If you’re on Twitter (and if you’re not, c’mon – it’s not that bad and actually some fun and actually quite useful, especially for writers but I ’spose that’s a whole ‘nother post), you may have heard about #queryfail.

If you haven’t – well, even if you have – I can’t possibly do better than this recap of the shenanigans that unfolded when a group of agents decided to tweet some failed queries and their reasons for rejecting them. Helpful, right? Doing us unpublished authors a solid, right?

Yeah, apparently not so much, at least to a few. People griped on nonparticipating agents’ blog comments that this was unprofessional and just plain mean-spirited. Then came #agentfail, which predictably devolved into a dogpile against the big, bad, mean agents.

Y’know – here’s where I go “WTF?”

Why would I, the unpublished author, get snippy with an agent who is buried under piles of unsolicited manuscripts, who actually takes the time out of that insanely busy day, to actually give me information that would help me slog my way out of that godforsaken pile of crap into the much tinier pile of Stands-A-Slight-Chance?

WHY?!

Now, on the other hand – yes, some of the agents got a little mean. On the other other hand, some measure of snark was not completely uncalled for with respect to some of those queries. Just – go read ‘em. Really. You’ll see what I mean.

If I can’t find it within me to adhere to the simplest of guidelines for submission of my work, then you know what? I kind of deserve to get a little snark.

That’s my first reaction. As always, I reserve the right to do a 180 at any time with no notice whatsoever.

Happy writing!