Wilbur Smith Quotes

I have been rejected 120 times, probably because I didn't write the right book.

Rejection is part of the process, so you can't let it crush you. My first three novels never made it into publication, but my fourth, 'Sheltering Rain,' was translated into 11 languages.

Authors by the hundreds can tell you stories by the thousands of those rejection slips before they found a publisher who was willing to 'gamble' on an unknown.

The great American novel has not only already been written, it has already been rejected.

The starkest rejection letter might be followed by a million-dollar advance. Don't let rejection start to look the same as failure.

I didn't get my first pilot that I screen-tested for, and I really thought it was the end of the world. But it's fine, you know, you move on to something else.

I kept sending out stories and getting rejected.

After rejection - misery, then thoughts of revenge, and finally, oh well, another try elsewhere.

There were about ten years of trying, failing, trying again, suffering rejection, etc. My first published book, 'Story of a Girl', was the fourth book I wrote.

I used to save all my rejection slips because I told myself, one day I'm going to autograph these and auction them. And then I lost the box.

I struggled for a long time to get anything published.

My first book was rejected nine times. It turned out to be a best seller, Battle Cry? in 1953.

The first rejection that 'Dexter' got, I was like, 'OK. This hasn't worked. Let's try something else. I'll go get a teaching job or something.'

I just assume that I'll fail at something for several years - that I'll try my hardest and still fail for several years. With writing, that turned out to be wrong. I tried my hardest and failed for about fifteen years.

When I got out of high school, I wanted to be an actor but was getting a lot of rejections. I was getting rejected by life. My mother, God rest her soul, told me not to quit.

I tried to get into the National Youth Theatre and didn't, and I tried to get into drama school and didn't, and then I went to university and was really delighted that I went there. I think having the word 'no' can be quite creative.

I became a connoisseur of that nasty thud a manuscript makes when it comes through the letter box.

I was rejected by casting directors during the day. I attended class in the evening, then rode 90 miles on the train home.

You go up for hundreds, thousands of roles, and you get told no, no, no, so many times.

As a writer, you can't allow yourself the luxury of being discouraged and giving up when you are rejected, either by agents or publishers. You absolutely must plow forward.

Anytime you suffer a setback or disappointment, put your head down and plow ahead.

My first show was called 'I Know I've Been Changed' in '92. I tried to do this show for years and years. It kept failing over and over and over again. Every time I went out to do the show, nobody showed up. I was like, 'What is this about?'

J. K. Rowling's first 'Harry Potter' manuscript was rejected 12 times. Stephen King's 'Carrie' was rejected 30 times. 'Gone With The Wind' was rejected 38 times. I was immensely proud to have beaten them all.

I got nice rejections explaining that historical fiction was a difficult sell. But I kept trying.

I'm talking to anyone who has been dumped - have not gotten the job you really wanted or have received those horrible rejection letters from grad school. You know, the disappointment of losing, or not getting something you badly want. When that happens, show what you are made of.