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[mingus]

Of course, you should send only what the publisher requires.  No publisher ever says they will reject unsolicited mansucripts, nor should they.  What I am suggesting will minimize rejection letters and hurt feelings.  I currently advise 3 major publishers and in that role see about 60-100 proposals a year.  My responses fall into one of three categories: (i) this is exactly what we want, chase the person and send out to reviewers; (ii) have no use for; send appropriate rejection letter; (iii) maybe, send to reviewers.  You want to minimize the number of times you are a (ii).

You (and a few others) seem to assume that just because you have submitted a manuscript, you are under some obligation to the publisher.  I disagree.  With a submission to a journal or conference you are, as there is always an implicit assumption or explicit statement that the submission is not under consideration elsewhere.  With a book proposal, it is more like a job application.  At any rate I and the publishers I labor for assume that to be the case, and in (i) above we would be quite aggressive in trying to beat off the competition.  Good luck!

[mingus]

sorry; last part of my response actually belongs to another "publishing blues" thread.

[snowbound]

You (and a few others) seem to assume that just because you have submitted a manuscript, you are under some obligation to the publisher.

Huh?!  Don't you mean "just because you have submitted a proposal (or sample chapter)"?  I thought it was a cast-in-stone rule that that submitting an actual ms, after being asked for it, obliged you NOT to send it elsewhere without explicit permission.

[mingus]

Being *asked* places no obligations to you, just as it places none on the publisher.  What does is whether or not you have signed a contract with the publisher.