For those who have actually written a book, you know the long hours and hard work that go into this labor of love. If you aren't writing, then you are thinking about writing. Once your manuscript is complete, you polish it, let people proofread it, and then you polish it again. You truly believe you have the next #1 bestseller. However, as you start sending the manuscript to agents and they start sending you rejection letters, you start to feel depressed.
Constructive criticism is great, if you can get it; however, you may only receive a form letter or something along the lines of "this isn't a good fit for me at this time". It can be depressing and frustrating, but a good way to combat those feelings is to keep in mind what many famous authors endured early in their careers. Remember this is a subjective business and perseverance pays off.
Famous Authors Who Were Rejected Multiple Times
- J.K. Rowling – now the wealthiest writer on the planet with a net worth of $1 billion
- Stephen King
- William Golding
- John le Carré
- Anne Frank
- Joseph Heller
- Ursula K. Le Guin
- George Orwell
- Tony Hillerman
- William Faulkner
- John Grisham
- Vladimir Nabokov
- Sylvia Plath
- ee cummings
- Irving Stone
- Rudyard Kipling
- Frank Herbert
- Richard Adams
- Madeleine L'Engle
- Jack Kerouac
- Margaret Mitchell
- Judy Blume
- Kenneth Grahame
- Isaac Bashevis Singer
- Marcel Proust
- Jasper Fforde
- Meg Cabot
- Thor Heyderdahl
- Jorge Luis Borges
- D.H. Lawrence
Famous Books Rejected Multiple Times
- A Time to Kill, John Grisham (28)
- Auntie Mame, Patrick Dennis (15)
- Carrie, Stephen Kng (30)
- Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfeld and Mark Victor Hansen (140)
- Diary of Anne Frank(16)
- Dr. Seuss books (15)
- Dubliners, James Joyce (22)
- Dune, Frank Herbert (23)
- The Enormous Room, ee cummings (15)
- The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde (76)
- Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell (38)
- Harry Potter book one, J. K. Rowling (9)
- Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach (18)
- Kon-Tiki, Thor Heyerdahl (20)
- Lord of the Flies, William Golding (20)
- Lust for Life, Irving Stone (16)
- M*A*S*H, Richard Hooker (17)
- The Peter Principle, Laurence Peter (16)
- The Prncess Diaries, Meg Cabot (17)
- Twilight, Stephenie Myer (14)
- Watership Down, Richard Adams (26)
- A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle, (26)
Sources
Associated Content. Classic Books that Were Rejected by Publishers (accessed January 11, 2011)
Celebrity Net Worth. Richest Celebrities (accessed January 11, 2011)
Daily Writing Tips. Famous Books Rejected Multiple Times (accessed January 11, 2011)
Examiner. 30 Famous Authors Whose Works Were Rejected (accessed January 11, 2011)
Examiner. World's Five Richest Authors (accessed January 11, 2011)
Today I Found Out. Twilight Rejected Fourteen Times (accessed January 11, 2011)
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