After graduating from NYU, Papasan took a job as an editorial assistant at New Market Press. He then moved on to HarperCollins where he worked several years as an associate editor. While at HarperCollins, he started working with David Hirshey, a 10 year deputy editor at Esquire. It was with Hirshey that Papasan published his first best-seller, Go For the Goal: A Champion's Guide to Winning in Soccer and Life by Mia Hamm.
