The secret life of agents~

Once upon a time there lived a vast number of schizophrenic gate keepers. By day, they were known as literary agents, who made deals over three-martini lunches with friendly publishers, while dumping query submission packets onto the desks of over-worked and underpaid interns.
    Rumors circulated that, in the dark of night, agents scampered into the forest to meet with their dastardly cohorts. They’d cook up a pot of eyes-of-newt stew, adding additional ingredients too yucky to identify. They’d rub greedy little hands together with “Mwaaaahahha,” while celebrating the writers they’d rejected with, “Sorry, not right for our list.” 
    I’m constantly amazed at how many writers think of agents as cruel little gnomes who shout “NO-NO-NO-NO-NO” as they break the hearts of author wannabees.
    The truth is that agents are pragmatic business people who use their best judgment to acquire well-written manuscripts that can be polished, printed, and sold for a profit. Publishing, just like every business, must generate profits to survive. 
    Therefore, if your submission is filled with red flags that identify you as a “rookie,” the question arises, “Will it be cost effective to assign an editor to correct the grammar? Will this effort make the manuscript worthy of publication? The probable answer? "No." 
    So, be smart. Your success depends on expending the necessary time and effort to identify and eliminate your writing mechanic errors from your work. Otherwise, you increase the probability that the manuscript you’ve lovingly crafted will never become a book that occupies shelf space at Barnes and Noble.