious schools, he chose to live among the poor, working as a dishwasher and experiencing homelessness in Paris and London. His early years were chronicled in Down and Out in Paris and London (1933), where he captured the harsh realities of poverty.
Orwell once said, "The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection." These experiences deeply influenced his later works, which criticized the social injustices of the time. Despite poor health and financial difficulties throughout his life, Orwell’s legacy as a writer continues to impact the world today, illustrating how the harshest experiences can often lead to the most powerful stories.
4. Paulo Coelho (1947 - Present)
You might know Paulo Coelho for his international bestseller The Alchemist (1988), but before its success, Coelho’s life was marked by hardship and wandering. In the years leading up to The Alchemist, Coelho experienced significant struggles, including run-ins with mental institutions and brushes with poverty while traveling the world and trying to find his purpose. He worked as a songwriter and held other odd jobs but couldn’t seem to break through in his writing career.
Coelho once wrote, "And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." Before the universe conspired, Coelho had to face his fair share of hardships. When The Alchemist was first published, it sold modestly in Brazil. It wasn’t until the book was re-released internationally that it became a global phenomenon, selling millions of copies. Coelho’s perseverance in the face of financial struggles is a reminder that sometimes success takes time, patience, and a little faith in the universe—something many great authors have experienced.
5. Charles Dickens (1812 - 1870)
If you think Charles Dickens' Christmas spirit was always jolly, you might be in for a surprise. Before A Christmas Carol became the ultimate holiday classic, Dickens was no stranger to poverty. His early life was marked by financial hardship. His father was sent to a debtor’s prison when Dickens was just 12 years old, and the young boy had to leave school to work in a factory. He spent his days pasting labels onto bottles of boot polish for meager pay—a far cry from the literary success that would later define him.
Dickens once said, "No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else." His harsh upbringing gave him firsthand knowledge of the struggles faced by the poor, a theme that would permeate many of his works. Books like Oliver Twist (1837) and Great Expectations (1861) drew on these early experiences, giving readers a glimpse into the difficult life of England’s working class. His ability to turn his childhood hardships into compelling social commentary made Dickens one of the most revered authors in history.
Speaking of authors whose financial struggles inspired their greatest works, let’s turn to F. Scott Fitzgerald.
6. F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 - 1940)
F. Scott Fitzgerald is synonymous with the glamour and decadence of the Roaring Twenties, but his own life was far from stable. Today, he is remembered for The Great Gatsby (1925), his dazzling tale of wealth and the American Dream. But ironically, Fitzgerald spent much of his own life chasing financial stability. Despite early success with his debut novel This Side of Paradise (1920), Fitzgerald struggled to make ends meet, often relying on short stories to pay the bills. At one point, he and his wife Zelda were so broke that they couldn’t afford proper medical care for Zelda, who was battling mental illness.
Fitzgerald once wrote, "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." His desperation for money also led to intense bouts of alcoholism, which compounded his financial problems. Although The Great Gatsby eventually became an American classic, it was a commercial failure during his lifetime. Fitzgerald died believing himself to be a failed writer, never witnessing the massive success his work would achieve posthumously.
Another author who faced similar financial challenges before her breakthrough was Elizabeth Gilbert.
7. Elizabeth Gilbert (1969 - Present)
Before Eat, Pray, Love (2006) became the go-to memoir for soul-searching adventurers everywhere, Elizabeth Gilbert was struggling to make ends meet. Working as a waitress and a bartender while trying to establish herself as a writer, Gilbert wasn’t exactly living the glamorous, travel-filled life her memoir would later depict. In fact, she was in debt, recently divorced, and feeling completely lost.
Gilbert later shared, "Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation." It wasn’t until she took her famous year-long trip around the world—hoping to find solace and inspiration—that she transformed her experiences into the bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love. The book catapulted her to fame, and Gilbert went on to publish more successful books like Big Magic (2015). Her journey is a testament to how even in times of darkness and debt, there’s still hope for something incredible to happen.
8. Delia Owens (1949 - Present)
You might know Delia Owens as the author of Where the Crawdads Sing (2018), but before this late-in-life success, she faced her share of financial challenges. Owens spent much of her career as a wildlife scientist in remote parts of Africa, a job that didn’t exactly come with a hefty paycheck. After returning to the U.S., she struggled to get her writing career off the ground, despite co-authoring a few non-fiction books.
Owens has said that the solitude of her work as a wildlife scientist prepared her for the solitary nature of writing fiction. It wasn’t until Where the Crawdads Sing became a massive bestseller, years after its release, that Owens found financial stability. The novel’s unexpected success later led to a film adaptation, but Owens’ story is a reminder that success can come at any age—and often after a long struggle.
9. Toni Morrison (1931 - 2019)
Before becoming the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, Toni Morrison had her fair share of financial struggles. Born Chloe Ardelia Wofford, Morrison grew up in a working-class African American family in Lorain, Ohio. Her parents worked multiple jobs to support their children, and their home was filled with stories, folklore, and songs passed down through generations.
Morrison once reflected, "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." Morrison worked as an editor and taught at Howard University before publishing her first novel The Bluest Eye in 1970. Even then, she was juggling her writing with raising two sons as a single mother, and success didn’t come overnight. It wasn’t until later works like Song of Solomon (1977) and Beloved (1987) that Morrison became widely recognized as one of America’s greatest authors. Her perseverance in the face of financial struggle makes her literary accomplishments all the more inspiring.
10. Margaret Atwood (1939 - Present)
Before Margaret Atwood became one of the most celebrated authors in the world with works like The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), her path was far from glamorous. Growing up in the wilderness of Canada, Atwood lived a rather isolated life, and as an adult, her early works did not bring financial stability. Atwood spent much of her early writing career scraping by, working several teaching jobs and even making her own clothes because she couldn't afford new ones.
Atwood’s big break came with the publication of The Edible Woman (1969), and over the decades, she has cemented herself as a literary powerhouse. Atwood’s journey to success is a testament to years of hard work, persistence, and financial frugality, showing that even the most celebrated authors often start from humble beginnings.
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If you ever feel discouraged, remember these famous authors who were poor before finding succcess and how their resilience led to remarkable achievements.It’s easy to think of famous authors as having it all figured out from the start, but these ten writers prove that sometimes, the road to success is paved with hardship and hustle. From J.K. Rowling penning Harry Potter in cafés while on welfare to George Orwell living on the edge of poverty, these writers’ early struggles shaped their works and, ultimately, their legacies.
These stories remind us that before success, there is often struggle, and before fame, there is resilience. Every setback you face now could be the foundation of an inspiring story later. So, what will your breakthrough look like? Keep writing, keep dreaming—your words might just be the next to change the world.