by CHRIS ROBLEY on OCTOBER 8, 2014 in WRITING TIPS

Tired of being rejected by publishers? Remember Frank Herbert

I was listening to the Writer's Almanac Podcast this morning and heard that it's the birthday of Frank Herbert, author of the science fiction masterpiece Dune.

Herbert is just one name on a long list of writers who found success after being repeatedly rejected.

Nearly twenty publishers told Frank Herbert "no thanks" after he'd submitted the manuscript for Dune.

Eventually Dune was accepted by Chilton, a publisher of auto repair manuals and an unlikely launching pad for a book that would go on to define an entire genre, sell over twelve million copies, and get made into a movie (twice).

So, if you're feeling down, rejected, unsupported, or otherwise low about where you're at in your writing life, try to remember that plenty of famous writers established their careers only after years of beating their heads against closed doors.

About Chris Robley

Chris Robley has written 574 posts in this blog.

Chris Robley is an award-winning poet, songwriter, performer, and music producer who now lives in Portland, Maine after more than a decade in Portland, Oregon. His music has been praised by NPR, the LA Times, the Boston Globe, and others. Skyscraper Magazine said he is "one of the best short-story musicians to come along in quite some time." Robley's poetry has been published or is forthcoming in POETRY, Prairie Schooner, Poetry Northwest, Beloit Poetry Journal, RHINO, Magma Poetry, and more. He is the 2013 winner of Boulevard's Poetry Prize for Emerging Writers and the 2014 recipient of a Maine Literary Award in the category of "Short Works Poetry."