--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My first novel was turned down by half a…" description: "\"My first novel was turned down by half a dozen publishers. And even after having published five or six books, I wasn't making enough money to live on, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/874/ian-rankin-7748_beginning_my-first-novel-was-turned-down-by-half-a_2389731.jpg" --- # My first novel was turned down by half a dozen publishers… ![“My first novel was turned down by half a dozen publishers. And even after having published five or six books, I wasn't making enough money to live on, and was beginning to think I'd have to give up the dream of being a full-time writer.” quote by Ian Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/874/ian-rankin-7748_beginning_my-first-novel-was-turned-down-by-half-a_2389731.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/874/ian-rankin-7748_beginning_my-first-novel-was-turned-down-by-half-a_2389731.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/874/ian-rankin-7748_beginning_my-first-novel-was-turned-down-by-half-a_2389731.jpg) > “My first novel was turned down by half a dozen publishers. And even after having published five or six books, I wasn't making enough money to live on, and was beginning to think I'd have to give up the dream of being a full-time writer.” [Ian Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-rankin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Persistence in writing despite repeated rejections and financial strain, emphasizing resilience and belief in one's craft **In simple terms:** Keep writing despite setbacks and low income Key Takeaway Never give up on writing dreams Themes creativity resilience career writing perseverance Mood reflective motivational realistic Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - submitting manuscripts - seeking alternative publishing - budgeting for writers - building a readership Key Concepts authorial identity market dynamics self‑belief Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you when faced with rejection? - How can writers sustain themselves financially? A Different Perspective Financial instability can force compromises in artistic vision ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Wasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-wasn-4383610/) [Dozen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dozen/) [Dozen Publishers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dozen-publishers-5948459/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Having Published](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-published-5593126/) [Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Turned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-turned-1381967/) [Publishers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishers/) [Publishers Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishers-having-1574579/) [Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Turned down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turned-down/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [What I feel bad about is not having published very much in the last few years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-nicholson/what-i-feel-bad-about-is-not-having-published-very-much-in-the-last/) [Ben Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-nicholson/) > [There are a lot of bottlenecks to getting published. 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Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [I've always turned down stuff where you had to be fat. I may be fat, but that's not why you play a role. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-griffiths/i-ve-always-turned-down-stuff-where-you-had-to-be-fat-i-may-be-fat/) [Richard Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-griffiths/) ## More by Ian Rankin > [You need a great idea, but then you've got to carry it through. 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Every Friday, the pay packet money would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-rankin/my-mother-worked-in-a-school-canteen-then-worked-in-the-canteen-of-a/) [Ian Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-rankin/) > [I am, of course, a frustrated rock star - I'd much rather be a rock star than a writer. Or own a record shop.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-rankin/i-am-of-course-a-frustrated-rock-star-i-d-much-rather-be-a-rock-star/) [Ian Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-rankin/) > [I don't want the books to become PR exercises for the police; I want to have the freedom to write about cops who cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-rankin/i-don-t-want-the-books-to-become-pr-exercises-for-the-police-i-want/) [Ian Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-rankin/) > [“...despite rumors to the contrary, you're on the side of the angels. (...) Whether you like it or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-rankin/despite-rumors-to-the-contrary-you-re-on-the-side-of-the-angels/) [Ian Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-rankin/) > [Rebus was eating breakfast in the canteen and wishing there was more caffeine in the coffee, or more coffee in the coffee come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-rankin/rebus-was-eating-breakfast-in-the-canteen-and-wishing-there-was-more/) [Ian Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-rankin/) > [I would have loved to have been a rock n' roll star. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Every Finish Line is the beginning of a new race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-finish-line-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-race/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) [Adam Imad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-imad/) > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [The only vocal training I had was playing with a tape recorder as a kid, and you know, doing the beginning of the 'Lone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buffer/the-only-vocal-training-i-had-was-playing-with-a-tape-recorder-as-a/) [Michael Buffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buffer/) > [January is the beginning of a new year for us in the Western world. 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