“By every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.”
Those are the words of J.K. Rowling – the author whose Harry Potter Book Series has sold over 450 million copies in over 67 different languages, and who is supposed to be richer than the Queen of England. Odd words from someone so hugely successful. Don’t you think?
Her success might be full of glamour, but her journey is anything but glamorous. She was newly divorced, raising her daughter as a single parent, living off meager unemployment benefits and battling clinical depression while writing the book series that made her one of the best-selling authors of all time.
She sent the manuscript of her first book to 12 different publishers and got rejected by every single one of them. Then one day, the editor at Bloomsbury Publishing sat down to read the manuscript, and so did the editor’s 8 year old daughter. The little girl fell in love with the story, and begged to read what happened next. This made the publisher agree to publish Rowling’s debut novel. Nonetheless, he did warn Rowling that she should get a day job, as she wouldn’t make much money writing children’s books.
In a year’s time, ’Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ was published, and the rest like they say is history.
This story never fails to inspire me. It reminds me of the power of persistence in face of rejection and failure.
A book series like Harry Potter was rejected 12 times before a small publisher gave it a chance. What would have happened if J. K. Rowling had given up after the first rejection? Or the fifth? Or the eleventh?
*Source for facts mentioned in this post – www.jkrowling.com
*This post is written for the AtoZChallenge.
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Susan Gourley
I’ve often heard that the most common personality trait of successful people is persistence. Success of a writer seldom takes place overnight even though it may seem so.
Shanaya Tales
Very true. A lot of people don’t realize the amount of hard work that goes behind their favorite books. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Katy
Great message! I am in the process of writing my own first book so this comes at a perfect time. 🙂
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Shanaya Tales
Glad you liked it. 🙂 Good luck with your book. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Alok Singhal
Truly inspiring. There are many greats who have succeeded just because they never gave up.
Nice post on the prompt.
Shanaya Tales
Thank you. Glad you liked it. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
sulekha
Inspiring post, we must never give up at the first sign of failure. Every rejection is a step closer to success.
Shanaya Tales
It surely is. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
salvwiprasad
Nice quote as always.
Definitely for success Persistence and Patience hold the key 🙂
salvwiprasad recently posted…Pleasant moment
Shanaya Tales
Thank you. Glad you liked it. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Ranveer vishal
Thanks for bring the story and JK Rowling is an inspiration when I feel down, proving that determination unfurls extraordinary, Shanaya:)
Shanaya Tales
She is surely an inspiration. Thanks for stopping by, Ranveer. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Nisha Sanjeev
Persistence in the face of rejection is, indeed, the secret of success…but it takes a lot of will power! Good selection.
Nisha Sanjeev recently posted…Writer’s Ezine – Writing one word at a time…
Shanaya Tales
Thank you, Nisha. Glad you liked it. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Shilpa Gupte
A truly inspiring story of perseverance that I need to remember! 🙂
Shilpa Gupte recently posted…Five Sentence Fiction: Isolation.
Shanaya Tales
Yeah, I guess we all need to remember that persistence pays. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Shilpa 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Prasanna
J K Rowling’s story never fails to inspire me. She is the finest writer and I love HP. Thank God she didn’t give up after those failed attempts. Thank you so much for sharing her story 🙂
Shanaya Tales
Yes, Thank God! Glad you liked it, Prasanna. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
the little princess
That’s an interesting snippet Shantala! She faced rejection so many times for THAT book is unbelievable!! Persistence indeed pays…
the little princess recently posted…P for Platonic love
Shanaya Tales
Unbelievable indeed! Thankfully she had enough faith in her story to persist. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Shirley Corder
Thanks for reminding us of this great story. Most encouraging!
Shirley Corder recently posted…P is for Port Elizabeth
Shanaya Tales
Glad you liked it, Shirley. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Soumya
So inspirational!
Thanks Shantala for this.
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Shanaya Tales
Glad you liked it, Soumya. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Parul
Now that’s persistence and a never say die attitude. Believing that the tide will turn for good is extremely important and so glad that you focused on that here. Wonderful lesson for all of us!
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Shanaya Tales
Thank you, Parul. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Vidya Sury
😀 I could just lift this off for my own P post, Shantala.It is perfect.Failure should just be taken as motivation, although it doesn’t look at it at the moment.
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Shanaya Tales
Very true, Vidya. So glad you liked it. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Archana
As you’ve said, this is always an inspiring story each and every time I read it…
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Shanaya Tales
It truly is. Thanks for stopping by, Archana. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Shalini
Given up on the eleventh time? That would have been heart breaking! You have brought great points in the post! Lots of positivism.
Shalini recently posted…Forever alone No more- P
Shanaya Tales
Thank you, Shalini. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Vinitha
Truly inspiring, Shantala. Persistence will bring success eventually. 🙂
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Shanaya Tales
It surely will. Thanks for stopping by, Vinitha. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Shailaja
Such a lovely story, right? Fact is always so much more fascinating than fiction. Kind of apropos that I shared that post about self-promotion as an author on B-A-R today, don’t you think? 😉
*Shailaja/Alternate Angles/A-Z*
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Shanaya Tales
Yep. I thought the same thing when I saw your post. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Swathi Shenoy
We never know when we will succeed. We just have to keep doing our part. Because the next time might be a success. Loved this post Shantala 🙂 I love Harry Potter series too and I am so glad that the daughter of the publisher showed so much interest in it 😀
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Shanaya Tales
Oh yes, I am glad that the girl insisted on reading more, and thankful that Rowling did not give up. I love HP. The whole series. I can read it a hundred times over. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z
Mee Magnum
‘I think I can. I think I can’ said the little train. Believing and the power of positive thinking will get you where you want to be. Always.
–Mee (The Chinese Quest)
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Shanaya Tales
They sure will. Thanks for stopping by, Mee. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…All we need is a Reason to Succeed #AtoZChallenge 2015 @AprilA2Z