Every author, from unpublished to bestselling, experiences rejection--from agents, editors, publishers, critics, even loved ones. It comes with the turf. But rejection can stop a writer dead in his tracks unless he learns how to persevere. In these conversations, twenty successful authors recount their personal struggles, offer strategies for coping, and inspire us with their stories of ultimate triumph. Arthur Golden rewrote eight hundred pages and went from an agent's thumbs-down to the bestseller list. Wally Lamb almost came undone when The New Yorker sent him a scathing rejection letter. Amy Tan stopped reading her reviews. Other writers included are Chris Bohjalian, Frederick Busch, Bret Easton Ellis, Janet Fitch, E. Lynn Harris, Kathryn Harrison, Oscar Hijuelos, Betsy Lerner, Elinor Lipman, Brett Lott, M. J. Rose, Esmeralda Santiago, Bob Shacochis, Tony Schwartz, Gail Tsukiyama, and Edmund White. Dramatic, surprising, funny, practical, and wise, this is a must-read for bibliophiles and scriveners alike.