From Publisher Rejection to Bestseller: Steven Rowley's Journey

Dara Levan chats with Steven Rowley on Every Soul Has A Story® Podcast. They talk about grieving (humans and pets), overcoming challenges, rejection in publishing, and Steven’s passion for telling poignant, witty, and heartwarming stories.

Steven is the author of bestselling book LILY AND THE OCTOPUS, THE EDITOR, and his latest novel, THE GUNCLE. His writing has been published in twenty languages. His works are in development stages of being made into feature films.

Steven has worked as a freelance writer, newspaper columnist and screenwriter. Originally from Portland, Maine, he is a graduate of Emerson College.

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For years, Steven Rowley was called an overnight success—but the truth is, he was 45 when his first book was published, after two manuscripts that couldn't get off the ground and a near-self-publishing journey that only changed course at the last minute. The bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus and The Guncle joins Every Soul Has a Story to talk about grief, humor, and the stories that balance both with surgical precision. He opens up about being rejected by his publisher after a massive bestseller, why he chose authenticity over formula writing, and how losing a close friend to breast cancer transformed what was meant to be a light comedic novel into a deeply moving exploration of childhood grief. From coming out in 1992 to getting married last year, from pet grief to the upcoming film adaptation of The Guncle (a big studio family film with an LGBTQ lead), Steven reminds us that every soul has a story—and that telling our truth is how we build empathy and humanity.

0:00 - Intro and tech difficulties
1:35 - Steven joins the conversation
3:29 - The Gunkel's origin story
4:50 - Auto fiction and writing about grief
7:05 - Lily and the Octopus and publishing journey
9:44 - The "overnight success" myth
12:13 - Rejection and emotional truth
14:05 - Second book rejected by publisher
16:12 - Choosing authenticity over formula
17:45 - Pet grief and losing Lily
21:42 - Losing a friend to breast cancer
25:21 - Keeping loved ones alive through characters
28:07 - Grant's lisp and humor with kindness
30:08 - Gay representation and stereotypes
33:29 - The Gunkel movie at Lionsgate
35:05 - Coming out in 1992 and 30 years of change
37:35 - Gratitude for living to see age 50
39:51 - Final thoughts and paperback release

• https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
• Website: daralevan.com3
https://stevenrowley.com/

QUOTES:

“I was called an overnight success, but people don't see the 15, 20 years of work that goes into putting yourself in a position where you can be seen as an overnight success."
– Steven Rowley

"We dehumanize people so easily. And yet it's harder to deny someone their humanity if you know their story."
– Dara Levan