Not so Famous

It’s often difficult for us to imagine our favorite authors being rejected or pouring their hearts out for no return. They worked so hard to reach their goals that now they seem almost untouchable, unachievable. But the truth is, all of those authors we know and love spent years writing without any payoff. With that in mind, here are 5 major contenders who went through this very thing.

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1. Kathryn Stockett

Before The Help was a worldwide bestseller, Kathryn Stockett received years of rejection. The manuscript was rejected by more than 60 literary agents before one finally accepted it. Kathryn Stockett never gave up on her story of race, friendship, and courage in the 1960s South.

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2. Stephen King

Stephen King’s road to success was bumpy. He held low-paying jobs and lived in a tiny trailer, writing in his spare time. His first novel, Carrie, frustrated him so much that he threw it in the trash before his wife fished it out and told him to keep trying. The book became a huge success, and King became one of the world’s most popular authors.

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3. J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling was a struggling single mother living on government benefits before writing Harry Potter. She wrote most of the first book in cafés while her baby slept next to her. After dozens of rejections from publishers, one small company finally accepted it. Her imagination and hard work eventually made her one of the most loved writers of all time.

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4. James Baldwin

James Baldwin was raised in poverty in Harlem, and he dealt with racism and discrimination throughout his life. As a young man, he moved to France to escape the pressure of racism in America and to discover his voice as a writer. His forceful works, such as Go Tell It on the Mountain and The Fire Next Time, confronted issues of identity, justice, and humanity.

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5. Frank Herbert

Frank Herbert’s path to success was a winding one. Before he published Dune, he worked numerous jobs, from journalist to photographer to editor, just to make ends meet for his family. The book took him years to write and was rejected by over 20 publishers before it was finally accepted. Dune ended up becoming one of the most influential science fiction novels of all time, solidifying his legacy in history.

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