I'm watching a programme, "50 Worst Decisions Of All Time", and the Harry Potter books came up. No, it's not the books themselves lol, but the biggest mistake for the publishers who turned them down. Apparently, J.K Rowling was reject by nine other publishers before Bloomsbury picked the book up.

Nine publishers who turned down the book series that made the author the richest writer in history and created what may go down as being the most successful film series in movie history.

"Bummer" or what lol.

Thought others might find that interesting.

I find it interesting. Those other publishers probably hate themselves hahahaha.

That reminds me that one must always be open to new things and possibilities because one never knows how it'll turn out. It also reminds me that if we persevere (like J.K did trying to publish her books) we are likely to get what we look for.

I just imaginate the look on the other publiciers when they found out that the books they denied had that big success... hahaha:)) i didn`t tough that JK was rejected by nine publicers... interesting how life is,no?

Wow I never knew she was rejected by that many publishers. Too bad for them JKR is laughing all the way to the bank now! Kind of reminds me when the Beatles were turned down at first....

Those publishers that rejected Hp are such idiots, it's obvious how awesome it is! I'm just thankful JK never gave up trying even when she got rejected. If I'd rejected that story and it became so big I'd probably be kicking myself so hard, biggest mistake for them definately. It shows even though you get rejected a few times it doesn't mean what you've done isn't still great.

I can't imagine reading the first chapter of the first Harry Potter book and not being absolutely hooked! I couldn't put that book down. It was terrific. I think lots of publishers don't read the material.

I was thinking about that the other day... how do the publishers feel that turned down JKR's novel-to-be? I'm betting they must be feeling pretty dumb right now... I know I would! They're probably thinking twice when they pick up another package of papers! (Of course, that'll just make it easier for me when I come around... no I'm kidding. I'm nowhere near there yet.)

Well they just shot themselves in the foot, didn't they? Haha, i find that so funny! They're probably kicking themselves right now ... i'll bet that they'll take more notice when looking at new stories to publish! lol

I wholeheartedly agree with you, as any true Harry Potter fan would; Harry Potter is brilliant and it is insane that anyone rejected it. But you have to realise that publishers are sent hundreds of manuscripts, all of which probably have some merit, and not all of which can be published. Publishers have to scrutinize the manuscripts they're sent, because they would prefer only to publish books that will be some sort of success, and do not want to publish books that are flops. The fact is, not every good story will be published, and not every good novel will become a hit. JK is extremely lucky that Harry Potter has turned out the way it has, it could have been a complete flop. I'm sure that those publishers are kicking themselves and they probably do regret rejecting Harry Potter, but they would probably stick by their decision. That's the way life goes, you take risks and some of them pay off, some don't. Sometimes you aren't willing to take a risk and you miss out. It doesn't make them idiots for rejecting it, and I'm sure they probably wrote back to JK with reccommendations on how to improve her manuscript. Publishers aren't the cold-hearted idiotic people you are making them out to be.

I'd still like to see what some of the other publishers chose to publish after they turned down Harry Potter.

Also, I seem to remember that the first year the Harry Potter series started here in the US, it was not a major hit. I'd never heard of it until one morning I heard it being promoted on NPR, and that was only because at 5:30 a.m. all the news on NPR is from the BBC. The book they were promoting was the Chamber of Secrets. There were no lines in the bookstore when I went to buy the book. And no one I knew had actually read the book.

Newby coming through.

I did not know that JK Rowlings had been rejected that many times! I have used her example to some one I know that is writing and told them to hang in there as you never know when it can be picked up.

I have read the HP books over and over again and cant believe that they could have been rejected. What would I have done with my life if I didn't have HP to read and look at.

Mrs Hagrid

WoW! Nine rejections - i'm so glad she kept trying.

I do understand why the publishers didn't decide it was good enough. They get heaps of manuscripts a day and they have so many to choose from. The first HP book was good - though not as good as the third and up. She improved throughout the series.

Though they would be kicking themselves now!

Wow I didnt know she was rejected by nine publishers! THats crazy. To bad for them, I can only imagine what they saying now, regretting it I bet.

wow! i neary had a heart attack when i saw the name of the topic! yes i bet they feel really stupid! theyre probably all regretting it! they could have made so much money for it too but instead thay thought it was a rubbish idea... ah well hope theyve learnt theyre lesson. never turn down a story of a scruffy teenage boy with messed up hair and a scar on his head...it just makes sense

O'man thats just about one of the funniest things I've herd!
bet their not felling so great at the moment..hehe, I wouldn't either if I had turned down one of the greatest books of all time.
I just wonder what they were thinking when they got the book, wonder what made them turn it down?

The other publishers are probably annoyed with themselves but it does take a lot to guess which story will be a hit and which will just flop and be a waste of the publishers time. I know when I tried reading the first book I had tried reading the first chapter three times and just couldn't get interesed in it. It wasn't until I'd seen the movie that I got into it so the publishers may have just been the same. Anyway, the lesson is just keep trying to get what you want and it nearly always will happen-10th time lucky?

ha ha a bet those other publishers are kicking themselves! well i guess that just sort-of proves that there are people out there who just can't do their jobs properly!

if one of the other publishers had took the book on would we have The Deathly Hallows by now?
shame really if earlier publishers took it on we would probably be further into the films and books oh well!

i totally agree. that is great!
but, i kind of feel bad for the publishers who didn't get it. imagine how they are feeling now. but it's funny just the same

i bet some one is kicking themself that they didnt publish her book or nine some ones lol

I can't believe all those publishing companies turned her down. That had to be the biggest mistake they ever made. They could have made a huge profit!

Wow, are you serious? haha, well that stinks for those publishers... i bet they all hit themselves for turning her down. But I bet the company that took her is so glad they did. haha, thats funny.
~snitch

Wow. That's about all I have to say to that. Imagine how all of those NINE publishing companies are being haunted by the idea of what would have happened had they taken the Harry Potter Series. HAH!

Wow i never knew that. I bet that all of them are seriously kicking themselves in the behind! Like stated before JKR is laughing all the way to the bank! They turned down the highest paid arthur to date. I bet they won't turn down any similar books in the future!

If I am honest i am not surprised, great authors and artists are often passed over by the majority of the publishing industry. Basically before having a book published JKR was completely unknown, so Harry Potter was a risk for Bloomsbury, whereas they could have cobbled together some sort of biography about the latest evicte from Big Brother and have guarenteed sales. Obviously , im gald that they didnt!!

I also remember hearing that The Beatles were rejected at least once by every major recording label in the UK before they were signed. David Beckham was told that he was too small to play professional football.

So I think it just goes to show that if you really want to do something, you have to persevere

At first when i saw this thread title i thought that can't be true HP can't be the 8th biggest mistake that is mad. But now...

9!! Publishers turned it down. I can't believe it i bet there where kicking themsleves after it came a huge sucess. I'm glad Bloomsbury had the sense. As Felipe_Black said...



It was defiently risky i like you am glad they did pull it off though. Heres to Bloomsbury.

You know, as a writer, when you submit material to a publishing house and it is a chapter book, there is usually a table of contents sent along with three sample chapters. Another thing they ask for is a summary plot and what the author's vision is for future books. In this case, JKR had 7 books planned, so these publishers who rejected her should have seen that she had a well thought out plan.
Sure she was a risk being unknown but thankfully Bloomsbury was gifted enough to see that JKR had thought out the process of her series.

well that just proves that you got to take chance in life and that bloomsworth or whatever you said actully published the book took chance. and the other 9 compines must feel terrible now lol.

Wow! Nine times?
They must feel stupid right now... haha!

Wasn't Dr. Suess turned down 11 times?

Publishers are so stupid!!

Lol... Well that just goes to show you, never give up!

Biggest mistake in the world. they could have made a Lot of money! those nine publishers are just... .

Shame on them lmao, how stink would you feel if that had been you who had turned down the book? I for one would be utterly devastated!!
Boo hoo to them

They must be. JK Rowling should go up to their doorstep and say to them, "I told you that I would become a best selling author." And laugh in their face. How could someone turn down the Harry Potter series is my question. I would be going crazy if I had turned her down years ago and now she is the second richest person in the world. Maybe they turned her down because she was too poor to pay for her books to be published. (She DID use to be poor. Hard to believe.)

Poor publishers * laughs histericly* When they read it they just probably thought that it would just be a total spoof. But quite the contrary they are now th best books Ever!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Bloomsberry for accepting her

LOL That would be funny. But if you think about it, she didn't have all that much money, that could have been a major reason. But I seriously think that those other publishers that turned her down are total Idiots...
...9 PUBLISHERS TURNED HER DOWN!?!?!!!?! Thats crazy.

I almost feel bad for the ones who turned her down, until I think about how I felt when I first got my hands on Harry Potter. HOW could they turn these books down?! I was hooked instantly!

But this is just another reason why JKR is one of my heroes. This proves even more to me that I need to follow my heart, no matter how hard something seems to be or how much people doubt me. I'm so grateful to bloomsbury for accepting her; I cannot imagine a world without Harry!

Funny and messed up

People are afraid of what's new. I always thought that one needs to keep an open mind and try out different things from time to time. Those publishers who rejected JK are feeling pretty dumb and will regret it the rest of their lives. JK's determination has been a key to me wanting to finish the series. She is a great inspiration to really young kids because her story shows that dreams really can come true as long as you do not give up on them.

ts really to bad for those nine...they should have known better!But its great for bloomsbuy though....I mean they don't know what they were doing rejecting JKR !!!

I knew she had been turned down loads of times, but not nine times. Haha. They al must feel pretty stupid now. I mean, it’s some of the world’s most successful books, and JRK is one of the world most influential persons because of those books. And what can have made them turned down those books, they’re great! I couldn’t lie PS away when I first red it.

That should have been the biggest mistake. So stupid you can be.

Thats just silly! I bet the other publisherts are really regreting it now ! I mean, WHY would they regect Harry Potter? Honestly!

That would suck to have turned her down. I bet they're kicking themselves now.

That sucks. I think they're regreting that desicion!

That is FUNNY!!! Omg, they are proably really really regretting that now !! hahaha!! they're probably like huh? Or I knew I should've trusted her... and they are all crazy and scared from embarrasment! Bloomsbury is all and or just plain and the others are and I was laughing when I read that!! JKR is cool and I love her books! I wonder who let the news leak... .

When I read the title of this thread I thought that the series was named 8th biggest mistake of all time. I was like... what????? How could they say that?? Oh well. Panic over.

Haha that is very funny, though of course not for the publishers. I admire her perserverance (sp?). If I had been turned down, I think after about five times of being turned down I would have given up and thought 'Oh well, I guess no one wants to read my books...' I'm soo glad she didn't give up! What idiots for turning her down!

HAah I heard an interview with one of the publishers who had turned it down. They said that they didn't believe it would at all be successful and they didn't even want an autograph from JK Rowling.... Where as now when I went to the last Harry Potter movie premiere I had to fight pleanty of crazy fans to get her autograph in the end. I want to meet that man and rub it in his face . They must hate themselves more than JK Rowling did when they turned her down.

Well...
I think that the people working at the time got fired . After all, that was the biggest mistake for their company. they could be rich right now!!
Oh, well. They all passed up an amazing idea! They must not have read far enough or somthing because i really like the 1st book it was great. It is better than a lot of books they normally publish, isn't it?

Anyway, who could turn down such a soft face such as JKR? She looks so nice!

Yeah, I bet that there's also pretty made at themselves. I mean the books where this giant phemona, one of the things that will be remember when looking back at this genaration. I'd be mad.

Well I guess quite a few people are beating themselves up at the moment!

haha... too bad for them

How could nine publishers turn down this story. I could see one or two, you know, the whole third time is a charm, but nine? What a group of idiots in my opinion. I would say that the initial work probably needed some fine tuning, but some of the stuff that gets published these days is junk, and it seems to have no problems getting to the publisher's desk. Hmm, perhaps those people got fired after their mishap. he he.

Ha ha ha to all those nine publishers! I mean, they missed out on one of the biggest selling books... ha! I bet they're kicking themselves now! If I were JK, I'd laugh at them... anyway, I think that turning down the HP series was probably one of the biggest mistakes of their careers.