I usually ramble on for a few paragraphs before getting to the point, but today’s tip is fairly important, so I’m just going to come out and say it:
Stop what you’re doing right now and go check your Spam folder.
Back? Excellent. Did you find anything useful in there? Even if you didn’t, I highly suggest making a habit of checking your Spam folder at least once a week. Otherwise you’ll end up like me, and spend weeks wondering what happened to your very expensive contest entry when the answer was hidden in ye olde Spamme folder all along.
Story time!
Story #1: The missing acceptance letter
As you may remember, I recently entered the Independent Book Publisher (IPPY) Awards. I sent them $99 and a softcover book (+shipping), so it was a fairly significant monetary investment on my part. The website said they’d send a confirmation email as soon as they got their hands on the book. But I never received that email.
After raging a bit (you know how it goes), I sent them a friendly email asking if they’d gotten my book. No response! Grrrrr. I was just about ready to sharpen up my oversized wooden spoon and go on a rampage when I decided to check my Spam folder on a whim. Voila! Three emails from the IPPY folks, all buried in the Spam graveyard.
So this story has a happy ending — my book did get to the IPPY Awards, and it’s officially entered. Huzzah!
Story #2: The giveaway gaffe
A few weeks ago, I entered a contest on the lovely Lorraine Pearl’s blog for a chance to win an autographed model card from a romance cover model she got to do a guest post. I completely forgot about entering … until I checked my Spam folder in the wake of the aforementioned missing acceptance letter incident, and discovered that I had won the model card! Huzzah!
Except that was from three weeks ago, and I had never replied — gasp! I quickly fired off an email explaining the situation, and Lorraine’s getting it all sorted out.
… okay, I admit, I only had two stories. But you get the picture! Check your Spam folder! What if an agent’s desperately trying to sign you, and their emails are getting rerouted to the Spam folder without your knowledge? Doom! Ruin! Despair! Exclamation mark!
Unrelated media of the day:
I’m sure everyone and their mother has already heard this song, but I just recently discovered it, so, heck with it. I’m sharing it here. Let’s all rock out on the count of three. Ready? One … two … three!
Michelle Proulx - Author 
Spam comments are the best!
Quick Sunday check-in time! I found this comment waiting on one of my posts when I logged in this morning … and as far as spam comments poorly translated into English go, this one’s pretty fantastic. Read and enjoy!
As near as I can tell, the individual in question enjoyed the rhythm of the post, he is seeking an apprenticeship in the lucrative field of blogging, he recently got a very good deal from “The Account” (supervillain?), and he feels my ideas are very clever, but also rather see-through.
What’s the best spam comment you’ve ever gotten?
Unrelated media of the day:
Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/YnX33