The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin, The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer,The Help by Kathryn Stockett, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
All best selling books. All repeatedly rejected by agents and publishers.
Each author handled rejection differently, some opting to self publish, others to change agents. But the key thing is that none of them ever gave up on their work and, eventually, they found success.
Writing at times can feel like chipping away at a mountain, trying to get at a little nugget of gold hidden right at the centre. Trying to find an agent or publisher is much the same feeling, although you’re also climbing the mountain at the same time using a rapidly fraying rope. But as long as stories come to me, I’ll write them. It’s so subjective a process I cannot take it personally if someone doesn’t like what I’ve written, so I’ll keep pushing on, searching for gold and sharing the journey with you all.
This post really is just to say hey, if you’re going through rejection hell at the moment, keep on going, because you will come through the other side. And you’re not alone.
If you’d like to read more on this topic, visit http://www.literaryrejections.com
I discovered this site when I was just starting to get my first few rejections and found it really helped to keep me motivated.
And, a little tease…
I know I had hoped to have a cover design to share this week. And I do have one – it just needs the text adding and some very slight tweaking. But I love it. At the same time, I don’t want to share it until it’s complete and ready to roll, so please bear with me.
But here is a little peek, just to keep things interesting…
I’ll share the completed design as soon as it’s done. Thanks as always for reading! xx
Helen Glynn Jones 
Hey thanks for that post – just what I needed to bolster my sagging ego.
I’ve recently had a whole load of rejections from agents.
It’s hard to feel good about your writing or yourself when it seems no one likes it and I can’t help thinking why am I doing this?
I’m glad I ‘m not alone
X
Hi Sarah
Thank you for your comment, and you’re definitely not alone! We are part of an illustrious group when it comes to getting rejection letters, and I do know the sting of opening the envelope and getting the ‘Dear Author’ letter. I think there may be a perception that a writer’s life is all lattes and sitting around with your laptop, but in reality it can be at times a lonely and frustrating existence, making it difficult to keep on being enthusiastic about our work. So if my post helped a little bit I’m really pleased, and do keep me posted as to how your submissions go. I’m about to start a new round (with a new book) in January, so fingers crossed for us both! xx
The ‘teaser’ of your cover looks lovely—can’t wait to see more!
I love the climbing a mountain with a fraying rope analogy. Keep going—you’re a good writer.
And I love the ‘Literary Rejections’ site—I’m going to share it with other writers.
Thanks Louise 🙂 I think with Christmas and all it may be another week or two before I can reveal the cover, though it’s very difficult not to share it now! And thank you for your words of encouragement about my writing – same to you and I look forward to seeing us both in print one day 🙂 xx