Tweeting Interns: Helpful or Hurtful?

Want to know who won my birthday contest?  You'll have to scroll down to see.  But first, today's topic--the Twitter Queryfest/Queryslam debate.

For those of you who haven't heard about it, here's the gist: there was an anonymous intern on Twitter (InternAmie/Amy Cortese) who would tweet thoughts about the queries as she was reading them. No identifying information was given, but she'd give tidbits like: This memoir has a good premise, but the writing isn't there or sample pages had too much passive voice. It wasn't anything earth-shattering usually, but I know she had a lot of followers (including myself.)

Well, people began to react to it because, despite the vagueness, it still seemed like dangerous waters in terms of confidentiality. It's one of those things that when it's not about YOU, it can be interesting or funny, but then when you start considering it may be your query getting tweeted--well, then it starts feeling a little different. (Just like any other teasing--easy to be in the crowd, not quite as fun to be in the spotlight.)

Agent Janet Reid got wind of what was going on and did a post here on why we shouldn't assume all interns are operating that way and on the inappropriateness of that tweeting intern's actions.

People have a range of opinions. Penelope at Too Cute to Be Very Interesting (whose post sparked mine) found the tweets informative, so was disappointed that InternAmie is now shut down. Others feel very strongly the other way.

Now, for the record, I don't think this intern had bad intentions. I'm sure she thought she was being helpful. But I tend to err on the side of privacy and confidentiality. When I was a management recruiter, I would get hundreds of resumes a week. Therefore, much of my day was spent going through these things. Just like queries, some were great, many were awful. Some made mistakes so glaring that they were laughable.

And I'll admit, amongst my fellow recruiters we did discuss them. i.e. Can you believe this person put SexyHotThing@wherever.com as her email on her resume? Or, look this person's "reason for leaving" for their last job was "my boss was a jerk." Discussing it kept the job sane--it's what people do at work.

BUT, we were discussing it privately amongst ourselves. If we had tweeted that (if Twitter existed back then), we would've been in some serious trouble--written up, fired, etc. because those people didn't give us permission to discuss their information publicly.

Now, hearing agent and intern feedback on queries can be wildly helpful. The workshop I went to at RWA (also called Queryfest) was great. The agents gave honest feedback live as they heard queries read aloud. Some of the feedback was tough. Hearing where agents would stop reading was probably tough on the people who wrote the queries. However, the difference is that those writers VOLUNTEERED. They knew they would be discussed publicly and had given permission for that to happen.

So, in my opinion, I think that's where the line is. Did the person give permission? Because otherwise, you need to put on your empathy shoes and think--if I saw an intern or agent tweet about how terrible my writing/query was, how would I feel?

I think it's fine for agents/interns to tweet overarching things that are helpful. i.e. Too many of the YA queries we're seeing are about werewolves. Or something like that. But when it gets specific, it risks humiliating people and making the agent/intern look unprofessional.

But I'd love to hear all of your opinions. Do you find these kinds of tweets helpful? Did it make you nervous that one day your query would be the subject of that kind of tweet? Do you think people are being too overly sensitive about this issue?

And finally, the winners of last Monday's Birthday contest....

First place: KLM at Cove Awakening 

Second place: Diane at Diane Estrella

Congrats to the winners!!!!  I'll be emailing you about your prize. And thanks to everyone who entered the contest!

Behind the Scenes with Fine Print Lit's Assistant and Intern

Today, I'm excited to introduce two of the women behind the scenes at FinePrint Lit--Meredith Barnes (assistant to Janet Reid) and Gemma Cooper (intern).  We really appreciate these two ladies joining us today because they are on the front lines of that infamous slush pile and have great insights to share.  Also, remember that two of the prizes offered in our epic contest this week (see link at the top of the page) are critiques from these ladies, so if you haven't entered yet--get on it!

What storylines/subjects are you so tired of seeing in queries?

Meredith: I think the usual answer here is “paranormal” or “vampires,” but I haven’t gotten fed up with anything—yet. Just write it well. For god’s sake, take your time. Don’t forget that it’s the character and his/her voice, not a particular paranormal ability or plotline that is going to make a good book.

Gemma:  I’ll never say that I’m tired of any storylines, because a good voice will sell me no matter what. However, I would advise people to spend more time researching how to format a query – look at excellent resources like Query Shark (LINK - http://queryshark.blogspot.com/ ) and ensure you research the agents you are querying online (LINK TO FP website http://fineprintlit.com/ and NC website http://www.nancycoffeyliterary.com/submissions.cfm )

What gets you excited about a submission?

Meredith: A great voice in the query letter is what grabs me—and anyone else. I’m not narrowing my genre focus yet, since I’m culling the slush with an eye for several agents and because I haven’t decided where my list is going to focus yet. Plus I just love it all (specific recent focuses: thrillers and YA, literary stuff too). But feeling like I get to know the character that I’m going to potentially spend a lot of time with is key.

Gemma: No matter what the genre, an amazing voice will always excite me. Plus, I’m a total sucker for good YA Boy POV.

I'm assuming no one goes into this industry without a deep/love obsession fro books.  But when you're surrounded by books and submissions all day, do you still have time and desire to read for pleasure?  And if so, what's your go to genre or author?

Meredith: YES! I love reading, no matter what. Even work reading. It feels so sneaky I can’t stand it. When I read for pleasure, it’s as mixed a bag as it is when I read for work. My last three reads: Jeff Somers’ THE ELECTRIC CHURCH (Dystopian SciFi Thriller. With the badest badass evah), Sean Ferrell’s NUMB (Off-beat literary fiction. With a circus and Texas in it. And a deadpan narrator with dead nerves. It comes out next Tuesday!), and Josh Bazell’s BEAT THE REAPER (Thriller. With a hospital and the mob. And some recurring sharks.)

Gemma: I do have an obsession with books and of course still read of pleasure – nothing beats that feeling of cracking open a new book, even more so when you’ve been reading on the computer all week. My favorite genres are edgy/issue, any YA, urban fantasy, and quirky adult fiction. My go to authors are Jasper Fforde (who I met this year and completely fangirled over) and Robert Rankin. And my current obsession is making everyone I know read ‘When You Reach Me’ by Rebecca Stead and ‘Personal Demons’ by Lisa Desrochers.

You can find Gemma and Meredith on Twitter: @gemma_cooper and : @mer_barnes

Meredith also recommends: Suzie and Janet’s blog and also Judith Engracia’s (she’s a former FP intern who’s now an assistant at another agency): http://omnomnom-books.blogspot.com/

Thanks to these ladies for all the information and don't miss the second half of this interview over at Julie's blog--where you can find out what exactly their jobs entail and maybe even a Janet Reid secret revealed.  :)

 And all week, remember if you've ALREADY entered the contest by filling out THIS ENTRY FORM and want a bonus entry, you can get one extra a day by tweeting and filling in the little bonus form below.

*CONTEST CLOSED*