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Recently, a writer wrote to me mentioning how expensive it was to send out submissions. The writer further indicated that he used Kinko's to have copies produced.
Ouch! Depending on how much needs to be copied, that can be expensive. With costs in mind, let's see how we can reduce your costs to something more manageable.
Okay, you have a computer and not one of those Internet connection thingies, right? You have a printer? You answered yes to both questions? Good! I ask because I print out my own copies to mail out. I purchase paper in bulk at Sam's Club for $17.00 a case. Of course, prices in your area may vary, but bulk purchase is still cheaper than buying in small packages. A case is generally enough to print out about 20 or more full novel-length manuscripts with the caveat that your mileage may vary depending upon the length of your manuscripts. I get ink there, too, in a refill kit to use in refilling the cartridges for my printer since cartridges can be very expensive. Refill kits reduce that cost significantly. You may, of course, have some other business that offers bulk sales to individuals, so Sam's isn't your only option. It's simply the one I use in my locale.
I probably spend an hour sitting at the desk feeding paper. That's because I print the manuscript in 50-page batches so it doesn't overload the feed tray and because you never know when the cartridge will run out and begin printing useless pages. Yes, I sometimes have to refill the cartridges twice before a full novel-length manuscript is printed out. Be sure to use gloves during refilling so your fingers remain clean for handling the paper. Of course, the time will vary depending upon how many pages are to be printed, the speed of your printer, and how long it takes you to change or refill any cartridges. The small batches also let me catch problems with formatting that don't show up on the screen before it's too late. It's better to throw away only a small batch than an entire manuscript because it came out with a bad format. In fact, I always test print the first ten pages as a small batch just to catch those formats that are dead wrong from the get go. Then I switch to fifty-page batches. Also, fifty is generally the number of pages many agents and publishers ask for when they don't want a full submission and it's often enough to easily handle guidelines wanting three sample chapters. Then I prepare my query letter. I always note that the manuscript is disposable. After that, I package up the manuscript, go to the post office, and mail it at book rate. It's not going to matter if it takes a few days to get there. Total costs to me for paper, ink, and postage are about ten to fifteen dollars depending on where the agent or publisher is located.
Why do I mark the manuscript as disposable? Well, I'm among those writers who come up with additional ideas or spot tiny missed errors the day after it was mailed. When it does, I'm not going to freak out and remail another sub to the same destination hoping I'll be forgiven. Mistakes happen. Those get fixed before the manuscript becomes a book or before you send it to another agent or publisher for consideration. Besides, there's no guarantee that asking to have a submission returned will benefit you. Every agent and editor will have a different subjective view. That's just human nature. I can't hope to possibly please everyone, so I just don't do a knee-jerk reaction to every comment, assuming any are offered. Besides, most of them have too manu subs to handle, so expecting comments is unreasonable. Also, there's no guarantee that a returned manuscript will still be in decent enough shape to send out again. Besides, I probably have those small improvements I want the next recipient to consider.
Okay, hope that gives you some ideas on cutting your costs. Oh, one more thing. I don't get my work edited by anyone before I submit. I go over my own work and do all the editing myself so that I'll improve my writing skills. It takes time, but it's necessary. Besides, outside editing can be costly and may not be available from the same source for the next manuscript assuming that the first is accepted and published. Then your publisher will be wondering what happened to your writing style.
Oh, one last note. Never send more than the guidelines ask for... unless you want the agent or editor to think you're a nutcase best ignored or rejected.