Um, we are discussing emailing an agent. Assuming, then, that folks have computers and email software is safe, then, is it not?
Then the question was whether the request of X pages meant single- or double-spaced. As every agent and editor will tell you that every submission should be double-spaced, the answer is double-spaced. The question then becomes how to accomplish that via an email. Many here seemed to be implying it was very difficult. All I did was clarify that it is NOT difficult.
As for those having trouble.... Listen, while I'm sure there are still some authors pounding away at typewriters and getting published, they are in the vast minority. Perhaps even 1% or less of books getting published today. Since nearly every publishing contract REQUIRES the author to include the electronic file of the ms when deliverying, if you are not writing on a computer and you are serious about getting published, it's time to start writing on a computer.
Nearly every public library has computers available and most of those computers have web access. Thus, all any author has to do is get a Gmail account at docs.google.com and they can write on the computer as long as the librarian will let them.
If you wanted to be a painter and this was a website about painting, no one would ever question the assumption that you need to have paint and brushes and canvas or masonite or something else to paint ON. Similarly, if you want to be a writer and get published in today's electronic age, you need a computer and word-processing software or access to a computer and a site like Google Docs.
And I will go a step further: You need a laser printer. I know that tons of folks have inkjet printers and that inkjet printers often do a very good job. But I also see a lot of crappy inkjet printing jobs. Recently I read a manuscript of nearly 600 pages and three or four times the type got streaky and hard to read because the cartridge was running out. Now, I won't even begin to wonder about a cartridge that only prints 200 pages or so, but I will bring to your attention that Kinko's, Staples, and Office Depot all offer very reasonably priced printing options using online services. You go to their site and register and then you can upload your manuscript and select the printing options. For a full manuscript, it's often 5 cents per page or less, which is a heck of a lot cheaper than printing using your inkjet cartridge. And the results will be superior. And if you get light or badly printed pages, they reprint them for free. Does your inkjet printer do that?
Being a writer is like being a small business owner. Invest in the equipment and services you need to make your business a success. If you don't know how to use your software, buy a book or a DVD that will teach you. Or use any of the many free tutorials that can be found online. There is simply no excuse for an author to not know how to center something without hitting the tab or space bar. To not know how to include page numbers on every page, along with their name and the title. To not know how to search for and remove all of the extraneous spaces, tabs, hard returns, etc. I won't accept that any more than I will accept my drycleaner not knowing how to press a shirt or get a stain out. I won't accept that any more than I will accept a plumber telling me he doesn't have a plunger. There are basic tools and skills everyone in business has to have, even writers.
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