It’s A Writer’s Job To Be Rejected

If you write much and submit often, you probably have a drawer full or a room full of rejection notices.

Today’s post is to encourage you a little by pulling together a few famous rejection notices… not that the rejection notices are famous, but that people who were rejected.

Here they are:

1. Ernest Hemingway – One of the most prolific, well loved and often imitated writers of the 20th century was rejected multiple times before hitting the coveted mark of distinction.  His novel The Sun Also Rises, a story about a man injured in the war who must find his heart again (or rather manhood) received the following letter from Mrs. Moberly Luger.
2. William Faulkner – Before becoming highly famous and popular during his own lifetime, Faulkner (the mountain of the south) was at first asked to be a writer-in-residence at The University of Virginia, but then the invitation was withdrawn because the University felt that he was not of the caliber they required for the position, favoring someone else.  (Pictured to the right)
3. J.R.R. Tolkien – Oxford professor of Medieval history and languages and the father of the modern fantasy novel was passed up for a Nobel Peace Prize because his prose were “poor”.
4. The Running Tally – The following list compiled by Maeve Maddox shows exactly how many times some very famous books were rejected by publishers.

If anything this should encourage you.  Who cares if you get rejected.  Keep working, keep writing, keep creating.  Who knows when you will break through?  Besides, there is always self-publishing.

Related articles

• Writers and Their Rejections (mdkelleher.wordpress.com)
• Faulkner (cheapassignmentwritingservice.wordpress.com)
• Jack and Tollers, a film about C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, is On the Way (narniafans.com)
• On Rejection (susiefinkbeiner.wordpress.com)
• Before the Sun Rose (nytimes.com)