I noticed Woodside's spam about a year ago, and decided to check it out so I could write something about it in the Editors Forum newsletter. Woodside didn't respond to posts or email, so I went retro and picked up the telephone. Here's what I wrote about it on 5-14-96:
I called the Woodside Literary Agency this morning. The two people I spoke with would not
respond to any questions, including my request for information about books they have
represented that have been published or scripts they have represented that have been produced. I
was informed that it is not their policy to answer questions until they have already signed
someone as a client.
When I asked how, then, do I know whether or not to choose Woodside as the agency to
represent my work, I was told, "Make up your mind. You need
us a lot more than we need you. Goodbye." Then they hung up on me.
I put this little tale, a copy of Woodside's spam, and the posts to which they didn't respond in the AOL Editors Forum Newsletter. I also sent the info to all of the moderators in the AOL Writers Club. A national romance writer's group requested my permission to reprint the info in their newsletter, and they did. For some time, email came from far-off places, thanking me for the warning. No response from Woodside, though.