Until about 2005, the agency was called Hutton & Hutton. I got a number of documented complaints of reading fees, recommendations that clients use Caroline Hutton's own paid editing services (a conflict of interest), fees to include writers in a "book of business" taken to large book fairs, and submission fees of $30 per submission plus mailing expenses, with submissions sent out in batches of 5 or so a month.
Before setting up on her own, Ms. Hutton worked for another agency with the exact same M.O., and one of her former associates split off from her a couple of years ago and now runs an agency that also charges these kinds of fees (
Gotham Literary Agency). Ms. Hutton has claimed sales, but I haven't been able to verify anything recent.
I haven't gotten any reports recently of submission fees, but I did recently hear from a writer who was offered Ms. Hutton's editing services for $10 per page.
Last but not least: Ms. Hutton runs a "cooperative" (read: fee-charging) epublisher,
Hutton Electronic Publishing.
- Victoria