How much does it cost, for an agent to submit?

Sophocles · Dec 22, 2009

Hi all,
Just wondering if anyone knows the answer to these questions - when an agent submits a client’s MS to a publisher, how much does it cost an agent to do this, per submission? That is, what are the costs involved, does the MS have to be printed out (i.e.; do they print out the entire MS, or do they just submit by email to an editor) and what kinds of costs are involved per submission? Plus there would be postage I guess as well, and they would have to have a return coupon or something, right? These questions have been bugging me.
Sop

AryaT92 · Dec 22, 2009

Is your agent trying to charge you for sending submissions?

Mine was free, he did it through email.

ChaosTitan · Dec 22, 2009

It really depends on how the manuscript is submitted. Some just email the digital files. Some still send printed hard copies--and that expense will depend on if it's send FedEx, overnight, or by courier.

But this is part of the cost of doing business for an agent, and truly not something for you to worry about.

Ken · Dec 22, 2009

... cost of phone calls, too, and also printing out copies of your ms if hardcopies are mailed out.

AryaT92 · Dec 22, 2009

Ken said:
... cost of phone calls

..?

IceCreamEmpress · Dec 22, 2009

It's part of the everyday overhead of being a literary agent.

Some agents do bill clients for some overhead expenses for hard-copy submissions (photocopies and express mail charges, mainly) but they provide an accounting of same, and they bill periodically rather than every time they do a hard-copy submission.

It will not break the bank, even if you wind up with an agent who bills clients for that stuff.

AryaT92 · Dec 22, 2009

Is it a normal thing for them to bill?

Sophocles · Dec 22, 2009

AryaT92 said:
Is your agent trying to charge you for sending submissions?

Mine was free, he did it through email.

Nope, nothing like that - I have not had to pay for anything. I was just wondering if it cost alot. I had this picture in my mind of an agent having to print out my MS, and mail it off in the post, and was thinking, gee, I am glad I'm not paying the bill.

Sophocles · Dec 22, 2009

thanks everyone for the replies!

I guess, now with e-readers, in the future, it will cost alot less. Still, It would be fun to know what their overall costs are.

Ken · Dec 22, 2009

... haven't looked in it in quite some time, but I'm pretty sure there are a fair number of agency listings in Writers Market Guide that specify they charge clients for expenses like photocopies, postage, and yep, even phone calls to editors. Many waive these fees, I believe. As mentioned, it's really not something to be concerned about. Like the OP, I was just curious myself about how much it costs agents to submit, on average, regardless of whether those expenses are passed on to writers or not. Trivia interests me ;-)

Deleted member 42 · Dec 22, 2009

Sophocles said:
thanks everyone for the replies!

I guess, now with e-readers, in the future, it will cost alot less. Still, It would be fun to know what their overall costs are.

I don't know that it will cost any less. Right up to the point where the book goes to the printer, the costs for a professionally made book, whether it ends up on paper or on silicon, are the same.

Many people will still prefer to read on paper, in terms of acquiring and editing.

kellion92 · Dec 22, 2009

I think most agencies do have a contract stipulation that they can subtract FedEx and manuscript printing costs from the advance. That was in my agency agreement, but my agent submitted electronically. Related: They sent my agency agreement regular postage, so I know they are pretty frugal with expenses.

Old Hack · Dec 23, 2009

Many agents charge fees for photocopying and mailing out manuscripts, but they only attempt to recoup these fees once they've sold the book--and even then, the fees are smaller than you'd expect if you have a London agent as if they don't use email for submissions, there are a couple of couriers who work specifically for the publishing trade and charge only a tiny amount to deliver a mss--three years ago the cost for the one my agent used was only £1 per delivery, compared to a postage cost of about £5.

As far as I know, return coupons aren't used. Editors will phone or write to let agents know what they've decided without having an SASE provided.

Gillhoughly · Dec 23, 2009

For one of my books, my agent let me know that it would cost 25.00 for her to print a copy of the whole manuscript, but the cost would be deducted from the advance and was that okay?

If the book did not sell, then she would absorb the cost herself.

I had no problem with that. The money she got from the sale was pretty danged good.

Fee-charging agents have no motivation to sell a work, but have considerable motivation NOT to sell it.

DeadlyAccurate · Dec 23, 2009

My agent said the accounting for those fees is such a pain they almost never charge them. About the only time they're likely to do so is if the expense is unusual, like overnighting a hardcopy to Europe.

Jennifer_Laughran · Dec 23, 2009

I do everything to do with submitting via email.

If I have to send an ARC or something through the post to a client or publisher or co-agent, I use cheap postage, and that is part of the normal cost of doing business. If it is some sort of emergency, or a large sum of money I'm sending, I use priority mail with insurance, and that is also normal cost of doing business.

The only time we charge for postage is if a CLIENT insists that we send in a much more expensive way that we don't have to do - if they insist on overnight delivery, or a courier, etc - which seems unlikely. (I've never billed a client). But even if we did charge them, it would come out of the advance.

Other special expenses - having special postcards printed up for illustrator promotion and the like - we expect the authors/illustrators to pay for. Generally an illustrator will have a bunch of cards done up for themselves and give me a stack of them to distribute to my contacts.

Jamesaritchie · Dec 23, 2009

Agents should not charge for routine phone calls, photocopying, or submission expenses. These ar ejust teh cost of doing business. (I'm not sure why they charge for non-routine ones, since these are business expenses and they can write then off come tax time.)

The only time I've ever had an agent charge for anything was when she needed five copies of the manuscript in a hurry, and she ended up not charging for this, either.

Gillhoughly · Dec 23, 2009

I should add that the copying my agent did was a one-time thing. I should have sent her two copies of the full MS in the first place, but forgot.

Agents earn their 15%. In my case, I'm sure my agent is underpaid!

Old Hack · Dec 23, 2009

I'll echo previous comments here, and clarify: while many agents include in their contracts the right to charge for photocopying and postage, etc., they rarely actually pass those costs to their authors and usually only do so when they incur extraordinary costs--and then they only pass the charges on via deductions from royalties or advances received.

Jamesaritchie · Dec 23, 2009

Gillhoughly said:
I should add that the copying my agent did was a one-time thing. I should have sent her two copies of the full MS in the first place, but forgot.

Agents earn their 15%. In my case, I'm sure my agent is underpaid!

Ummm, yeah. If my agent had to live only on the income she gets from me, she'd probably be paying rent on a cardboard box.

secretkitty · Dec 28, 2009

The 15% is supposed to cover the costs associated with overhead...basically, they won't get paid until you get paid, so that's another reason they're so picky. They have to have clients who will sell...and continue to sell.

Most submissions are done over email these days, so there is very little cost (besides phone calls and time) when it comes to submitting to publishers. The real costs can come when the agent (hopefully) sells your book, and starts to sell sub-rights (foreign editions, audio, film) or gets it out to reviewers. To sell these rights, the agent will send out a copy of the book to the reviewer or the film agent (etc) and hope they want to buy the rights to it, and rebilling for the cost of buying the book and shipping it is pretty standard (since a sale and extra coverage will usually result anyway).

No agent should EVER be out to screw you over (although, as in every profession, there are some bad apples)...if you're having doubts about what they're charging you, check if they are members of AAR, if there are other complaints about them, and ASK them exactly what the charges are for (if it's legit, the charges should be coming with an invoice of some kind...)

JanetReid · Jan 16, 2010

It's not the xerox machine that's expensive, it's the years of experience knowing what name to put on the address label. There's no way to allocate that accurately.

Jamesaritchie · Jan 17, 2010

J.Reid said:
It's not the xerox machine that's expensive, it's the years of experience knowing what name to put on the address label. There's no way to allocate that accurately.

Even I know what name to put on the address label. That's the easy part. It's about five minutes research.

It's the return address that makes an editor read something.

CAWriter · Jan 17, 2010

Jamesaritchie said:
Agents should not charge for routine phone calls, photocopying, or submission expenses. These ar ejust teh cost of doing business. (I'm not sure why they charge for non-routine ones, since these are business expenses and they can write then off come tax time.)

The only time I've ever had an agent charge for anything was when she needed five copies of the manuscript in a hurry, and she ended up not charging for this, either.

I agree they shouldn't, but there are rare cases when they do. Years ago I turned down an offer from a very respected/respectable agent because it was standard for this one to charge for phone calls (made to the client or to publishers on the clients behalf), postage, travel to conferences or conventions (if any business was to be done on the clients behalf) etc.

Expenses were billed quarterly with a $50 minimum or so. I couldn't understand why those expenses weren't considered just business expenses and deducted from their taxes, the same as I would have to do. We hit it off and the agency is very successful now, but I couldn't get past that one aspect that just didn't seem right to me.

How much does it cost, for an agent to submit?

Sophocles

AryaT92

ChaosTitan

Around

Ken

AryaT92

IceCreamEmpress

Hapless Virago

AryaT92

Sophocles

Sophocles

Ken

Deleted member 42

kellion92

A cat may not look at a king

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor

DeadlyAccurate

Absolutely Fazed

Jennifer_Laughran

knows what she's looking for when she finds it!

Jamesaritchie

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

Jamesaritchie

secretkitty

JanetReid

Jamesaritchie

CAWriter