J.K. Rowling is a household name today, thanks to her beloved series of Harry Potter books. But before she became a world-renowned author, she faced a lot of rejection. In fact, it took twelve rejections before she finally got a publishing deal for the first book in the series.
The first rejection letter she received was in 1995, when she sent a pitch for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to a publisher. The publisher wrote back to her, saying that they were not interested in the book. Rowling was undeterred, and she kept sending out her pitch to other publishers.
Finally, in 1997, she received a letter from Bloomsbury, a small publishing house in London. The letter was from the then-eight-year-old daughter of the chairman of the company, who had read the book and wanted to publish it.
The rest, as they say, is history. The Harry Potter series went on to become one of the most successful book series of all time, selling more than 500 million copies worldwide.
But Rowling’s story serves as an important reminder that success often comes after a lot of hard work and perseverance. It took twelve rejections before she finally got a publishing deal for the first book in the series, but she never gave up.
In 2016, Rowling shared a copy of the rejection letter she received from the first publisher on Twitter. The letter reads, “We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.”
It’s amazing to think that a letter like this could have almost derailed one of the most successful book series of all time. But Rowling’s story is a testament to the power of resilience and determination. She never gave up, and her hard work and perseverance paid off in the end.