Arcaedia asks about the difference between the terms “pre-published” and “unpublished”. Pre-published, to me, sounds like someone is trying too hard to distance themselves from the unpublished masses.
In the comments, some people say they dislike “aspiring”, which is the term I usually use. Not sure why I use it. I suppose it’s my occasional habit of being overly correct, even though in the phrase “unpublished fantasy novelist”, it’s clear enough that “unpublished” applies only to fantasy novels.