Isn't this common in publishing and in music? Every big hit seems to have been turned down several times. A lot of publishing houses aren't the arbiters of tast

Isn't this common in publishing and in music? Every big hit seems to have been turned down several times. A lot of publishing houses aren't the arbiters of taste but instead have goals and metrics for certain types of work and only shop for them. You may have a great historical novel on your hands, but if the agents are only looking at sci-fi and YA stuff, then you might get turned down until you find a publisher willing to take a chance on something the market isn't necessarily asking for. Also guitar groups were on their way for a while. The charts in the early 1960s were pop bands like the Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Andy Williams, The Sensations, Ray Charles, etc. Obviously, rock became a powerful force by the mid 1960s but that was difficult to predict. I don't think anyone saw the British Invasion, Dylan, psychedelic rock, and the hippie counter-culture coming.