‘When you find the thing that you feel you’re born to do,

you don’t let it go in a hurry.’

-Malorie Blackman

Whether querying, on submission, receiving reviews and critiques, or just dealing with insurmountable difficulties while trying to draft/edit, rejection is inevitable in any writer’s journey.

Rejection has recently become a part of my weekly writing routine as much as word counts, caffeine headaches, and the old ‘how many em-dashes is too many em-dashes’ debate.

And I have been struggling.

We’re told not to be too quick in equating rejection with poor writing ability because it’s often based on personal preference and the state of the current (or near future) market. But hearing ‘the publishing industry is ever-changing and subjective’ is like trying to put a bandage on a bruise; it’s not going to do much, and it still hurts when prodded.

To get over my hurt, I started researching the rejection stories of authors I admire, which quickly spiraled into a fascination with the prevalence of rejection in a writer’s life. And let me tell you, it is prevalent. 

Welcome to part one of the Rejection Series, where I share famous authors' experiences with rejection as a reminder to just keep going.

Read on...

Agatha Christie

It’s hard to think that one of the most tremendously prolific and best-selling authors of all time could have ever grappled with rejection. Before she began writing novels, Agatha Christie wrote articles: all of which were rejected. This spurred her to start work on her first novel, Snow Upon the Desert, which was rejected by everyone she sent it to. And before you claim the difficulty of sitting in a slush pile, one rejection came from a literary agent who’d received the manuscript by way of family friend referral. Sometimes, even nepotism doesn’t help.

Christie switched the proverbial gears, and in 1916, she finished The Mysterious Affair at Styles, her first detective novel. Even this, however, was rejected twice, until The Bodley Head accepted it (after no response for several months and requesting major changes to the conclusion).

Frank Herbert

Since being a winner of a Hugo and a Nebula Award, one of the best-selling science fiction novels of all time, and now having a 1 billion-dollar film franchise, it doesn’t seem plausible that we almost didn’t have Dune in our lives. Famously rejected by 23 publishers, Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi was first serialized in Analog Magazine, before being published as a novel by Chilton Books, a printing house mostly known for publishing auto repair manuals.

Madeleine L'Engle

Madeleine L’Engle’s children’s and adult novels had received countless rejections, and on her 40th birthday, when yet another rejection rolled in, she considered giving up writing. In A Circle of Quiet, she wrote:

“All during the decade of my thirties, I went through spasms of guilt because I spent so much time writing, because I wasn't like a good New England housewife and mother. When I scrubbed the kitchen floor, the family cheered. I couldn't make decent pie crust. . . And with all the hours I spent writing, I was still not pulling my own weight financially.”

She even went as far as to cover up her typewriter, before she realized:

“I had to write. I had no choice in the matter. It was not up to me to say I would stop because I could not. It didn't matter how small or inadequate my talent. If I never had another book published, and it was very clear to me that this was a real possibility, I still had to go on writing."

Within the next several years, she would have the idea, begin writing, and finish what would become an instant classic: A Wrinkle in Time.

However, even this book, which would go on to win the Newberry Medal and see two film adaptations (including one that featured Oprah Winfrey) received about 30 rejections before it finally found its champion in J.C. Farrar and was published in 1962.

Malorie Blackman

Not only did Malorie Blackman receive 82 rejections before her first book was published, but she’s also kept all of them in a binder (which can be seen here during an interview with the BBC) further cementing her icon status, in my opinion.

Now with over 70 books published, a smash TV series, the role of Children’s Laureate from 2013 to 2015 and even having been awarded an OBE, Blackman’s story proves that resilience and perseverance are key. This doesn’t mean that she wasn’t ever visited by doubt, however, as revealed in a 2021 interview:

"Although I have to say that when I was about on my 60th rejection letter, I came that close to kind of giving up because I thought, ‘well, if all of these publishers are saying no, then should I listen.’ But then I thought, no, I really want to do this, and I made a deal with myself that I'd wait until I had my 1000th rejection letter."

Thank goodness she didn’t quit after that 60th rejection letter.

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Whether you’ve just started on your journey of rejection or have amassed 80+ already, this is your reminder to continue believing in yourself and your story. You never know…that book might just be the next cultural phenomenon or help create the life of your dreams.

As Lady Gaga said: