When looking at the success that she is now, J.K Rowling is a prime example of someone who has earned her success through her hard work, even when times were tough.
Famous for her brilliant Harry Potter book series, which is still flying off the shelves today, Rowling is a key writer who contributes to the progression of students learning within English. Her books have been translated into 73 languages, sold millions of copies and accrued billions through the books and movie adaptations.
However, she admits to being a failure, “By every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.”
But why is this?
Her Journey
When she was creating the ever-famous book series of Harry Potter, it wasn’t as easy as creating a few notes and getting inspired from there. It took years of perseverance to become the undeniable success that she is today.
When she discovered the idea of Harry Potter, Rowling was then pulled away from her work by the devastating death of her mother, which ultimately caused her work to halt, as she struggled emotionally for a long time.
As she carried on through her journey, she took a job teaching English in Portugal for a year, where she set the goal of having the first Harry Potter book done by the time she had returned from her venture abroad.
But everything didn’t pan out as she had hoped.
Not only did she not reach her first deadline for the book, but after falling in and out of love, she ended up bringing her baby daughter up alone with no job, no finished product and two children to raise. As she struggled with her mental health she lived on unemployment benefits and resumed her book.
Her Breakthrough
After the earlier setbacks of her life, she began to find solace in doing what she loved again, writing.
She was starting to find the happiness she had before within her writing capabilities and discovered that she had nothing to be afraid of, which she profiled brilliantly within her writing.
The Journey Of How Her Work Became Published
Rowling decided to send her work to publishers after she had finished the third chapter, but she had to face the fact that she was receiving a mailbox full of rejection letters.
However, that didn’t stop her.
She sent her manuscript to 12 different publishers and did in fact, get rejected by them all. Finally, however, the Bloomsbury Publishing company sat down to read the manuscript, and so did the publishers 8-year-old daughter.
As they read together, the little girl loved it and begged to read the whole thing, and it was this feedback which made the publishers agree to publish her novel. The breakthrough she had been waiting for.
Although, she was left with a warning that she would still need to get a day job because she wouldn’t make enough money, following the publishing of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, she proved them wrong.
Her Life Changed
J.K Rowling went from being a jobless, single mother, to one of the best selling authors, but like most stories, it didn’t happen overnight. She had to face rejection and constantly strive for success, which is why she is such a strong inspiration for every child out there who may think they are struggling to reach their dreams.
She worked herself before anyone even noticed her, but with that practise, alongside strengthening herself with the underlying rejection, this is what has made her unforgettable.
No matter who is reading this, if you have a dream or passion but feel like you are receiving a feeling of rejection. Don’t give up.
If you work on something that you truly believe in, then your successes will come. And who knows, you might end up breaking records!
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