Many highly successful authors lacked formal education past high school. Here are 10 famous authors who achieved literary success without a college or university degree. I love their stories.

• Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) – Left school at age 12 and was largely self-educated.
• Agatha Christie – Had no formal higher education, taught herself to write.
• Harper Lee – Attended the University of Alabama but never earned a degree.
• Jack London – Left the University of California, Berkeley, after one semester due to financial struggles.
• Ray Bradbury – Never attended college; educated himself through extensive reading at public libraries.
• Maya Angelou – Never attended college but received numerous honorary degrees later in life.
• H.G. Wells – Studied at the Normal School of Science but never earned a formal degree.
• Charles Dickens – Had only an elementary school education; learned through reading and work experience.
• Jane Austen – Had no formal higher education, but was well-read and self-taught.
• Ernest Hemingway – Skipped college, worked as a journalist, and honed his writing through experience.

These authors prove that talent, persistence, and self-education can be just as powerful as formal schooling! If you have advanced degrees, great, but a formal education is not required! You can become a great writer without a formal education and without advanced degrees.

You don’t have to have a formal degree in writing and grammar to be a successful writer. You can learn grammar, and you can learn to be a good writer. Can you learn to be creative? That’s more challenging, but this probably hinges on your passion and what you want to write about. If you love children, have your own children, read books to your children while they were growing up, perhaps you’re the ideal candidate to write children’s books. It helps to have a sense of humor.

If you’re creative in a different way, like J.R.R. Tolkien, the amazing author of The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, then you have developed your genius creativity in other ways as you grew up. My argument is that everyone has a unique gift of some kind with extraordinary potential.

Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” Your creativity is a gift deep inside you, and how you develop it is up to you. Wouldn’t it be fun to discover your creative potential and put it to work writing books while you make a nice income doing exactly that?

What Great Authors Share

Great authors tend to share common work habits, personality traits, and values that contribute to their success. Here are some key characteristics that you need to be truly successful as an author over the long term:

Work Habits

• Consistency & Discipline – They write regularly, often daily, treating it like a job rather than waiting for inspiration.
• Perseverance – They push through rejection, self-doubt, and criticism, understanding that writing is a long game.
• Revision & Editing – They embrace rewriting, refining their work tirelessly to improve clarity and impact.
• Lifelong Learning – They continually study the craft, read widely, and seek feedback to grow as writers.
• Time Management – They prioritize writing and structure their days to maximize productivity
• Personality Traits
• Curiosity – They ask deep questions, explore ideas, and observe the world keenly.
• Resilience – They handle criticism and rejection without losing momentum.
• Imagination & Creativity – They think beyond the obvious, crafting compelling stories or insights.
• Empathy – They understand human nature, which allows them to create believable characters and themes.
• Independence – They follow their unique voice rather than chasing trends
• Values & Mindset
• Passion for Storytelling – They love writing for its own sake, not just for success.
• Authenticity – They write with honesty, expressing their true thoughts and experiences.
• Commitment to Excellence – They strive to master their craft, knowing great writing takes effort.
• Desire to Impact Readers – Whether through entertainment, education, or inspiration, they aim to leave a mark.

Ultimately, an author only becomes great if he or she has the internal drive to practice these habits, traits, and values. Successful authors are some of the most dedicated and relentless people, willing to work for almost nothing for many years before achieving any level of success. How much do you hunger for success as an author?

Taken from one of our featured book, How to Write a Book, How to Publish a Book, How to Market a Book.