Rotten Rejections: A Literary Companion

by André Bernard (Editor)

Excerpts from rejection letters from publishers to the authors of books that were afterwords best-sellers or literary classics are accompanied by anecdotes about authors and publishers

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing, Reference, Books About Books

101 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1990

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure where I got this book. It was interesting enough. Fast read and interesting to see the books/authors that received rejection letters. Also who knew that rejection letters could be so interesting.

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big disappointment. I'd read quotes from this book elsewhere and thought it would be fun. Yes, it is to a point, but when you realise that 85% of the rejections are of people dead for a hundred years, there's not much to it. I mean, who can blame the publisher who rejected Oscar Wilde's stuff? Society wasn't ready for that then. Rejections from the last 20 years would be actually helpful in navigating the field and sensing what editors are (not) looking for.

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was short but memorable enough. It might have had more of an impact on me if I had recognized more of the authors or book titles. It’s a fun message for aspiring writers not to take rejection quite so hard, but as far as I’m aware, most people don’t get formal rejection letters so much as an unanswered correspondence these days, so it’s not quite as relevant anymore. It wasn’t my favorite read, but I finished it.

[Nancy Mumpton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love all these little books by Andre Bernard! So interesting if you love and read books!

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and hopeful and also many unfamiliar titles

[Rin · Rating 2 out of 5]

跟作者简介似的，没意思

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the spectacular crash and burn of chapter 1 of my novel in the recent contest in which I entered it (I think I ended up with a less than 5 star rating), when I saw this book in Riverby's, I had to pick it up. It is a compendium of all the rejection letters publishers wish they had never written. It made me feel quite good about my own tentative forays into the world of publishing, as I learned through the book that many authors have self published to begin with and moved on to bigger and better things once their book has been read. More and more I'm sure that's what I'll have to do, although I will submit it to a few places that are accepting books right now, just to see. Among the authors whose letters are listed are E.L. Doctorow, Charles Dickens, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, and Rudyard Kipling.

My personal favorite was a rejection George Orwell received for Animal Farm, which stated: What was needed was not more communism, but more public-spirited pigs.

It was a really fun and quick little read and I agree with the reviewer who wrote, "the perfect book for any writer, amateur or professional."

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny. I find myself agreeing with some of the rejections, although such a stance would not have been a good business decision as this collection clearly shows.