Post date: Aug 9, 2018 9:59:42 PM
Richard Bach the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull
“In 1970, after [only*] 18 rejections by major publishers, the book about our little friend, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, was finally published.“ I added the word “only” in brackets since I have interviewed authors that have made submissions for literally 20 years be for acceptance and it was every month for 20 years so do that math 12*20=240 times.
After only 18 rejections. A very small amount in my humble opinion.
Stephen King had 60 rejections before he sold his first short story.
Colonel Sanders (yes, KFC) was rejected a thousand times before he found a partner for KFC.
Dr. Seuss’s first children’s book was rejected by 27 different publishers.
J. K. Rowling was broke, severely depressed, divorced and a single mother attending school and trying to write a novel.
Walt Disney had multiple jobs and careers. His early venture Laugh—Gram Studios went bankrupt.
Sylvester Stallone was rejected 1500 times by agents and talent scouts, etc.
John Grisham first novel “A Time to Kill” was rejected by 27 publishers.
Stephanie Meyer was rejected by nine literary agencies and 5 did not even respond. She wrote “Twilight”.
Nicholas Sparks wrote “The Notebook”; 24 literary agencies rejected it.
Franz Kafka struggled for years with only rejection.
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Michael Schiffer, Andrew Kevin Walker, and others have all worked for years to bring their works to fruition.
How about these quotes:
“I take rejection as someone blowing a bugle in my ear to wake me up and get going, rather than retreat.” — Sylvester Stallone
“Rejections slips, or form letters, however tactfully phrased, are lacerations of the soul, if not quite inventions of the devil — but there is no way around them.” — Isaac Asimov
“Every rejection is incremental payment on your dues that in some way will be translated back into your work.” — James Lee Burke
“If you’re not failing now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very innovative.” — Woody Allen
“Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.” — C. S. Lewis
“I think that you have to believe in your destiny; that you will succeed, you will meet a lot of rejection and it is not always a straight path, there will be detours – so enjoy the view.” — Michael York
“The best way to guarantee a loss is to quit.” — Morgan Freeman
“Fall seven times and stand up eight.” — Japanese Proverb
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” — Thomas Edison
“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” — Babe Ruth
In closing this Think Piece article by David Alan Binder, I will quote Richard Bach…
“…our own excellence is the joy that we search for, all our lives.”
“Do it for you!” David Alan Binder