WTF?!

And I thought it was going to be such a good morning, too...

I just found out that Firebrand Literary is closing its doors. Not really a huge deal in the scheme of things. Literary agencies close and open all the time...

But THEY HAVE MY FULL!!

They're the ones who took three months with my query before they asked for a full. They only asked for the damn thing like a month ago (I checked and the request came on 7/9.). They have... err... had this system where you upload your stuff and then you can check the status of it, so I've been checking it. Last time I checked, it said 'Pending'.* Now the damn agency is closing?

Son of a...

Pardon me while I beat my head against my desk.

And now it says on their site that authors with works under submission should contact the agent who made the request. Well, Nadia Cornier - who's assistant sent the request - says she's not taking on new clients any more.

Isn't that just peachy? I need to hunt down the assistant. He really seemed like he liked Blink. Maybe he's on his way to becoming an agent. Corey? If you're reading this and still love Blink, contact me.

I know shit happens. I know unexpected things come up and can't be avoided. But this seems really unprofessional to me. A mass-mailed note would've been nice. "Sorry about your requested submissions, but Firebrand is defunct" with instructions on how to contact the agent who made the request. Anything. Even a rejection letter. Even putting REJECTED next to my manuscript in their submission system would be better than this. (Of course, giving them the benefit of the doubt... Maybe they closed today and my apology email will show up soon. Ummm... I'm not holding my breath.)

I also know I'm not supposed to say things like this on my blog. It makes me look like a hard to work with person, or a whiner, or something like that, but this just chaps my hide. And can you really blame me? I get this lovely and excited full request, I comply with their instructions, and I wait patiently for an answer. Then this. Bah and Feh.

Anyway, it seems like several of the agents who worked for Firebrand are now at a place called Upstart Crow Literary. I'll be checking out their site and requirements as soon as I finish this post. Maybe one of them will be as excited as Corey... Hell, maybe Corey followed them there. One can hope.

I guess it's just as well they didn't offer representation. I can't imagine being a client and finding out they're closing their doors. Ugh.

*Just checked. As of this morning, my manuscript still says "Pending". Un-fricking-real.

PS. For a nicer, happier post today, read the one below this. I really meant for today to be a happy blog day.