Dr Seuss’ 1st book was rejected 20 times + 9 Other Facts About The Author

5. His two most popular books were the result of bets

The Cat in the Hat came to be when the director of Houghton Mifflin’s educational division challenged Geisel to write a book using the 250 words first graders most needed to know. The endeavor took him over a year, but it was this book that made Dr. Seuss a household name.

Geisel wrote Green Eggs and Ham after the co-founder of Random House bet him $50 that he couldn’t write a book using just fifty distinct words. Geisel succeeded, and this turned out to be his best selling book ever.