Monday, March 12, 2007

Oooo! Mysterious Disk!

One of the newer trends has been for people to supple CDs with their query letters, or in the most extreme cases, just the CD. Let me explain to you how bad an idea this is: This is a really bad idea. Not only do we need like to have to do extra work, there is nothing I, as a person, like doing more than putting a mysterious disk I got in the mail from a total stranger into my beloved laptop.

Now I've heard sarcasm is hard to detect on the internet, so let me be clear: That last line was sarcastic. It's like attachments, which any agent website will tell you not to send, but so much worse. At least with attachments we can scan them for viruses.

And while we're on the subject: If you send an SASE for the return of your CD, make sure your CD fits in the envelope.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

If you break those pesky CDs into smaller pieces they'll fit in most envelopes.

Gina Black said...

You can also scan CDs for viruses. You cannot eliminate a virus from a CD.

none said...

Surely a supple CD would fit?

Rejecter, the first line of this post makes very little sense.

Anonymous said...

If you read most agent websites directions, they clearly tell you not to send stuff other than pages: don't send cd's, don't send bound books, etc.

People don't like to follow directions, or to look. They follow their own agenda. Then they wonder what they did wrong.
Tessa

Richard said...

I think context is important.

I once submitted my CV on a self booting disk (this is back in the days of floppies).

I wrote the boot loader and the mini CV navigator as proof that (1) I could write assembly code, (2) I knew how to create self booting disks from scratch (not relying on some premade OS).

It was a gimmick and it worked, I was offered the job, but declined because a better opportunity came along.

But, on the whole, I am wary of sticking anything I don't know into my computer and definitely not anything that tries to auto-start or install itself.

Anonymous said...

I have never even bothered to open those CDs. I agree, useless. I hate even returning manuscripts. The best ones are the recyclable manuscripts. Love them.

kiss-me-at-the-gate said...

buffysquirrel:

I'm pretty sure "supple" was supposed to be "supply". It makes much more sense that way.

This post made me LOL, especially the first paragraph!

none said...

It makes a lot more sense if it is supply. Also, with the last part of the sentence added :).

Kidlitjunkie said...

Hah! I almost didn't believe people actually did this, and then I got one of these today, replete with no query letter or word of explanation. Just a disc labelled "manuscript", with the dude's name and his phone number.

No SASE, either.

Um, no.