Every author has to face rejection from a publishing company at least once during their career. However, for one particular author, who happens to be Stephen King, his experience was particularly unfortunate, as his first novel was rejected over twenty-five tines. After finally being accepted by a company, the novel, Carrie, quickly became extremely popular and was adapted into a feature film and a Broadway musical. Many other novels had to face this same fate, as Gone with the Wind and The Lord of the Flies were both rejected more than twenty times.

Despite this, the writing field is only growing in popularity. The Huffington Post predicts that nearly 80 percent of Americans would like to pursue writing.

However, many of these Americans cannot achieve their dream. Since writing is a competitive field, the risk of rejection often discourages people from entering the field professionally.

Senior Kaitlyn Hammond of Wall Township said she would not pursue writing as a career in the future. 

“I don’t think it’s a wise decision for me to pursue writing, just because of how slim the chances are of becoming successful,” Hammond said. “But either way, I still love writing and I will never give it up.”

Another factor impacting prospective artists is the fear of not being able to make a living. In Business Insider’s list of the top 10 most competitive jobs in America, “Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers” was ranked number two, with a “competitiveness score” of 95 out of 100. 

According to an article for The Writing Cooperative, “Becoming a freelance writer in 2018 is not as easy as it was a decade ago. No matter which niche you turn to, it looks like there is too much competition out there. This can be disheartening not only for beginners but also for writers with a couple of years of experience under their belt.”

The salary for a freelance novelist is hard to predict, since their payment depends on the success of their book. However, according to the Houston Chronicle, the salary for freelance writers and book authors is around $55,420 per year. A reporters’ salary is easier to predict, and is around $43,640 per year, according to the Houston Chronicle. 

Senior Vivian DeRosa of Ocean said she is willing to pursue a career in writing despite the risks.

“[The risks are] definitely something to think about, but I think it would be so silly not to try,” DeRosa said. “I could really forgive myself if I try and I don’t succeed, but it’s much better to go for the risk than wonder what could’ve been.”