Lame Joke

There's a joke I always do with my Queens classes. It's not a very funny joke. When we get to the part about writing query letters and being willing to do something on spec and all the various hoops writers have to jump through in order to get the attention of editors and agents, someone in the class often ventures a word of protest. And they should protest, because it's painful to realize we've chosen a profession in which we're constantly auditioning, selling outselves, being critiqued and being ignored.
Okay, so somebody often interrupts at this point. They state the obvious - that all the power seems to be in the hands of the publishing industry and the writers cluster around like extras on the set of Oliver. Grimy street urchins, their hats in their hands, saying "Please, sir, please." Does it ever get more fair? Do the scales ever level themselves? I suppose that in some cases it does get easier and some writers attain levels of popularity and success that make them more powerful than the agents and editors, levels of success that make them the sought after parties. But that's rare. Usually the writer is the one doing the asking. Usually the writer is the one who has to put his work, and his ego, on the line. So yeah, we query. We offer to show them more ideas. We offer to show them more ideas. We ask if we might contact them again, at a time more convenient. We offer to do write without a contract, to give them a look for free. To cut a 100 pages, to add 100 pages, to switch the voice, to change the title, to begin it in a different place.
Ergo, my lame joke. I look the students in the eye and say "They don't call the process by which writers get published 'submission' for nothing."
Like I said, it's not a very funny joke.