10 Famous Books That Were Initially Rejected by Publishers

Despite all the ‘noes’, they reached worldwide recognition and fame.

Writing a book is hard work, and many aspiring writers are occasionally willing to quit after getting a rejection or two from publishers. Getting rejections is, without a doubt, unmotivating and frustrating, but you would be surprised to learn how many world-famous books (and writers) have gone through setbacks on their way to literary fame.

There are countless examples of writers who have been rejected multiple times by different publishers. Stephen King and J.K. Rowling are often cited as examples of successful authors with numerous rejections. For example, S. King hung all the rejections on a nail in the wall until the nail couldn’t hold all the letters anymore.

Despite all the ‘noes’ they have received, all the featured authors listed below did not give up and later reached worldwide literary recognition and fame.

#1 Dune — Frank Herbert

Dune, first published as a standalone book in 1965, is today considered one of the most popular science fiction works. But on the way to fame, Herbert’s novel was rejected by publishers 23 times.

Since 1963, it has been serialized in the Analog Science Fiction magazine and even won the prestigious Hugo Award, but publishers were in no hurry to release Dune as a book. They did not like that Herbert’s work was too long and old-fashioned, and the characters seemed too implausible. Only a small publishing house, Chilton Books, decided to publish the novel as a single book.

Currently, the Dune Chronicles include six books. And in 2021, the film Dune, directed by Denis Villeneuve, was released.

#2 Lolita — Vladimir Nabokov

Attempts to publish the book in America ended in complete failure — it was five times rejected by publishers, as the book was considered too vulgar for public consumption.

Since his attempts to publish the novel in the United States failed, Nabokov decided to send the manuscript to a Parisian publishing house that printed Lolita in 1955.

Neither critics nor readers showed special attention to it until a scandal erupted around the novel in the English press. The heated debates gave the novel publicity Nabokov never even dreamed of.

And as soon as an excerpt from Lolita was published in the American magazine Anchor Review, publishers bombarded him with offers. In 1958 Lolita was printed in America in a limited edition. The novel broke all records and became the best-selling book.

In the USSR, Lolita was considered pornographic, and publishing was deemed impossible. But the writer nevertheless created a Russian version, issued in 1967 in the United States. The Russian version of the novel managed to seep through the Iron Curtain very quickly and was distributed illegally for many years. Only after perestroika, in 1989, did the book become available to a wide readership network.

#3 Lord of the Flies — William Golding

William Golding had to overcome more than 20 rejections before the Lord of the Flies was published in 1954.

The story of young boys stranded on an island who must return to savagery to stay alive was labeled in the beginning as rubbish and boring. The same novel that critics later proclaimed as one of the most important books of the 20th century. Ironic, isn’t it?

It was a young editor, Charles Monteith, who persuaded Faber & Faber to publish the novel. The book was published in 1954, but under one condition — the author had to remove the first few pages, which described the horrors of nuclear war. So that only the monstrosities of human nature remained.

In 1983, William Golding received the Nobel Prize in Literature for Lord of the Flies. According to Time magazine, in 2005 the novel was named one of the top 100 finest works in English since 1923.

#4 Frankenstein — Mary Shelley

The exact number of rejections is unknown.

Surprisingly, Mary Shelley was only 18-year-old when she started to write Frankenstein. Moreover, the work was written on a bet: one rainy evening, Shelley, her husband Percy, and their friend Lord Byron gathered by the fireplace and argued about who would write the best work about the supernatural. From that day on, Mary began working on Frankenstein, which became the first gothic novel in the world.

The first copy of the book, published in 1818 by the small press of Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mayor & Jones, was limited to 500 copies, and Shelley’s name was not even on the cover.

She had to wait 13 years, until 1831, to see the commercial success of her book. Today, Frankenstein’s Monster is one of the most iconic figures in horror history, alongside Dracula.

#5 Carrie — Stephen King

Stephen King’s first published novel, Carrie, hit bookstores in 1974, but its road to publication wasn’t as easy as you might think.

At first, Carrie was supposed to be a short story, but after writing only three pages, King threw it in the trash. Luckily, his wife took out a draft and advised her husband to turn it into a novel. But that was not the end of King’s suffering. Ahead were the refusals of book publishers.

The novel was rejected 30 times before it was first published in 1974, as the publishers were not interested in science fiction that deals with negative utopias.

The book was ultimately a great success, and King was able to quit his job as an English teacher to become a full-time writer. In 1976, Carrie was made into a film that was nominated for two Oscars.

#6 Animal Farm — George Orwell

George Orwell’s Animal Farm was rejected by 4 publishers before it hit the book market in 1945 (UK) and 1946 (USA).

While written in the format of an animal fable, readers quickly recognized it for what it was — a parody of Stalinism that criticized dictatorial practices and portrayed Stalin as a traitor to the Russian Revolution.

Many publishers, including Eliot and Faber & Faber Ltd, decided the work was too controversial to print at a time when the Soviet Union was a significant ally of Britain against Germany.

After its publishing in 1945, however, it quickly became an unquestionable classic, praised for its study of the issues of power, democracy, and class.

#7 The Diary of a Young Girl — Anne Frank

Jewish girl Anne Frank and her family were sent to a concentration camp after they were arrested by the Gestapo in 1944. Her father, Otto Frank, was the only family member that survived.

When he was given his daughter’s diary, he decided to publish it. But it took 15 rejections before Anne Frank’s diary finally became available to the general public.

This true story reveals the threats that Jews had to face during Nazi Germany. Although Anna was killed at the age of 15, this book remains an upbeat story despite the terrible ordeal the girl went through.

#8 The Great Gatsby — F. Scott Fitzgerald

The novel The Great Gatsby is undoubtedly characterized by its main character and would not make much sense without it. Yet, one editor suggested to Fitzgerald that he should remove the Gatsby character from the novel for it to be accepted for publishing, as that would make the novel decent enough.

The author didn’t respond, and consequently, the book was initially rejected (the exact number of rejections is unknown).

Today, The Great Gatsby is now one of the works of world literature. It has been sold in over 25 million books worldwide, translated into 42 languages, and turned into six major films.

#9 Catch-22 — Joseph Heller

Published in 1961, Catch-22 is a must-read classic novel written by Joseph Heller.

The novel takes place during World War II and tells the story of American bomber Captain John Yossarian that must fight to stay alive (Heller himself worked as an American bomber during the war).

Many publishers didn’t fully understand the point of the novel and deemed it, therefore, a failure. The book is believed to have been given the name Catch-22 because it was chosen by its 22nd publisher, Simon & Schuster.

#10 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone — J.K. Rowling

Before the book was successful, it was rejected by 12 publishers. J.K. Rowling’s debut novel sold more than 107 million copies, but this success might not have happened if it weren’t for Alice Newton, the eight-year-old daughter of Bloomsbury founder Nigel Newton.

She came upon the first chapter of the novel and urged her father to read the remainder of it, which Bloomsbury later agreed to publish. They did not expect great success, as shown by the initial print run of 500 copies, and suggested that she finds a job since an author cannot make a living from selling children’s books alone.

In the end, everything went differently. From the third part at the latest, the general public became aware of Harry Potter. Rowling is now considered one of the wealthiest women in Britain and is said to have more money than the Queen. The Harry Potter series has sold over 500 million copies and has been translated into over 80 languages.