Frustrated writers or writers-to-be might find it encouraging that JK Rowling has also been rejected, more than once. In her Twitter post Friday, the Harry Potter author shared rejection letters in which publishing executives suggested she go on a writing course and gave an almost step-by-step novelist guide.
The best-selling author, under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith, was pitching her first novel, The Cuckoo's Calling. The two rejection letters came from Constable and Robinson, and Creme de la Creme publishers.
The book, a detective novel, was later published and became a bestseller. Those publishers probably could not be more regretful.
Rowling had chosen to write under a different name in order to publish without hype or expectation, after the phenomenal success she enjoyed with her magical Harry Potter series, the Daily Mail said in an article.
In the letter from Constable and Robinson, an executive tells the author that the company could not take the novel because they could not publish it with "commercial success."
The executive then offered a detailed guide, including tips such as getting advice from a magazine writing guide, not giving away the ending of her book in the summary, making sure the genre of the book is clear, and even suggest she go on a course.
It reads: "Double check in a helpful bookshop, on Amazon or in the twice yearly 'Buyer's Guide' of Bookseller Magazine precisely who are the publishers now of your fiction category/genre."
"Then send to each editor an alluring 200-word blurb (as in book jackets; don't give away the ending!) the first chapter plus perhaps two others and an S.A.E."
Rowling tweeted on Friday that "I wasn't going to give up until every single publisher turned me down, but I often feared that would happen." Shortly after, she tweeted: "By popular request, 2 of @RGalbrath's rejection letters! (For inspiration, not revenge, so I've removed signatures.) " The latter post has collected some 8,200 re-tweets and 21,000 likes so far.
Twitter user Joshua Cunningham asked under the post that "were any of them the same people that turned down Harry? Did any of them make the same mistake twice?"
She responded:" Yes, the publisher who first turned down Harry also sent @RGalbraith his rudest rejection (by email)!"
