Pet Peeves

I have been working really hard to get caught up on the submissions coming across my desk so I thought it was time to crank out a list of pet-peeves. Not sure what this is accomplishing but it certainly feels good to write them down.

1. Filling out my online form that clearly states a story needs to be 75,000 words in length and a writer enters 20,000 words in the word count.

2. Writers who seem to think they are at diva status already and only have to go by 1 name or simply initials. Makes it kind of hard to write a response.

3. Writers who send me projects that are listed on my "I don't acquire list" and then respond telling me I should not be so narrow focused.

4. Writers who jump on whatever bandwagon seems to be the "trend" with absolutely no clue what the genre really requires (this is really for those people writing YA right now).

5. Writers who keep firing off one project after another to me within seconds of receiving a rejection from me without taking the time to make sure the new project fits.

6. Writers who believe cutting and pasting the first 5 chapters of their stories into the body of the email.

7. Submissions to Dear Agent, Dear Mr. Greyhaus, Dear Ms. Greyhaus, etc.

8. 200,000 word Category romances.

9. Writers who claim they are an extensively published and highly successful author with tons of sales who really are only self-published and offer their books on their own private website only.

10. Submissions that tell me their book is amazing but don't tell me a darn thing about the book (and yes, this includes the title, genre or word count).

11. Submissions that tell me to go visit their website to get the information because they didn't feel they had to submit the necessary materials.

12. Authors that make up their own cover art for stories that aren't even published.

Yeah, I think that about does it.

Scott