You’d think being a literary genius would mean not ever having to deal with rejection, right? Not quite. Here are rejection letters sent by publishers to some of the most notable authors of the last 100 years.

1. John Updike

2. J.R.R. Tolkien

3. John Steinbeck

4. Alice Walker

5. William Faulkner

6. Kurt Vonnegut

7. James Baldwin

8. J.K. Rowling