It's flattering to get speculative credit, but I'm pretty sure this little whiny blog has nothing to do with the new no-response policies of certain literary agents. They're just tired and worn out. And as we all know every day, thanks to the Interwebs, modern courtesy is pretty much dead.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Why You Never Write Me Back No More?
It's flattering to get speculative credit, but I'm pretty sure this little whiny blog has nothing to do with the new no-response policies of certain literary agents. They're just tired and worn out. And as we all know every day, thanks to the Interwebs, modern courtesy is pretty much dead.
I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I don't really mind a policy like this as long as a writer's wait isn't open-ended. I feel a standard form rejection is largely a waste of paper and postage. There's no point in even continuing to read the message after you've determined it's a rejection slip unless it's particularly insincere or callous, in which case it deserves to be posted here.
ReplyDeleteDid you pose for this photo, w/r?
ReplyDeleteNice.
I disagree with Native Ink. The modern world consists of enough poorly-defined, passive aggressive, "Don't call us, we'll call you" scenarios. When you've included return postage there's really no excuse. Unless maybe Sandra the agent lost both her hands in a horrible subway turnstile accident and can no longer stuff unwanted manuscripts in an envelope? On second thought, perhaps I should give her the benefit of the doubt.
ReplyDeleteDan
anon 5:28,
ReplyDeleteyou are hard up, huh? take a look at these
(.)(.)
I guess it's which do you prefer: totally empty courtesy or no courtesy at all? Both are pretty useless.
ReplyDeleteThe worst by a mile is manuscripthub.com, where, if you enter a contest and lose, you don't even get a response, you have to log in to find your submission says 'Not Accepted.' I'd never submit to Meridian or the Black Warrior Review again and I'd never support them because of this. At least Narrative sends you a polite letter saying thanks, but not thanks, and most competitions do as well. I'd rather get a generic letter than nothing.
ReplyDeleteNo, but I posed for the on the post for March 31st.
ReplyDeleteNipples too low, parentheses man.
ReplyDeleteYou're no little girl, w/r, so don't try to pull that stuff with me. Anyway, I've found, in my field of espionage, that when people are denying the truth they tend to make small, frantic mistakes:
"for the on the post"
Must have been frantic. I don't even know what the hell I meant. I think I meant that the little whiny girl is me in the post above. So many things have happened between now and 9:18 a.m. Who can remember?
ReplyDeletea little something for nipple man
ReplyDelete(o)(o)
and for Nick
(.)(.)(.)
I remember this line from "Joe Vs. the Volcano" ... it's what one of Meg Ryan's characters would say when something flummoxed her. Funny seeing it on a shirt after all these years!
ReplyDelete