Publisher’s letter gets response

by Aiden Enns | Published 7th July 2008

Last week I sent out a letter to all subscribers (except those who are making monthly donations). It was addressed to “Dear Reader,” which has already drawn some comments.

I thought I would say “Dear Reader” instead of using a computer to auto insert 1500 names (e.g. “Dear <first name>”) because “Dear Reader” is more honest. That is, if I open a letter from an organization that says “Dear Aiden,” I know it is not personal, unless it has some other elements, that aren’t computer generated.

If I say “Dear Reader” in my publisher’s letter it also saves us the hassle of custom printing, sorting and stuffing all the envelopes.

So, in case you’re wondering why I addressed you in an impersonal way, that’s why.