A few weeks ago I sent a manuscript to a publisher which, for obvious reasons, I won’t name. A couple of days later, I got an email from said publisher. Not a confirmation of receipt, as I expected, or even a rejection – but a copy of its newsletter detailing its many wonderful new releases.
Look, I get it. If I’m a writer there is a high likelihood I’m a reader and therefore just the sort of person Anonymous Publisher is trying to reach. But good marketing requires a certain decorum.
This behaviour makes me wonder if the only reason Anonymous Publisher accepts unsolicited manuscripts is so it can add to its database of email addresses. As a branding exercise, it’s maybe one step up from those odious companies that sell your details to telemarketers.