NEW YORK - For four years, Lisa Lucas has been championing American literature as executive director of the National Book Foundation.Her diverse job experience, starting as a salesgirl in her teens, helped the 40-year-old push books into prisons, and deliver more than 1.4 million volumes to public housing residents across the country. In January, Lucas will start a new chapter at Pantheon and Schocken Books as senior vice president and publisher. Taking on new job in a pandemic is a challenge, but her unlikely resume reveals how departing from the typical storyline can move a career forward. “I was a copy editor for an ice hockey magazine, I’ve sold concessions at a theater, I’ve been a nanny, ... all the way to becoming publisher of Pantheon,” said Lucas, who served as publisher of Guernica and director of education at the Tribeca Film Institute before joining the National Book Foundation. Lucas spoke to Reuters about how her experience and philosophy are guiding her through the pandemic. Below are edited excerpts. Q. What was your very first job?