J.K. Rowling shares two rejection letters for "The Cuckoo's Calling"

Even J. K. Rowling gets her books rejected -- when she's using pseudonyms, that is.

The "Harry Potter" author shared two rejection letters from publishers on Twitter from when she tried to submit 2013 novel "The Cuckoo's Calling" as Robert Galbraith. The book was part of her Cormoran Strike mystery series.

It all started when a fan on Twitter wrote that she would not be discouraged by rejection, because she know that Rowling had been rejected as well before she found massive success with the Potter franchise.

J.K. Rowling is revealed as the author of "The Cuckoo's Calling"

Rowling wrote back and said, "I pinned my 1st rejection letter to my kitchen wall because it gave me something in common with all my fave writers!"

Fans began to ask the author to post the rejection letters, and Rowling said that the ones for "Harry Potter" were in her attic, but had her Galbraith letters handy.

"I wasn't going to give up until every single publisher turned me down, but I often feared that would happen," she said before she posted the letters.

One letter from Constable & Robinson offered Rowling advice on improving her writing and pitches, while a letter from Creme de la Crime simply said they were not accepting new submissions. Rowling's tweet even prompted a response from "Chocolat" author Joanne Harris, who said, "I got so many rejections for 'Chocolat' that I made a sculpture."

Rowling intentionally blurred out the names of the senders, as she said the letters were "for inspiration, not revenge, so I've removed signatures."

Rowling even revealed that she received a very rude rejection over e-mail from one of the same publishers that rejected the "Potter" series.

The author got the last laugh: "The Cuckoo's Calling" was eventually picked up by Sphere, part of publisher Little, Brown & Company, and was a critical success.

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.