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Famous Rejections

1. Stephen King: Received dozens of rejections for his first novel, Carrie.

2. William Golding: Lord of the Flies was rejected by 20 publishers.

3. Anne Frank: The Diary of Anne Frank was rejected by more than 15 publishers.

4. JK Rowling: Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone was rejected by a dozen publishers, including big publishers ike Penguin and HarperCollins. She was signed by Bloomsbury, a small London publisher. She has earned more than a billion dollars from her Harry Potter books and movies.

5. John Grisham: Mr Grisham's first novel, A Time to Kill, was rejected by a dozen publishers and 16 agents before breaking into print and launching his best-selling career.

6. EE Cummings: Mr Cummings’ first work, The Enormous Room, was rejected by 15 publishers. He eventually self-published the book and it went on to be considered a masterpiece of modern poetry. He dedicated the book to the 15 publishers who rejected him..

7. Irving Stone: Mr. Stone’s Lust for Life was rejected 16 times. The book went on to sell over 25 million copies.

8. Frank Herbert: Dune was rejected 20 times before publication. It went on to become one of the most beloved science fiction novels of all time.

9. Madeleine L’Engle: Ms. L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time was rejected by 26 publishers before finally breaking into print. It went on to win the 1963 Newbery Medal.

10. Margaret Mitchell: Ms. Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind was rejected 38 times before finally finding a publisher.

11. Judy Blume: Ms. Blume received “nothing but rejections” for two years. Ms Blume is now considered to be one of the most influential children’s literature writers of her generation.

12. Jasper Fforde:  Mr Fforde received 76 rejection letters before finally seeing his first novel, The Eyre Affair, in print. The Eyre Affair is now considered a classic of the modern fantasy genre.

13. Meg Cabot: The Princess Diaries slipped through the hands of 17 publishers before finally being accepted for publication. 

If you know of other famous authors who could be added to this list, please email us.