[Working Wednesday]: How Not to Get An Agent

If you've been paying attention on Publishing Twitter today, you might have seen people in all walks - agents, editors, publicists, authors - weighing in on one particular topic: David Benjamin.

I won't go into a lot of detail here about what exactly he said because it's already been covered (and I'll link to that), but I did want to say how he is the epitome of the best practices on how not to land yourself an agent,

I get it. Rejection can hurt. But a  lot of writers who go on to write some beloved stories have been rejected over and over. JK Rowling is a prime example. And it's fine to blog about your disappointment at yet another rejection. What's not fine is a mean-spirited, belittling, straight-up misogynistic rant about agents who didn't like your ill-prepared pitch.

This is what he sounded like to me underneath the gross misogyny.

I'll let In the Inbox take it from here. This literary agent intern screencapped the post and some comments to both help people see what was beings aid without increasing Benjamin's traffic, as well as preserve it for if the post came down. Read it, then come on back here and let's discuss.

All caught up?

There were better ways to do this David Benjamin. Ways that did not include deriding the agent, making her seem lesser because she was female, young, and according to your Male Gaze, not attractive. What she looks like is not important at all. She is a professional who represents great authors, and probably got a measure of this 'author' from his first words. No wonder she passed. As someone in the comments said, if he spoke like he wrote, she wrote him off (rightfully) as a misogynistic ass.

Publishing folks talk, and publishing is small. I think David Benjamin has already burned his bridges and isn't likely to get a decent agent now.

What do you think? Leave me some comments and let's discuss.