Famous authors, their writings and their rejection letters.
Sylvia Plath:Ā There certainly isnāt enough genuine talent for us to take notice.
Rudyard Kipling:Ā Iām sorry Mr. Kipling, but you just donāt know how to use the English language.
Emily Dickinson:Ā [Your poems] are quite as remarkable for defects as for beauties and are generally devoid of true poetical qualities.
Ernest HemingwayĀ (onĀ The Torrents of Spring):Ā It would be extremely rotten taste, to say nothing of being horribly cruel, should we want to publish it.
Dr. Seuss:Ā Too different from other juveniles on the market to warrant its selling.
The Diary of Anne Frank:Ā The girl doesnāt, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the ācuriosityā level.
Richard BachĀ (onĀ Jonathan Livingston Seagull):Ā will never make it as a paperback. (Over 7.25 million copies sold)
H.G. WellsĀ (onĀ The War of the Worlds):Ā An endless nightmare. I do not believe it would ātakeāā¦I think the verdict would be āOh donāt read that horrid bookā.Ā And (onĀ The Time Machine):Ā It is not interesting enough for the general reader and not thorough enough for the scientific reader.
Edgar Allan Poe:Ā Readers in this country have a decided and strong preference for works in which a single and connected story occupies the entire volume.
Herman MelvilleĀ (onĀ Moby Dick):Ā We regret to say that our united opinion is entirely against the book as we do not think it would be at all suitable for the Juvenile Market in [England]. It is very long, rather old-fashionedā¦
Jack London:Ā [Your book is] forbidding and depressing.
William Faulkner:Ā If the book had a plot and structure, we might suggest shortening and revisions, but it is so diffuse that I donāt think this would be of any use. My chief objection is that you donāt have any story to tell.Ā And two years later:Ā Good God, I canāt publish this!
Stephen KingĀ (onĀ Carrie):Ā We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.
Joseph HellerĀ (onĀ Catchā22):Ā I havenāt really the foggiest idea about what the man is trying to sayā¦ Apparently the author intends it to be funny ā possibly even satire ā but it is really not funny on any intellectual level ā¦ From your long publishing experience you will know that it is less disastrous to turn down a work of genius than to turn down talented mediocrities.
George OrwellĀ (onĀ Animal Farm):Ā It is impossible to sell animal stories in the USA.
Oscar WildeĀ (onĀ Lady Windermereās Fan):Ā My dear sir, I have read your manuscript. Oh, my dear sir.
Vladimir NabokovĀ (onĀ Lolita):Ā ā¦ overwhelmingly nauseating, even to an enlightened Freudian ā¦ the whole thing is an unsure cross between hideous reality and improbable fantasy. It often becomes a wild neurotic daydream ā¦ I recommend that it be buried under a stone for a thousand years.
The Tale of Peter RabbitĀ was turned down so many times,Ā Beatrix PotterĀ initially self-published it.
Lust for LifeĀ byĀ Irving StoneĀ was rejected 16 times, but found a publisher and went on to sell about 25 million copies.
John Grishamās first novel was rejected 25 times.
Jack CanfieldĀ andĀ Mark Victor HansenĀ (Chicken Soup for the Soul) received 134 rejections.
Robert PirsigĀ (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) received 121 rejections.
Gertrude SteinĀ spent 22 years submitting before getting a single poem accepted.
Judy Blume, beloved by children everywhere, received rejections for two straight years.
A Wrinkle in TimeĀ byĀ Madeline LāEngleĀ received 26 rejections.
Frank HerbertāsĀ DuneĀ was rejected 20 times.
CarrieĀ byĀ Stephen KingĀ receivedĀ 30 rejections.
TheĀ Diary of Anne FrankĀ received 16 rejections.
Harry Potter and The Philosopherās StoneĀ byĀ J.K. RollingĀ was rejected 12 times.
Dr. SeussĀ received 27 rejection letters
