Claim: The Mysterious Island published by Hetzel in 1875 is a crossover sequel to Verne's famous Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas and In Search of the Castaways but initially was never rejected by any publisher.
Evidence: The Mysterious Island (French: L'Île mystérieuse) is a novel by Jules Verne, published in 1875. An early draft of the novel, initially rejected by Verne's publisher and wholly reconceived before publication, was titled Shipwrecked Family: Marooned with Uncle Robinson, seen as indicating the influence of the novels Robinson Crusoe and The Swiss Family Robinson.