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- Dec 20, 2006
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In my quest to become more adept in understanding how this industry works, I often enjoy studying the circumstances of the more successful authors of our time. Today, I wish to post a brief summary of Rowling's first ventures into publication (and my inquiries):
Way back in the mid-90s, Rowling didn't have much trouble finding an agent, but Philosopher's Stone was rejected by 8-12 publishing houses before finally being accepted by a small house called Bloomsbury. After it was accepted (at the insistence of the boss' daughter) the rights to sell in the states were auctioned off and eventually won by Scholastic, who paid Rowling a six-figure sum before the novel ever appeared in bookstores.
The novel obviously went on to become an incredible success, but that last fact baffles me. Rowling made more from writing than the vast majority of people do in a year without even selling a single book yet. Did Scholastic really have THAT much faith in her story?
I also wonder if the same could be said for an American author, because currently I am of the understanding that a published (or accepted) book would have to be liked by a publishing house exec (or relative) and/or be sufficiently successful for a large publisher to buy the distribution rights to it.
Anybody else have any thoughts on this matter?
Way back in the mid-90s, Rowling didn't have much trouble finding an agent, but Philosopher's Stone was rejected by 8-12 publishing houses before finally being accepted by a small house called Bloomsbury. After it was accepted (at the insistence of the boss' daughter) the rights to sell in the states were auctioned off and eventually won by Scholastic, who paid Rowling a six-figure sum before the novel ever appeared in bookstores.
The novel obviously went on to become an incredible success, but that last fact baffles me. Rowling made more from writing than the vast majority of people do in a year without even selling a single book yet. Did Scholastic really have THAT much faith in her story?
I also wonder if the same could be said for an American author, because currently I am of the understanding that a published (or accepted) book would have to be liked by a publishing house exec (or relative) and/or be sufficiently successful for a large publisher to buy the distribution rights to it.
Anybody else have any thoughts on this matter?