*Sniff, Sniff*

I smell a flame war. Bookends has opened a can of worms. On the blog Ms. Faust has opened a posts to talk about #agentfail. I haven't done anything today because I'm reading the train wreck IP. It's sad really, because Faust had good intentions. Nothing like a few bad apples to turn a learning lesson into a cluster%^&*#.

What do you think of #agentfail?

And More Reasons Why I Won't Let This Blog Die

Gauche: 1 a: lacking social experience or grace ; also : not tactful : crude b: crudely made or done 2: not planar (gauche) *(definition provided by Merriam-Webster online dictionary)

Someone recently accused me of being gauche for bemoaning a delayed response to a query. The issues wasn't the amount of time, but the fact I said something publicly about my disgust.

And then it just made me curious what got this taboo started. I'm very aware publishing isn't your normal work environment. You could have a grade A lawsuit for being black-balled in the corporate world for speaking, truthfully, about grievances of your work environment. In essence it's called retaliation.

But what I am fully surprised by is that most people black-balled in this industry are by other authors. Yes, some people should have thought better of what to say in public. Also, IMHO, some things were just blown out of proportion.

My questions to you: At what point was it okay for authors to be bashed for unprofessional behavior *publicly*? When did it become a faux pas for authors to speak of industry professionals for the same type of behavior? *not just their peers*

Bad Agents

I'm not talking scammers. I'm talking bad as in can't sell books to save their lives. Bad that editors ignore submissions from said agent. Bad that when you ask have you ever heard of so and so your first answer is "Run". Yes, they exist. Yes, they go to conferences and hob knob and take appointments.

But the question is how: Well, I have a theory: desperate authors is how.

I know and understand the need to rush to NY. I know and understand how it can be a light at the end of the tunnel when someone finally says, "Send me the full" or much better, "I want to represent you." It's the "I'm King (Queen) of the world" type of feeling. But the question is how well did D.A. research this agent? How many e-mails did D.A. send to current and former clients (politely) inquiring about said agent? Did D.A. even check out this site to see what are the basics of an agents job? How many warning flags went up that these types of authors ignored?

* Yes, I'm aware some author still get the short end of the stick with very bad matches with their "dream" agent.*

So you tell me: How are bad agents still able to work in this business? What are some of the signs to look out for?

Agent Blogs: The Blessing and The Curse

I'm sure I'm not the only writer who subscribe to agent blogs. These blogs are a wealth of information. Unlike places like Agent Query, Query Tracker, and Publisher Marketplace (these places give you the bare essentials) you get a sense of who the agent is, how they work, what they like or whether or not they are insane. There is nothing worse than finding out your dream agent doesn't fit after you've signed. (Well, finding out your agent doesn't have the contacts necessary to sell your manuscript.)

I know I've found out how an agent likes query letters including what you can leave out. I've also found out what they love and things that will get you an automatic rejection. But at some point reading these blogs can become an information overload. On one hand they tell you what the hell send the query. In the next blog post they complain about people who don't read their guidelines i.e. what they represent.

Today's question: How helpful have you found agent blogs?