The revered sage Frank Sinatra once said, "The best revenge is massive success."
He never spoke a truer word, particularly when it comes to aspiring authors who, after suffering severe smackdowns from publishers, went on to become renowned writers.
Think this has happened to only a select few? Guess again. Cast your eye upon this list of Cinderella authors (and the nasty little notes publishers sent them) and savor the taste of their sweet, sweet revenge.
1. Stephen King
Mr. King received dozens of rejections for his first novel, Carrie; he kept them tidily nailed to a spike under a timber in his bedroom.
One of the publishers sent Mr. King's rejection with these words:
We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.
2. William Golding
Mr. Golding's Lord of the Flies was rejected by 20 publishers. One denounced the future classic with these words (which should be inscribed on the hapless publisher's tomb):
an absurd and uninteresting fantasy which was rubbish and dull.
You’re welcome to le Carré – he hasn’t got any future.
The girl doesn't, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the 'curiosity' level.
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5. Joseph Heller
In an act of almost unparalled stupidity, one publisher wrote of Mr. Heller's Catch-22:
I haven’t the foggiest idea about what the man is trying to say…Apparently the author intends it to be funny – possibly even satire – but it is really not funny on any intellectual level.
6. J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s (later Sorceror’s) Stone was rejected by a dozen publishers, including biggies like Penguin and HarperCollins. Bloomsbury, a small London publisher, only took it on at the behest of the CEO’s eight-year old daughter, who begged her father to print the book. God bless you, sweetheart.
7. Ursula K. Le Guin
One publisher sent this helpful little missive to Ms. Le Guin regarding her novel, The Left Hand of Darkness:
The book is so endlessly complicated by details of reference and information, the interim legends become so much of a nuisance despite their relevance, that the very action of the story seems to be to become hopelessly bogged down and the book, eventually, unreadable. The whole is so dry and airless, so lacking in pace, that whatever drama and excitement the novel might have had is entirely dissipated by what does seem, a great deal of the time, to be extraneous material. My thanks nonetheless for having thought of us. The manuscript of The Left Hand of Darkness is returned herewith.
It is impossible to sell animal stories in the USA.
Get rid of all that Indian stuff.
Good God, I can’t publish this!
Comments
Greed Is Out
Greed is out,
Yes, yes, let’s shout,
Again and again:
Greed is out.
Let’s spout, let’s shout!
Realized pain
And unrealized gain
Are not taxable.
Charitable contributions
Are deductible.
No stock options!
The Stock Market
Lost its jacket
And its pants.
Common sense
Must prevail.
No bail, no bail,
For the crooked billionaire;
It is just, it is fair
To lock him up
‘Cause he is at the very top
Of the super-kleptomaniac list.
He is a mad genius;
He killed telepathically,
And he loved fame and money.
What a disgrace!
What a dishonest face!
No bail, no bail,
For such a whale!
Stock him in jail,
Squish him in hell,
Greed is out,
Let’s spout, let’s shout!
Copyright© March 2009, Hebert Logerie, All Rights Reserved
Hébert Logerie is the author of two poetry books:
“Sparkles of Love and Etincelles de l’Amour”
this helps me and gives me hope for my book Three Rings
thanks
g
Gives me renewed hope seeing one of my pieces was read by my college prof. who wrote "made me feel stupid, didn't understand it even though I read it through 4 times". Maybe it's a good thing the prof. felt stupid.
wow, i write poetry to a lot, this is great
wow my feeling is i want to be an author wwhen i finsh schooling
all of us sisters want to be an author
I don't get how Carrie is about negative utopia?
Also LOL Animal Farm - about animals!
My book and my story is a little complicated... an autobiography: "Rendezvouses in Lavender":, growing up gay on farm in Ohio in 40s, off to Chicago at 18 where I met a famous newspaper editor that took me under his wing, too possessive and contolling.. soon ended up in NYC where in short time, I met a Columbia recording artist, and eventally Advertising Manager at Penthouse Magazine. A 10 year convoluted relationship ended due to emotional abuse and chronic alcoholism.
Next stop, small coalmining Catholic village in PA, connected intimately with Catholic Priest, and started-up a gay bar and disco in 70s.
Four time cancer survivor, still optimistic and upbeat, but a complex story to add in my book.
Sent out many professional query letters to literary agents, most don't response, not their expertise, too much drama, etc.
I am open to hearing your advice, suggestions, etc. professionally or otherwise as long as you aren't homophobic. Thanks for your interest.
Amalia couldn't find any publisher, either. On Monday, we publish her first book, Lovefool, which is at least as good as Twilight (without vampires, therefore with other great characters).
More information about it at our site: Scholar Europe
Hebert...that poem was dire. Just because this article highlights the rejection of a couple of authors worldwide, doesn't mean that every miserable, untalented and hopeless poet and author should suddenly think their material is good enough on the back of these rejections.
Strident and derivatively political in the worst sense, it's moronic populism that rhymes without meter.
That is the worst poem I've read this year. Keep self publishing, rejecting criticism, and torpedoing your potential career.
And you didn't even include the author who wrote A MAN CALLED INTREPID. He received 109 rejections before his book sold and became an international bestseller. Dr. Suess received 46 rejections before he sold THE CAT IN THE HAT. Things like this article keep me going. LOL
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold was Le Carré's 3rd novel.
As others have said before me, articles like this keep me going!
i don't think stephen king's CARRIE received "dozens" of rejections. Read his book ON WRITING to get a much different story.
Ah, this was just what I needed to read! Back to work for me. "I can do it!"
Thank you. This is a great motivational article for any writer.
Well , first of all thankyou for your article , I'm currently in my 1st year of college and I really don't know how some of my composition teachers think , it fustrates me a lot , when I was in highschool my senior year teacher told me that I can write and I have great immagination , guess thos stupid teachers haven't! One of them told me to count 10 words and put a point , he said I write long sentences and it boores him , well when I do that I only write amazing details and sink with my immagination to give the paper my best ,at the end I'm a good writer and i'll continue writing whenever I feel the need to , They are only teachers and only publishers ;)
Wonderful article for the disillusioned writer like me. I just got rejected from another literary magazine at my institution (Virginia Tech). This makes me not want to give up. Here's one of the poems I submitted to this journal:
The merciless rain pours in hungry rivers
Eager to hit the ground and disperse
My sinful solitude provides me quivers
As I contemplate my Earthly curse
The Lustful body versus guilty mind
In a battle of nerve endings and nerve
Even if the girl is not the guilty kind
Social rejection, she does not deserve
Everyone longs to feel the pouring rain
Upon their fingertips, taking them over
But with this rain comes price and pain
The indoctrinated run for cover
Yet what of those who choose to stay?
And shamelessly stand, getting soaked
Strong as they are and try as they may
Indoors, their hungry souls are coaxed
HOLY COW THANK THAT LITTLE CEO'S DAUGHTER CAUSE I HAVE READ HARRY POTTER AT LEAST FIFTEEN TIMES. And with that said i really want to be a writer and it's stories like those that motivate me more and more.
Omg i was readin J.K Rowling (BTW i have read the Harry Potter series more times than any human being should) And stared gasping for air. I mean her books are known ALL OVER LA WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And God bless u, little CEO's daughter, for if you didnt beg your father to publish Harry Potter I don't know what i'd be doing right now.
This is so inspiring. Thank you. I am definitely going to remember those famous rejects when I finish my novel.
probably today this publisher are going F*CK F*CK F*CK Why didnt we publish those books
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This confirms my belief that publishers, like TV commissioners and film producers are not always the fount of all wisdom and their judgement is not always right. They are very subjective. As Goldman said in Adventures in the Screen Trade, nobody knows whether a film is going to be a hit or not. It's all about hunches. Risk taking is part of business but publishers are not prepared to do that any more because of the state of the industry. Also publishing companies are now run by the sales directors, who override the wishes of the editors and ignore their judgement anyway. Our country is blighted by philistinism now because of this and it is in spite of not because of, people like this that good stuff comes out.
This doesnt give me hope at all, well iactually gives me a lot of confidence in the good judgement of publishers, because most of those writers just write junk, top selling junk, but junk at last.
+ Agree with Who
even AYN RAND
So much of this list is false. Seriously, got to the "Catch-22" wiki page and it specifically says it was "never rejected". King has done interviews and said that Carrie was accepted by the first publisher he sent it too. Where did the author get her sources? Obviously not from a reputable place.
It's funny that she's lampooning these publishers ("Well, isn't that a moment of unparalleled stupidity") when most of these publishers didn't exist, because most of these books were accepted right off the bat. Do your research next time.
Le Carré's first novel was "Call for the Dead" (1961); "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" was published in 1963.
I got my shortest and rudest rejection letter to date:
"No, thank you."
I suppose it could have been worse. She could have left off the thank you.
But as Nora Roberts says, there is one rule of writing: "Butt in chair,"
Thank you for posting this article. I like to know that the know-it-all's don't know it all. I would like to share this on my website.
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