Second, it wastes time. Such a phone call or letter is much like a wrong number. The author has taken up somebody's time, broken their concentration, whatever, to no useful purpose. While the publishing industry is centered in New York, publishing is important in other parts of the country. Illinois and Minnesota follow New York in publishing.
Many presses come into being as niche presses.
The literary writer will find presses that take only the work of new writers, presses specializing in mystery, and so on. The non-fiction presses often started because nobody had published material in a particular field where a need for such material existed. A large number of the small presses are individuals who decided they would publish independently. Some, particularly presses that specialize in literary publishing, are classified as non-profit companies. Much of their funding comes from grants, and the size and availability affects the number of manuscripts acquired.