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Stephen King received a rejection for CARRIE that said, “We are not interested in science fiction with negative utopias. They do not sell.”
Madeline Hunter wrote over a million words before she sold her first romance, which was published in 2000. Since then she’s sold over 2 million copies of her books.
Bestselling writer Jonathan Kellerman, who wrote 13 novels before selling, said he was a failed writer with a really good day job.
Christina Dodd wrote for 10 years and had racked up enough rejections to paper her office before she sold CANDLE IN THE WINDOW.
100 editors turned down Lost Get-Back Boogie before Louisiana State University Press bought James Burke's first novel for a pittance.
J.A. Konrath received over 450 rejections before he sold his 10th book, Whiskey Sour, in a bidding war for 6 figures.
Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time was rejected by 101 editors before it was published.
Louis L'Amour was rejected 349 times before he sold.
Dr. Seuss was rejected 27 times and Gone With the Wind was rejected 25 times.
Debbie Macomber survived eight years of rejection before she sold, but she never gave up.
It took Rachel Gibson six years, four completed manuscripts, and a pile of rejection letters before she sold her first book, SIMPLY IRRESISTABLE.
Carly Phillips wrote ten books before selling one.
John Ghrisham’s first novel, A TIME TO KILL, was rejected by every major publisher in the country. Then he sold THE FIRM, which became the 7th bestselling novel of the year, eventually selling over 12,000,000 copies in hardcover and paperback combined.
Matthew Sharpe's THE SLEEPING FATHER was rejected by over 20 publishers before selling to Soft Skull Press for a reported $1,000. It became a surprise "Today Show" selection, received a glowing NYT review and sold over 20,000 copies.
Widowed with five children, Mary Higgins Clark got up early every morning to write before getting the kids up and going to work. Her first short story was rejected 40 times. Her first book was rejected by virtually every agent and publisher in the business, but eventually she sold WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN?
21 publishers rejected THE LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding.
Pearl Buck’s THE GOOD EARTH was rejected by 14 publishers.
George B. Shaw's first 5 novels were rejected.
William Saroyan’s first 100 articles were rejected.
The zany bestseller by Dan Klein and Tom Cathcart, "Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes," was rejected by 41 publishers before it sold.
It took Ann Packer a year to find an agent for THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN'S PIER (but only a week thereafter to sell the book to Knopf). "People would say, 'It's beautifully written, but I am just not in love with it and it's such a hard market right now."