So, I get this email from some web site for chicken breeders, asking me if I wanted to swap links. Really. Chicken breeders. Who have 15,000 followers, wow! Never mind that those followers would really not be interested in a book blog. Or my followers in chickens. Well, maybe they would, but I don’t need to hand them the link.
It was because of this post. Which is a review of a novel published by Chicken House. I have no idea why the publisher is called that, but there is no connection with actual chickens or breeding them. I could see that the email had been sent to every site that had the word in it somewhere and they hadn’t called me by name, although I have made it clear on my contact page that if you don’t call me by name, I won’t reply to your email, as I’m not into mass emails without good reason. Heck, even the big publishers who are sending mass emails call me by name! And they do have a good reason for the mass email. This one - and many of the other inquiries I receive - are just sloppy. They haven’t bothered to check their market. Or if they have, they say, “Well, yes, I know you don’t review this kind of book, but I was hoping you’d make an exception...” I would have replied, even to say no, if they had followed instructions. They didn’t.
This wasn’t even a request for a book review! I deleted it and next day I got a follow up. I deleted that too.
Unless it’s a novel with chickens in it, I’m not interested in chickens for the purposes of this blog. (And I have recently read a YA novel with mistreated chickens in it, which I may review some time soon).
It was because of this post. Which is a review of a novel published by Chicken House. I have no idea why the publisher is called that, but there is no connection with actual chickens or breeding them. I could see that the email had been sent to every site that had the word in it somewhere and they hadn’t called me by name, although I have made it clear on my contact page that if you don’t call me by name, I won’t reply to your email, as I’m not into mass emails without good reason. Heck, even the big publishers who are sending mass emails call me by name! And they do have a good reason for the mass email. This one - and many of the other inquiries I receive - are just sloppy. They haven’t bothered to check their market. Or if they have, they say, “Well, yes, I know you don’t review this kind of book, but I was hoping you’d make an exception...” I would have replied, even to say no, if they had followed instructions. They didn’t.
This wasn’t even a request for a book review! I deleted it and next day I got a follow up. I deleted that too.
Unless it’s a novel with chickens in it, I’m not interested in chickens for the purposes of this blog. (And I have recently read a YA novel with mistreated chickens in it, which I may review some time soon).
Sue
ReplyDeleteon the top line of your email page, there is a Rules icon that asks you which rules you would like to identify and what to do with any emails that break your rules. You can say, for example, select any email with the word "chicken" in it (or "penis" or "blacks" etc) to be put automatically into your junk file. It isn't automatically deleted, but it doesn't offend your eyes.
Thanks for the suggestion, Hels! Worth considering. But I get so many different junk inquiries! Who knows? I might get an email from Chicken House! 😁
ReplyDeleteIf they already have 15000 followers, why do they need to spam everyone who mentions chickens? Weird.
ReplyDeleteWeird indeed!
ReplyDeleteSome very strange thing go on especially when it come to the internet. I guess some of there things are automated. I have received some bizarre offers over this years.
ReplyDeleteI think we’ve all had some weird offers - and, yes, automated messages, although this one had a name to it, and you’d have to click through to the contact page.
ReplyDeleteI must be so frustrating for you, but I have to say, your post just gave me the biggest laugh. Like you, I really wasn't expecting anything chicken related today XD
ReplyDeleteGlad it gave you a chuckle!
ReplyDeleteThe Chicken Manifestp, eh? Well, it's as good a theory as any. Next time I'll check my email for claw tracks... :-)
ReplyDeleteOMG Stuart XD
ReplyDeleteChicken breeders. Now I've heard everything. I have tried to limit the spam I get and nothing seems to work. I just delete daily and have to be resigned to it I guess.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue! Yes, I deleted spam daily during the A to Z Challenge, but went back to moderation. However, this was a series of email inquiries from someone who hadn’t bothered to read the details on the contact page and certainly hadn’t read the post!
ReplyDelete