So I get an e-mail this morning that goes something like this:
Hi, I'm Jeff. I noticed that you're on the Kindle boards too. Just thought I'd reach out to you. I'm buying my Kindle this week (Hope it works all the way down here in Costa Rica). So, you like it better than Nook, or Sony eReader or iPad or anything else?
Below it was Jeff's picture, and the title of his novel and publisher and the price on Kindle.
Obviously I should have just deleted the e-mail, but I couldn't help myself. Here's my reply:
Hello, Jeff. I'm somewhat on the Kindle boards. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I was active on them. But thank you for your e-mail. It means a lot to know that you care ... except, you know, you didn't really address me personally. Actually, if one were to really consider it, it might appear that you went through a bunch of profiles and spammed as many people as you could, trying to make it seem like a friendly e-mail when all you are really doing is trolling for sales on your Kindle release (evidenced by the footer that contains your picture and the title of your book, plus price). Which is understandable, as self-promotion can be hard, but trust me, there are much better ways to promote yourself. Ways that -- oh, I don't know -- make you come off as less desperate.
Best luck with everything, and please take my e-mail address off your spam list.R