A Young Librarian Hopes to Become a Full-Time Writer. Can She Afford To?

A Young Librarian Hopes to Become a Full-Time Writer

A recent $100,000 book deal will help with the goal—and put a dent in her student debt

Emily Duncan reads to babies and writes about monsters.

As a youth-services librarian, she orders graphic novels, helps create outreach programs for children and hosts a story time for those under 24 months. As a novelist, she’s in the thick of a three-book deal. The first book in her “Something Dark and Holy” series, “Wicked Saints,” is being released in April.

At...