I don't have pet peeves like some people. I have whole kennels of irritation.

Yep, Whoopi Goldberg. Me too.

brokelyn.com

Flossing at the table is not one of them, though it might be if anyone I knew did it.

So here is one of mine - one, which, by the very act of stating it, might alienate me from a number of publishers. However, I look at it like this (when I'm feeling phlegmatic) - 'Would I want to be represented by a company that did THIS?' (Helpfully ignoring the notion that they wouldn't want to touch an arsey person like me with a ten foot bargepole.)

THIS...

"Unfortunately, due to the large volume of manuscripts submitted, we are unable to respond to unsuccessful submissions."

REALLY...how long does it take to press the Send button on a pro forma e-mail prepared for the purpose,  saying 'Thanks but no thanks. We will not enter into any discussion about our reasons and good luck for the future."

ESPECIALLY when the work is so very often submitted by e-mail anyway, as requested.

It takes (me) quite a lot of courage to send something off in the first place. It isn't much fun waiting, waiting, waiting for a response. It's actually far more healthy to receive a negative response - a clean dagger to the heart...

than it is to be left wondering.

I feel a campaign coming on.