If you don’t know what gender a person is, why do most people assume male? I constantly get emails addresses to Dear Mr. or Dear Sir. Why not Dear Sir/Madam? Or Dear M. Surname (to create that French je ne sais quoi in an email)? Or even Dear First name Surname (though I must admit I dislike this one)?
And while I’m on the topic, what’s with referring to women as Miss? To my eyes, that seems like something for young women, while Ms. should be used once a female is no longer a teen. It feels offensive to called women Miss, especially as there is no equivalent term for younger males.
--Curly
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Good points, Curly. Making these mistakes with an editor is one way for a writer to make a negative impression. When I'm writing to an editor I don't already know (of), and when I can't determine the gender from the name, I try to do a little online research to learn more about the editor (bio notes are often helpful). And if all else fails, yes, I certainly turn to the old standby: Dear First Name Last Name.
--Pru
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