#queryfail & #agentfail: boo hoo hoo

#queryfail was all about agents getting a laugh out of how terrible some submissions have been. Given that a certain percentage of *anything* will be legendarily bad, it wouldn't be hard to come up with really funny examples of terrible queries. I imagine that plumbers, doctors, architects, cops, etc. all sit around and tell funny stories to each other about particularly stupid, self-absorbed or irrational clients.

OK, all well and good. The fact that they decided to do all of this snarking in public instead of privately via DM or on someone else's blog seemed in rather poor taste, but whatever.

#agentfail, in turn, was comments by authors telling funny (or tragic) stories about particularly stupid, self-absorbed or irrational agents.

What has been really annoying has been the response to #agentfail of many of the more vocal agents. "Don't you appreciate how hard we work for our clients?" "Can't you take a joke?" "You don't understand the pressures we're under!" "Keep on getting upset - that way I'll know who to slush next!" "I know I was one of the ones making fun of you authors, but when you make fun of me it hurts my feelings!"

Oh, boo hoo fucking hoo. If you all want to be professional about this, then don't trot out your "stupidest-client-ever" stories in front of your potential clients.

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