17 Bestsellers that were initially rejected

From when the spark of an idea is generated to the time when it drips through the pen in words on the sheets it creates a mad desire in the author to see it being published. Rejections then can be like a cold bucket of water splashing away all warmth of hope. Those are the tough times that bring the best out of us. The amazing thing is the beginning is always the hardest so never give up. Here are some bestsellers by people who found their solid ground amidst the tempest of hardships and rejections.

The legendary world of witches, wizards and Qudditch that dripped off J.K. Rowling’s pen, and has spread like wildfire globally is an exemplary achievement. It’d shock you to know that ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’, the first in the series, had to face 12 rejections before it appealed to the Bloomsbury editor’s child. Like all changes with revolutionary potential, the book fought the resistance and found its corner in many lives.
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Another page-turner, an amazing blend of mythology, adventure and creative thinking, “The Immortals of Meluha” by Amish Tripathi was believed by publishers to be a “religious book” which won’t interest the youth and hence rejected. Amish says, “I stopped counting after 20 rejections” but his belief kept him going. He self-published the book and it became the sensation selling over 1 million copies becoming No 1 National Bestseller, soon to be converted into a movie by Karan Johar.
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All great things take time and effort and so did the book featuring the teenage Bella Swann who falls for the old, handsome vampire in “Twilight”. Before it found a publisher, sold 17 million copies, became a sensation and grabbed a place in the New York Times Bestsellers list for 91 consecutive weeks, it had to undergo 14 rejections!
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Rudyard Kipling’s masterpiece is full of adventure, thrill and childhood enthusiasm. The beautifully knitted world of fantasy with Mowgli, Rikki-tikki-tavi and the amazing scenery of the Jungle book has the child in everyone enraptured . Yet before it found its way into the print world; the book was rejected while the editor went ahead to claim that Mr. Kipling didn’t ‘know how to use the English language’.
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‘Dull, obvious and boring’ were the adjectives used for George Orwell’s book “Animal Farm” and was rejected by 4 publishing houses before its release in 1946 by Secker and Warburg, where it sold nearly 20 million copies. The enriching novella depicts with precise clarity the events that lead to Russian Revolution and then back to tyranny using simple farm animals. It is now recognized as a work of great social and political significance. Controversial as it was, it remains a breakthrough in political satire today.
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The book is a wonderful blend of science and romance, a metaphor for the author’s own life. It was rejected 30 times before it finally found a place in the pages from where it made way into hearts of the readers, found fame and is widely adapted.
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A detailed uncensored narrative through innocent eyes, simple yet heart wrenching still one of the most eloquent and relatable account of the impact of Nazism on Jews life and life styles, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank is a valuable piece of literature which struggled past 16 rejections and comments that claimed Anne to be devoid of “special perception of feelings” and more, before ‘Making it Big’.
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J. D. Salinger was told that his protagonist wasn’t very well presented. He edited his manuscript producing “The Catcher in the Rye”. With the subjective style of writing, from Holden’s Caulfield’s point of view; the controversial piece of literature based on themes of teenage angst and alienation though meant for adults snagged the adolescent crowd too. With a sales of more than 65 million copies, it sells 1 million per year.
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Rejections can be tough but 30 rejections piled on a book spine can banish all shreds of hope. Such was the dismay that compelled Stephen King to shove his first manuscript into the dustbin after being told ‘science fiction with negative utopias’ weren’t welcome. His wife retrieved the manuscript and asked him to give it one last try which turned it into a renowned science fiction novel- Carrie, selling 1 million copies in a year.
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Before winning the prestigious Bookers Prize, Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, an amazing saga of adventure with creative elements was refused the opportunity of publication at 5 famous London publishing house. The book carved its niche by selling more than Pi (the mathematic numeral) copies. It shocked the world when it started selling feverishly after the movie was released.
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Ernest Hemingway’s, “The Sun Also Rises” was called “tedious and offensive” in the rejection letter from Peacock and Peacock. The beautiful style with which human relations and their evolution has been depicted is quite exceptional. Since its print in 1926 it is the most translated and printed title ever and has also found many adaptations failing the initial opinion.
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After 22 consecutive rejections when a publisher risked to launch James Joyce collection of short stories- Dubliners in 1914, he wasn’t met with any kind of astounding fame. Merely 379 copies could find buyers. But as it turns out today Dubliners is one of the most sought after work of James Joyce who is celebrated for his influential writings from 20th Century.
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A book that may appear to be dark and brutal but is revolving around the basic theme of humanity, the one that was rejected ruthlessly 22 times before it found a publisher, Faber and Faber who kept its launch story a secret from T. S. Eliot, an advisor and poet afraid he may not like it. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding though was a big flop selling approximately 5000 copies but in a decade its acclaim flourished. The book has sold 15 million copies and was also a favorite of Stephen King, another well-known author.
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Rejected by all major publishing houses on the ground of being controversial, Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita turned out to be one of the best works in erotica literature from 20th Century after being published by Olympic Press in 1955. What was initially called “overwhelmingly nauseating, revolting” and was recommended to be ‘buried under a stone for 1000 years’ from fear of its disregard became a bestseller with 50 million copies being sold till date.
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Life isn’t a bed of roses but the thorns can’t scare the gritty one away. After the 60 rejections by literary agents and despite the physical exertion due to her impending pregnancy, Kathryn Stockett went to the 61 literary agent bringing The Help to life. It soon grabbed a position in the New York Times bestsellers list till next 100 weeks.
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Another famous book that had to course through the tempest of rejections before it met the dawn of its fame was “Frankenstein”. The classic infusion of Gothic and Romantic Movement elements by Mary Shelley and her gift of one of the best horror heroes, Frankenstein which was created on a winter evening wasn’t inked in the history of time without criticism and refusal.
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An amazing standing that “The War of the Worlds” by H.G. Wells has today isn’t without perseverance. From being called “An endless nightmare”, “A horrid book” and the book that won’t take; it has come a long way being serialized in Pearson’s Magazine in 1897 and a complete volume in 1898 with never-ending readership keeping it in print ever since and vagaries of triumphant adaptations.
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