Let's just say I'm not ruling it out before we've exhausted every email accepting house out there. I'm from the dinosaur days--I lived it, breathed it and, don't know if I've survived it yet. But I can tell you that for a writer working full time at writing, hammering out multiple novels (nine in two years--forget shorts), with partials and fulls, even at 4th class special book rate my bills were staggering. Those were disposal manuscripts because I couldn't afford the returns, and whenever I got returns, they were dog-eared and stained, unsuitable for reissue. I put my copier through hell, bought enough paper and toner to stock a stationary store, put myself through hell standing over it, copying one page at a time.
My last agent actually asked me to produce and send hard copy fulls in his name! Uh, yeah and I did.
I know why they asked for hard copy back then even when they could have accepted floppies, which a few did. Hard copy is easy to blue and red line--it's a convenience thing. I don't have a problem with that.
I do have a problem with that today, with the ease of email and its obvious green factor, it makes me wonder why everyone hasn't jumped on the email bandwagon. For me, it's just an expense that I can't abide right now. If I had a better income source, I might go hells bells and try it.
My agent is so swamped that I haven't even broached the subject with her. Truth be told, I would feel that I'm infringing. And we haven't made anything more than a high three-figure advance with my first sale with her (the book went the major route and we exhausted all major deals). Now, if I'd pulled a major deal with a NYC house with a nice advance, I wouldn't have a problem at all asking her to submit hard copy for me for the next books.
It's just a preference thing, ya know--been there, done that type of thing. I remember reading over my receipts in 1991 and finding that I'd dropped $2,150 after the smoke cleared for all my postage and other costs. Never mind the shorts (29) of them that were sent out in the hundreds.