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October 4, 2007
Famous Authors' Rejection Letters
We came across the piece on NPR last week about famous authors' rejection letters. Are you an aspiring writer, miffed about all those publishing houses turning your best seller down? Listen to this piece:
"Jack Kerouac, George Orwell and Sylvia Plath are just a few of the authors whose books were turned down by the Alfred A. Knopf publishing house. Researchers going through the Knopf archives have come across their rejection letters, as well as a few others.
Liane Hansen speaks to Richard Oram at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, where the archives are held."
Hear it HERE on NPR.
Comments (1) | Curiosities | LinkCOMMENTS
This doesn't completely fit, but I came across a unique rejection letter while I was doing research at the NYPL. I was reading through correspondence from the 1950s and 60s related to the NYPL's Office of Young Adult Services. It included a letter by Peter S. Beagle (the author of The Last Unicorn) to Margaret Scoggin, the Superintendent. Beagle had just graduated from high school and was looking for a summer job. It was such a familiar type of letter (ie: the summer job search inquiry mix of hesitant hopefulness and overbearing arrogance), that I wanted to give the adolescent Peter S. Beagle a big hug.
Margaret Scoggin didn't really share my view. She nicely, pleasantly, encouragingly... turned him down.
Posted by The Modern Letter
