Wow, when did people get so rude?????

[Nancy M. Dickinson]

As some of you might be aware, I'm starting a travel magazine.  For years, I've been a freelancer and I was a stickler for following the rules.  Learning how to pitch a magazine was the one thing I read and studied more than anything else.

Since starting this magazine, it's remarkable to me just how many people don't care about all that.  I've gotten e-mails from people who wrote them poorly, sent me articles in spite of the guidelines saying, "No articles accepted on spec, pitches only to the following e-mail......." and sent them to the wrong e-mail address.

Today, someone sent me an e-mail outside the guidelines and I responded with:

Please visit the magazine’s website and peruse the editorial guidelines.  This is the incorrect e-mail address to send anything like this and the magazine doesn’t not accept articles on spec, just pitches, as is stated in the editorial guidelines.

The response I got from this writer kind of blew me away:

Thank you, but finding Editorial Guidelines under the Advertising link told me all I needed to know about your site! It's not for me - too amateurish.

This is someone who A. Has never been published outside of two books that they self-published and B. didn't bother to read the editorial guidelines BEFORE contacting me.

How am I supposed to feel about their obvious poor manners?  I've been told by numerous people my site is wonderful and it's already gotten the attention of some folks in the international press and media.

Maybe I just needed to vent because I know the right answer to all of this is to consider the source and move on.  I am curious to know what some of you think.  (I'm intentionally not putting the link to the magazine's site here because I don't want this to seem as though I'm plugging the magazine)

[Ed Wetschler]

Great last line, Nancy, better than a lot of axioms that make it to Bartlett's. 

[Nancy M. Dickinson]

LOL, too right!  ;-)

[Nancy M. Dickinson]

And it occurred to me, after I hit "Add Reply" that there have been some pretty reputable magazine who buried their editorial guidelines so deep in their websites it had me wondering if they used a shovel.  I thought I was doing pretty well putting the link on the main page, thereby making it easier to find...

It's not uncommon for magazines to make them available on through the site map and I considered doing it that way but decided against it.

I feel they might do this to add a layer of separating the wheat from the chaff.

[keralahouseboaters]

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Kerala Houseboaters
The Kettuvallam (houseboats in Kerala) was a large floating structure with high loading carrying capacity was a part of Kerala's culture and heritage over the past years. houseboats / Kettuvallam of Kerala could sail harnessing wild energy. A journey through the lagoon is interesting, passing through sleepy villages, busy boat jetties and vibrant celebrations. The boat glides across the shimmering blue waters with gorgeous green and fringed edges.The small cargo boats called Kettuvalloms are frequently used in the waterways for the above purpose. "Kettu" literally means to tie up and "Vallom" means " boats". The boats played a major role in the economic development of ancient Kerala, moving cargo and men from the very nook and corner of otherwise unreachable area, cutting across the length and breadth of the land

HOUSE BOAT CRUISE

Cruising along the backwaters of Kerala will be an unforgettable experience in your life time. Meandering streams, chirpy birds, murmuring forests, and the slender breeze of god’s own country makes you feel the heaven is here. Above all, spending a night in the lap of nature inhaling the serene environment will calm your body and soul makes your journey worthwhile.