9 Rejection Letters Sent To Madonna, U2, Andy Warhol And Other Famous People Before They Got Famous.

What’s the one common thing every successful person has to deal with?

Rejection.

Steve Jobs was fired from Apple. C.S. Lewis received 800 rejections before he sold his first piece of writing. Lady Gaga was dropped after three months of being signed.

Below are 9 rejection letters that famous people and celebrities once received.

1. U2

u2

U2 was first formed in 1976, and when the came out with their first single, they were excited to pitch it to RSO Records. However, the record company was less than impressed with the band. Within months, the band was signed with Island Records and released their first international single, “11 O’Clock Tick Tock.”

U2 Bono rejection letter

Source: mentalfloss.com

2. Andy Warhol

andy-warhol

In 1956, artist Andy Warhol gave one of his pieces away to the Museum of Modern Art. For free. And they still rejected it. Obviously, Andy’s luck turned around pretty fast. In addition to having his own museum in Pittsburgh, the very museum that rejected him now features 168 of his original art pieces.

Andy Warhol rejection letter

Source: papermag.com

3. Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath

While this one isn’t really a complete rejection as much as it is a request for revisions, it’s still hard to believe that the now-legendary Sylvia Plath would have experienced anything other than a “yes” for her poem “Amnesiac.”

Sylvia Plath rejection letter

Source: openculture.com

4. Madonna

young-madonna

When Madonna signed with Sire Records in 1982, her debut album sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Clearly the author of this letter to her team would have never thought such a feat possible for an artist who “wasn’t ready yet.”

Madonna rejection letter

Source: perezhilton.com

5. Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut

Two writing samples that Kurt Vonnegut sent The Atlantic Monthly in 1949 were deemed commendable, but “not compelling enough for final acceptance.” Rather than letting it get him down, the author had the letter framed, and it now hangs in the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis.

Kurt Vonnegut rejection letter

Source: lettersofnote.com

6. Tim Burton

Tim Burton

While Tim Burton received praise for his children’s book, “The Giant Zlig,” when he sent it to Walt Disney Productions, an editor didn’t think it would be marketable enough. Just a few years later, though, Disney made Burton an animator’s apprentice at the company. Needless to say, it was a good move.

Tim Burton rejection letter

Source: lettersofnote.com

7. Gertrude Stein

Gertrude Stein

In what might be the snarkiest rejection letter of all time, Arthur C. Fifield turned down Gertrude Stein’s manuscript for “The Making of Americans” without even reading it through entirely. Rude.

Gertrude Stein rejection letter

Source: mentalfloss.com

8. Jim Lee

Jim Lee

Today, Jim Lee is the co-publisher of DC comics and one of the most famous figures in the comic book industry. But in this letter from Marvel (one of many rejection letters he’d received throughout his life), he was told to reapply “when he had learned to draw hands.”

Jim Lee rejection letter

Source: instagram.com

9. Stieg Larsson

Stieg Larsson

If you can’t read Swedish, this is a letter to Stieg Larsson, the man behind the award-winning “Millennium” trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest), telling him that he wasn’t good enough to be a journalist. He didn’t live long enough to see his own success with his incredible books, but I’m sure those in charge at the Joint Committee of Colleges of Journalism in Stockholm are kicking themselves.

Stieg Larsson rejection letter

Source: theguardian.com

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