Famous authors who have been rejected multiple times - The Cultured Giraffe (2024)

1. Stephen King

Stephen King was turned down 80 times by publishers, with his horror story Carrie. Now, the novel has been translated into hundreds of languages, and has been adapted both into a play and a musical. Perhaps the publishers were a little too quick to judge…

2. C.S. Lewis

C. S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, faced 800 rejections before he got his first book published.

3. George Orwell

The novella Animal Farm was not considered to be entirely appropriate, coming at a time when Stalin was allies with Britain. Nevertheless, Orwell managed to get published by Martin Secker and Warburg, who popularised the book, despite its controversial subject matter.

Read our article on the most controversial books of all time.

4. J.K. Rowling

At one time, Harry Potter was almost non-existent, because of the amount of rejections J. K. Rowling had from publishers. Even under her pseudonym, Robert Galbraith, Rowling faced multiple rejections for her crime novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling. In a tweet she posted 2 of the rejection letters she had from publishers. ‘For inspiration, not revenge,’ she wrote.

5. Joanne Harris

Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat, responded to J. K. Rowling’s tweet that she had made a sculpture out of the rejection letters she received. Harris’ book is sold worldwide and has been made into a film starring Johnny Depp and Judi Dench.

6. Dr Seuss

As he walked back from his 27th rejection, Dr Seuss considered burning the book he had worked on tirelessly over the past few months. Thankfully, this was only a transient thought. Dr Seuss found a publisher, and, soon after, was being heralded in the New Yorker for his didactic tales, which now are read by millions all over the world!

So, as Dr Seuss would say…

“You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!“

Rejection can be difficult, however some of the greatest writers can come out of it…