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JK Rowling was told to take a writing course by a publisher who rejected her novel

Mar 26, 2016, 17:41 IST

Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters

JK Rowling tweeted photos of two rejection letters from book publishers on Friday to inspire future authors not to give up on their quest for success.

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The Harry Potter author tried to get a crime novel called "The Cuckoo's Calling," published under her alter ego, Robert Galbraith.

But publishers wrote back saying they couldn't accept it, with one even advising Rowling to attend writing school.

"I regret we have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we could not publish it with commercial success," reads a reply from publisher Constable and Robinson.

Constable and Robinson also recommended that Galbraith "double check in a helpful bookshop" or in the twice yearly "buyer's guide of Bookseller magazine," to find out who the current publishers of his fiction genre are.

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The letter added "a writers' group or writing course may help" Galbraith to get constructive criticism of his debut crime novel.

A second letter from Creme de la Crime publishers simply states that they have become part of Severn House Publishers and are "unable to accept new submissions at the moment."

"The Cuckoo's Calling" was eventually released in 2013.

Rowling also struggled to get Harry Potter accepted by a publisher but it was eventually picked up and turned into one of the most successful children's books ever, with more than 400 million copies sold worldwide to date.

Rowling published the rejection letters on Twitter after a request from a fan.

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Despite "The Cuckoo's Calling" being rejected by several publishers, Galbraith has published three other successful novels.

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