So listen. I’m going to share something that might be controversial. It may even offend some people. But Literary Agents are Human Beings, most of whom are just as stifled by the unreasonable demands of capitalism as the average aspiring author. We CANNOT do it all, all the time.

I’m tired of apologizing when it takes me a little longer than I planned to respond thoughtfully to an unsolicited query from someone who called me Victoria or didn’t even bother to google what I represent. So I’m not going to do that anymore. Rejection sucks, no matter how nice.

I’m not going to apologize for changing my mind about what I’m interested in representing. People change. Ideas flop. Markets saturate. I’m not personally responsible for the whims of an industry that boggles the mind with its logical inconsistencies. I clarify wherever I can.

The best thing an aspiring author can do is write for a reason that satisfies them. The next best is to make themselves impossible to ignore, by agents, by editors/publishers, and by the target readership they seek to influence.

A quick caveat: if any maladjusted personage decides to take "impossible to ignore" wildly out of context, and uses this thread as an excuse to ignore query guidelines, or otherwise harass me or any of my fellow agents/editors, things aren't going to go well for them. I promise.