For authors, rejections are a part of the book business. Â Many famous writers had their efforts rejected several times before finding a publisher who was willing to take a chance on their work. Here is a list of fifteen famous authors and the times at bat it took before they had a hit:
- 18 publishers thought a book about a seagull was ridiculous before Jonathan Livingston Seagull was first picked up.
- Before reaching print, Frank Herbert’s Dune was rejected over 20 times.
- Gertrude Stein submitted poems for 22 years before having one accepted.
- J. K. Rowling submitted Harry Potter to 12 publishing houses, all of which rejected it.
- John Grisham’s A Time to Kill was rejected by 16 publishers before finding an agent who eventually rejected him as well.
- Laurence Peter had 22 rejections before finding success with The Peter Principles.
- Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, was told by an editor to stick to teaching.
- Margaret Mitchell faced rejection 38 times before Gone With the Wind was printed.
- Richard Adams’s two daughters encouraged him to publish Watership Down as a book, but 13 publishers didn’t agree.
- Several publishers thought Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki was not interesting enough.
- Speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen first edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul received 134 rejections.
- The book that inspired the film and TV show M*A*S*H* was denied by 21 publishers.
- William Golding’s Lord of the Flies was rejected 20 times before becoming published.
- William Saroyan received an astonishing 7,000 rejection slips before selling his first short story.
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance faced an amazing 121 rejections before becoming beloved by millions of readers.