J.K. Rowling Shares Rejection Letters With Fans

Posted on March 25, 2016

J.K. Rowling has a huge following on Twitter, and many aspiring writers go there for inspiration when thing are not going well. Many people asked her if she would share some of her rejection letters. She said that the ones for Harry Potter are packed away in her attic, but she shared two of them that she received for her first crime novel writing under the name of Robert Galbraith.

After the success of Harry Potter, Ms. Rowling wanted to write a different kind of novel and so submitted it under a pen name. Of course, she could have had her agent make one phone call and a bidding war would have erupted, but she didn't want to do that. She shared the letters, "for inspiration, not revenge" and removed the names of the editors who rejected J.K. Rowling.

She told her fans, "I pinned my 1st rejection letter to my kitchen wall because it gave me something in common with all my fave writers!" When a fan asked her if she would share some of rejection letters she replied, "The Potter ones are now in a box in my attic, but I could show you @RGalbraith's?" So, she did. When asked what kept her motivated when she was getting rejected right and left, she replied, "I wasn't going to give up until every single publisher turned me down, but I often feared that would happen."

One fan asked if any of the editors who rejected Harry Potter also rejected Robert Galbraith. She responded, "Yes, the publisher who first turned down Harry also sent @RGalbraith his rudest rejection (by email)!" -- which is simply hilarious. How dreadful to be the editor who turned down both J.K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith. Being kind, she did not share his name with the Twitterverse, but he knows who he is.

By popular request, 2 of @RGalbrath's rejection letters! (For inspiration, not revenge, so I've removed signatures.) pic.twitter.com/vVoc0x6r8W

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 25, 2016