Comments on: The Queryfail Trainwreck

By: Jobs » Blog Archive » #QueryFail and 50 Reasons Why No One Wants to Publish Your First Book

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:08:36 +0000

[...] seems that there is just as much support for Queryfail as there is uproar. Agent Elaine Spencer explains that Queryfail is simply a “tough love” approach to author submissions, not unlike the [...]

By: Making Light

Making Light — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:31:11 +0000

QueryFAIL…

It happened a month ago. Apparently a group of agents designated Thursday, the 5th of March, as official Queryfail day…….

By: J. M. Strother

J. M. Strother — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:02:57 +0000

Well said, Author. I still would not boycott these agents. But I do think they should chalk this up to lessons learned and fore go the next #queryfail. I think to continue on at this point would be pretty poor judgment.
~jon

By: Alegra Clarke

Alegra Clarke — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:04:54 +0000

I really like what you have written Author.

I forgot to mention in my post that I did not actually participate in the event and so did not experience any of it, I am just aware of the potential of this sort of thing to take the turn in tone to that it sounds like it did.

I think you have made a very valid point here. Yes, writers have to brace and prepare for criticism both constructive and snarky from the world at large, but when it comes to the agent-writer relationship this should not be a part of the equation.

Of the agents that I have had the good fortune of meeting, they were all professional, challenging, but most importantly, respectful.

By: Author

Author — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:54:57 +0000

The agents may have started with good intentions, but some of the posts got very snarky, making fun of a writer’s last name, mocking a writer’s concept that actually seemed interesting to me, adding cruel comments. And the writers who queried these agents had no idea their queries were subject to public mockery. I think queryfail makes the participating agents look bad, as if they were ganging up on writers for laughs. They are supposed to be our advocates, not our tormenters.

I have published many novels and have had an agent for a long time. Over the years, she has made some mistakes and I have too. We are both human. We would never post about those mistakes on the Internet and mock them cruelly. I have also heard of (many!) dumb things agents have done from my author friends. We may gossip about that over a coffee shop, but we would never get together to mock agents on the Internet in the guise of educating them.

By: Tumblemoose

Tumblemoose — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:50:25 +0000

Hi Maria,

I do think that sometimes the kitchen gets hot. If someone can’t tolerate the heat…

I followed #queryfail and I found it to be quite enlightening. I didn’t come across any that were being picky just for the fun of it. Almost every one had me thinking, “OMG, did someone actually send that in?”

George

By: Amy Sue Nathan

Amy Sue Nathan — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 12:35:38 +0000

I thought QueryFail was great. The inherent problem was that authors who read agent/editor/publishing blogs and websites don’t make those mistakes – or they don’t make them twice. If a writer is on Twitter following agents, he or she is savvy and educated, most likely. I believe it was like preaching to the choir. I wonder if anyone saw his or her own query being blasted – I doubt it.

By: Alegra Clarke

Alegra Clarke — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:49:12 +0000

Sid-
I just caught your shout-out.
you are going to keep me on my toes aren’t you?
Good thing it is my natural stance.

And I agree with many of the posts above. While I have an issue with outright cruelty, I know that there are some people in the world with a natural talent for it, and if we make ourselves available to the public it is the flipside of the coin.

I think the trick is to learn when the criticism, in whatever form, is constructive – otherwise don’t take it personally.

By: annie

annie — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:55:29 +0000

I missed the event though I remember reading about it on Colleen’s blog and thought at the time it sounded a bit harsh.

Yeah, we have to have tough skin, but do we have to “man up” in public? Even when no one knows it’s us? It would still hurt and worse because you know people are laughing at you. I’d rather fail without such a random and public audience.

By: J. M. Strother

J. M. Strother — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:39:20 +0000

I can’t comment on the last #queryfail since I missed it. But I did follow the previous one and found it quite enlightening. I do think this was conceived with the best of intents, that these tweets would serve as cautionary tales for writers so that we can improve our chances of getting an acceptance.

The fatal flaw of #queryfail, over say Miss Snark, (if I understand Miss Snark correctly) is that the exposure on Miss Snark is self inflicted – not so on #queryfail. So I can understand that some people’s feelings got hurt. There was no expectation of exposure. But get real, people. To boycott an agent for participating? These folks really were trying to do the writing community a public service.

And as others have pointed out elsewhere, most of the ridicule came not from the agents participating, but from those following the event – fellow writers, I would presume. Seems we can be a snarky lot.
~jon