Here’s a story that made me feel nostalgic when a trusted source passed it along early this morning: It seems an small independent publisher based here in New York City recently sent out an announcement about its upcoming fall and winter titles, including three new books from significant international authors, coupled to a request for contributions to fund the remodeling of its website, and several other bits of newslettery goodness. Nothing unusual about that, but it’s not to everybody’s taste, so understandably some recipients asked to be taken off the mailing list.
The publisher’s mailing software was configured in such a way, however, that replying to the email wound up sending it to the forwarding address they’d set up to handle the bulk mailing—which mean that every request to be taken off the list went to everyone on the list, as did just about every request for people to stop mailing the entire list with requests to be taken off the list, followed closely by patient explanations of how to change the “To:” line when sending a message, and so on and so forth. Industry reporters, university department chairs, literary magazine editors, publishing executives, and established authors all got caught up in the madness before calm was restored; the best part was when the industry correspondent for one of the major newsweeklies tells some of the outraged parties to “stop your whining!” Although the confession from an executive editor at one of the major publishers came close, albeit in a way marketing types are sure to find heartbreaking: “Why don’t you simply delete the email without reading it? I’ve been doing that for years!”
Anyway, the publicity director in charge sent out an apologetic email, assured everyone who wanted off the list they’d be removed, and nobody’s computer got infected by the Good Times virus, so life goes on.