A bookseller accidentally sent
the preliminary copy
of a buddy’s book
to all of her pre-order buyers.
It was a disaster.
The readers,
thinking it was the final copy,
were extremely angry.
They are vowing
to never buy her books again.
This anger would have been reduced
if she had marked
the preliminary copy with
“If you receive this copy,
it is a mistake.
Please notify the writer immediately.”
This is why companies
often mark samples
as exactly that.
It ensures the recipient knows
it isn’t the full version.
Mark your prototypes
and your samples
so people realize
they aren’t finished products.