tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post8763306340300286811..comments2023-11-02T06:57:11.400-04:00Comments on BookEnds Literary Agency: Author Beware: Nothing But Cheap EditorialismBookEnds, A Literary Agencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06287278822065839469noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-44103396296251562512007-10-26T10:49:00.000-04:002007-10-26T10:49:00.000-04:00You know-- I never look at the stamps. Are you re-...You know-- I never look at the stamps. Are you re-using my stamps, too? GASP. HORROR.<BR/><BR/>Seriously- this is exactly why when I get irritated about something (no matter what or who it is about) I force myself to get up and leave my computer before I do something foolish.<BR/><BR/>All I can really say about the author of that email is.. "Bless her heart".authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16824755148581900566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-87930270616615395722007-10-26T01:44:00.000-04:002007-10-26T01:44:00.000-04:00Hey Jessica,First time on your sight and I'm in st...Hey Jessica,<BR/>First time on your sight and I'm in stitches. Anyone who has been writing for a while can tell you stories about whackos like this amid peer groups, but to act in this unprofessional manner about feedback from BookEnds? Hello!? We writers are lucky to get anything but a form rejection letter with a, "thanks, try us again." Please allow me to say thank you for taking the time to give feedback. We NEED feedback! We WANT it! How else would we improve our writing? Heck, I might even send you a book of stamps to show my appreciation of your contribution toward the betterment of our efforts.<BR/><BR/>JanelleJanelle Dakota's bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14863697259422839477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-19804701001719749442007-10-25T12:27:00.000-04:002007-10-25T12:27:00.000-04:00I understand you may not remember this particular ...I understand you may not remember this particular person, but I'm so confused. Did she not send a SASE and someone just stuck her letter in the old envelope and send it back? I've got rejection letters from many people, inlcuding this agency, and never once got it in an old envelope. This whole thing just sounds wierd.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-72079972232274892212007-10-25T10:00:00.000-04:002007-10-25T10:00:00.000-04:00Oh goodness. Maybe at the bottom of future rejecti...Oh goodness. Maybe at the bottom of future rejection letters, there should be a disclaimer that all disparaging responses to said rejection will be immediately thrown into the inferno that your minions keep lit for that purpose. And hey, that inferno could be used to steam off stamps!Christine Careyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11341804703650310395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-19205254254014888742007-10-24T23:08:00.000-04:002007-10-24T23:08:00.000-04:00Well, in response to the last anonymous poster, I ...Well, in response to the last anonymous poster, I will say this.<BR/><BR/>The author emailed this letter to the COMPANY, basically trashing the agents name to her bosses.<BR/><BR/>Then, she accused the agent of unprofessional AND illegal behavior (laughable possibly, but still ugly) <BR/><BR/>This may not be your favorite post but it points out something that newer authors can take note.<BR/><BR/>Restraint of tongue and pen. And email.<BR/><BR/>This saves future authors from saying things that may bite them later. <BR/><BR/>Just sayin'Jennifer McKenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03613714863799177911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-66493384471906552342007-10-24T23:05:00.000-04:002007-10-24T23:05:00.000-04:00Jessica,Can I bribe you with stamps? I have them f...Jessica,<BR/>Can I bribe you with stamps? I have them from all over the world and I'll enclose them with my next submission if only you would give me some "cheap editorialism"! I could slip them in stratigic places in my manuscript so you'll get a surprize at every page you turn....<BR/>Sorry....still laughing at the thought of you steaming off those stamps. <BR/>:)<BR/>ok, i'll stop now.<BR/>Keep dishing out that cheap editorialism! There are those of us who would deeply appreciate any comments you'd care to make.Aimlesswriterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03012050763172251381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-85264999251222463122007-10-24T20:46:00.000-04:002007-10-24T20:46:00.000-04:00Actually, the self-stick stamps can be peeled off ...Actually, the self-stick stamps can be peeled off if you're careful. I don't bother to steam/soak them off anymore. (I'm a canceled stamp collector.)<BR/><BR/>I suppose I ought to feel sorry for the rejected writer, but I just can't. I feel like giving them a lecture about "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." I'm published in non-fiction, so I occasionally get requests through friends about relatives that would <I>love</I> for me to critique their book. Normally, I find a way to pass, but I decided to critique this one lady's fantasy novella because the characters were good even if the writing needed work. I was careful to point out what was good as well as some things that could be done to improve things (and why it would imporve things). I put a lot of time and effort on it. I got this scathing e-mail in reply saying that I was going out of my way to tear her down because I was afraid of the competition and that only a few pieces of my advice were remotely useful, but she supposed that was because I only spent a few minute in writing the critique. U-huh. But that hurt. I'm never critiquing a newbie again, talented or not. Thus, my desire to shake this writer for his/her reaction to Jessica's critique. If you don't like someone's critique, go burn the thing and mop about it with your best friend. Don't ruin it for the rest of us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-8864802058821798242007-10-24T19:12:00.000-04:002007-10-24T19:12:00.000-04:00Boy did that author sound steamed!(Sorry, couldn't...Boy did that author sound steamed!<BR/><BR/>(Sorry, couldn't resist)<BR/><BR/>*head shake and a half*Anne-Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05960236584908811801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-11882919229683452832007-10-24T19:10:00.000-04:002007-10-24T19:10:00.000-04:00You know you did it.You know you did it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-7829697436684001552007-10-24T19:02:00.000-04:002007-10-24T19:02:00.000-04:00I am with the anonymous who wrote that she could h...I am with the anonymous who wrote that she could hear that author's pain. I am quite literate, but have been embarrassed to later read what I earlier wrote when anxious or stressed. I guess that what I really want to say is that a crap writer has the same feelings as a good writer. Fear of rejection. And she got it big time in a tatty old envelope. Let me know where I can send you some money to buy new envelopes to send rejections to authors. People like myself, who are new to this writing business, feel at a huge disadvantage to people like agents and publishers who seem to wield such power.<BR/><BR/>I still love your blog, but not this particular post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-43073345916584260132007-10-24T17:04:00.000-04:002007-10-24T17:04:00.000-04:00Re: "Jessica sits surrounded by thousands of stea...Re: "Jessica sits surrounded by thousands of steamed-off stamps"<BR/><BR/>A claustrophobic nightmare, perfect for a Halloween story - "The Stamp Witch."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-73171957227206204842007-10-24T16:58:00.000-04:002007-10-24T16:58:00.000-04:00And then, after the righteous indignation wears of...And then, after the righteous indignation wears off, the steamed stamp diatribe winds down...the disappointment, if not humiliation...hopefully not to be borne alone.<BR/><BR/>Writers beware: Go to your writers' group and get the support that you need, so you don't end up rubbing salt into your own wounded ego, lashing out about steamed stamps and "cheap editorialism."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-13387883744838151912007-10-24T16:29:00.000-04:002007-10-24T16:29:00.000-04:00lol--sorry--it's late in the post. But I had to la...lol--sorry--it's late in the post. But I had to laugh. STOP stealing stamps!!!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14553958040386480998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-11420130065137060942007-10-24T16:23:00.000-04:002007-10-24T16:23:00.000-04:00Clearly she doesn't realize that many of us would ...Clearly she doesn't realize that many of us would PAY to have a reputable agent provide editorial comment! Maybe the sheer number of form rejections fried her poor mind and made her think agents don't do that? ;)Christa M. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14384508556022159789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-54694117442723161542007-10-24T14:27:00.000-04:002007-10-24T14:27:00.000-04:00you can't scam me if i send my query via email, ri...you can't scam me if i send my query via email, right? whew. just in case, i'll warn you, jessica - i'm very well connected with the upper levels of the minneapolis postal system : )C.J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13842719490866903136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-82239111817767473442007-10-24T14:02:00.000-04:002007-10-24T14:02:00.000-04:00"although not without merit, not extremely importa..."although not without merit, not extremely important to me."<BR/><BR/>I don't understand this thought process. If the comments had merit wouldn't you think they'd be important?<BR/><BR/>I guess this reaction is why "not right for me", and, "I'm going to pass on this", came into existence.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-24873633129413151742007-10-24T13:47:00.000-04:002007-10-24T13:47:00.000-04:00Wow, a literary agency scamming the US Post Office...Wow, a literary agency scamming the US Post Office like that! How unprofessional! How dastardly! How ... <BR/><BR/>... what's the word I'm looking for ...<BR/><BR/>Oh yes, how utterly impossible!<BR/><BR/>Maybe I'm just a Miami kid, but somehow anything under about a dollar doesn't quite count as a "scam". Perhaps a "scamette"?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-64338709193225117682007-10-24T13:30:00.000-04:002007-10-24T13:30:00.000-04:00Lingering in my mind is this image of Jessica sitt...Lingering in my mind is this image of Jessica sitting in her office. All around her--on the walls, file cabinets, desk, phone, lamps--are teensy bits of paper. A closer look reveals the bright squares with the ragged edges are stamps. Jessica sits surrounded by thousands of steamed-off stamps, laughing with maniacal glee.<BR/><BR/><I>Mu-haw-haw-haw!! </I><BR/><BR/>Little does the world know, this is the wiley agent's true secret of success...<BR/><BR/>--Chiron O'KeefeChironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03350218547511690377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-47274331119955061702007-10-24T13:17:00.000-04:002007-10-24T13:17:00.000-04:00Stamp thieves! *shakes fist*New York is full of 'e...Stamp thieves! *shakes fist*<BR/><BR/>New York is full of 'em. I just use Superglue.jjdebenedictishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16950592240599703771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-20676137223652370232007-10-24T13:06:00.000-04:002007-10-24T13:06:00.000-04:00Writers must be masochists at heart bec ause we se...Writers must be masochists at heart bec ause we send our most prized works that we have been slaving over for weeks, months, years, and then we send it out to the world for complete strangers to tear it to sheds. It's called criticism. Nobody likes to hear that their work is flawed.<BR/>I feel empathy for that blogger that they should feel so hurt and outraged that they should make a complete fool of themself in this manner.<BR/>I am not a left-wingnut, bleeding heart....I am just a person with a heart. Unfortunately there are few literary agencies out there that are as open with their comments and allow us (the writer) a forum to express our ideas, questions, disapointments. Thank you Jessica for giving us, (the unpublished) a place to vent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-60690023935100980542007-10-24T12:51:00.000-04:002007-10-24T12:51:00.000-04:00"It is my good fortunate to have not enjoyed the a..."It is my good fortunate to have not enjoyed the acceptance of my manuscript by your firm."<BR/><BR/>I think you are the one who's fortunate, Jessica. Having a client like this could have created an endless round of gin drinking and hair fires.The Anti-Wifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02027321787352577548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-27278775211229588852007-10-24T12:39:00.000-04:002007-10-24T12:39:00.000-04:00This is too funny!!! Well I guess you won't be rep...This is too funny!!! Well I guess you won't be representing this writer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-15407145904726920582007-10-24T12:10:00.000-04:002007-10-24T12:10:00.000-04:00"It is my good fortunate..."Um, did she read her e..."It is my good fortunate..."<BR/><BR/>Um, did she read her email before she sent it? Because if that's any indication of her manuscript...Cristy at Living Donor 101 dot comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11742254279306719874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-69206009970191686692007-10-24T11:57:00.000-04:002007-10-24T11:57:00.000-04:00So strange, so strange. For a few months, I worked...So strange, so strange. <BR/><BR/>For a few months, I worked at an office that compiled mailing lists. We routinely cut return addresses off of envelopes and scotch taped them to new envelopes. They also had a method to slit the side of the envelope and reuse it for return mail. It was disgusting, and cheap, but effective.Dave Fragmentshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17985158361431606939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-59673050877431911892007-10-24T11:27:00.000-04:002007-10-24T11:27:00.000-04:00I just want to point out that the post office does...I just want to point out that the post office does offer first class stamps that are still valid even after postal rate changes. Just stick those on your SASEs and all is good.<BR/><BR/>I'm choosing not to comment on the person who wrote this letter.<BR/><BR/>I will say, I have always expected an agent to operate in a manner that creates less work for herself. That means she will grab the envelope attached to the entry, send a rejection, and not think about it again. And if random new envelopes show up, she'll just toss them without thinking about it.<BR/><BR/>So don't get your knickers in a twist about stamps.<BR/><BR/>ChessieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com