You’ve heard it many times before that getting a book traditionally published isn’t easy. Manuscript rejection has deprived the world of many great potential writers. Rejection is soul-crushing to any writer because they value the opinions of publishers and literary agents. They look up to these figures as the gatekeepers of what’s worth publishing and what’s not.

The opinions of these highly-esteemed people in the industry are subjective and are fallible. Their decision on your manuscript doesn’t define you as a writer. The rejection of your work doesn’t mean it’s unpublishable. One person’s opinion is not the general verdict on your masterpiece, even if you have suffered the same fate in your previous submissions.

Many of the world’s famous bestsellers were rejected multiple times before getting published. The thing is that the authors of these works persisted and believed in what they created. Shouldn’t this serve as a strong encouragement for you to persevere in getting your work out there?

So what does this tell you? It reveals the poor judgment of agents and publishers, who, at least we can surmise, regret that what they once rejected could have been raking in profits for them.  Consider these six popular books:

1) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling. This first installment was rejected over ten times by publishing houses. Now Rowling is the first billionaire author.

2) Dune, Frank Herbert. Herbert submitted his manuscript to more than 20 publishers before it was published. It has now become an award-winning science fiction novel and a popular staple in the sci-fi canon.

3) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M. Pirsig. More than 100 publishers rejected this nonfiction book about a father and son motorcycle adventure cum philosophical reflections. It has now given millions of readers invaluable insight into their own lives.

4) The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein. The author was told that his story would never sell but Silverstein believed in his story. This storybook has broken the boundaries between children and adults as both audiences enjoy this little tale.

5) Life of Pi, Yann Martel. This book was rejected by nearly all publishers in London. It saw publication in Canada, and has been adapted into a motion picture and won the Man Booker Prize.

6) The Big Bounce, Elmore Leonard. This novel went through 84 rejections. When it was finally published, it was adapted into a movie—twice.

The list goes on, but these six are among my favorites. What famous rejected books tell you is that when you become dedicated to your vocation as a writer, you become endowed with a special power—the power to persist and to have faith in your art. There is a certain mystery and enigma in the art and craft of writing that many publishers and agents cannot fathom. Part of your job is to make them understand by believing in your work and let no one, regardless of their status, serve as the final judge of your book’s fate.