Three days after I sent out my batch of ten queries, first-class postage went up two cents. So, all my SASEs (Self Addressed Stamped Envelopes) had $0.39 stamps on them. So far, I’ve received three replies, and the agencies have graciously added the $0.02 postage.
How is it possible that this rate change snuck up on me like that? How can I be that disconnected? I suppose if I had cable, if I watched the news or read the newspaper, I would have known about it.
On the other hand, maybe it just doesn’t matter as much today as it used to. Postage rate changes used to be a big deal. People used to talk about them at work. But how often do you send regular mail, now? Everything is electronic, from correspondence to bills.
The publishing industry has been slower than others to make the jump to doing business electronically. They still use the mail, and they use couriers around the city. There’s some novelty in this, some romance.
I’m not complaining. As some agencies have shifted to electronic queries, their attitude toward correspondence has suffered. Whereas with regular mail, there’s a certain respect for the author, a respect that at least motivates a reply to every query. That respect does not always translate to the author who queries electronically.
Replies to my last batch continue to come in. I’ve already posted about the first response. The other two were both No’s, but the sting was reduced dramatically thanks to the manuscript request.
1 response so far ↓
1 Nancy // Jun 5, 2007 at 10:57 am
Seriously Tom? Everybody knew about the postage increase. It is all my mom and I could talk about for a month. I wish that was a joke. There was quite a drama about the extra 20 stamps I bought that would be rendered completely useless. The extra trip to the post office for 2 cent stamps was cumbersome. I recommend getting the Forever Stamp, but my mom is skeptical of them. Really, it took up hours of my life I’ll never get back.
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