Literary Agent SASE – What Is a SASE for Book Agents?

Literary agent SASE info and tips are here to help you get a representation for your book. And how do you find  literary agencies that allow authors to submit query letters by mail? Scroll below for answers to both of these questions.

This article is part of a series called Get a Literary Agent for Your Fiction or Nonfiction Book. If you aren’t already familiar with the other steps you’ll need to take to get a book agent, click here to read my article called The Getting a Book Agent Process.

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Literary Agent SASE – Definition

The term “Literary Agent SASE” means Literary Agent Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope. The standard practice in the publishing industry is that all authors submitting query letters to literary agencies include a return envelope in their mailing.

The literary agent SASE should be a No. 10 envelope (folded into thirds, and inserted into another No. 10 envelope), if you’re mailing a query. The literary agent SASE should be addressed to the author, and there should be sufficient postage to cover the cost of:

• An acceptance letter or request for additional material
• A rejection letter
• A rejection letter and your original material (if you would like it returned)

If literary agencies had to pay the return postage for the 1,000 + submissions they receive every month, they’d go broke!

Okay, not really.

But that’s what they would have you think…

TIP: If you want to save money, submit a self-addressed stamped postcard instead of a literary agent SASE

If you use postcards, make it easy for the staff at the literary agency to reply. Since they won’t be able to mail you a form letter, print “form responses” on your self-addressed stamped postcard. For example, you might include the following options:

____ Please send the complete manuscript.

____ Please send the first three chapters.

____ Thank you for your interest but this project isn’t right for us.

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Send Your Literary Agent SASE to These Book Agents

Although every literary agency used to accepts literary agent SASE submissions, many literary agencies no longer accept hard copy submissions. Most book agents prefer the speed and efficiency of email, while others are simply trying to save paper and be considerate of the environment.

Find out which agents will let you send them a literary agent SASE by visiting my Directory of Literary Agents. It contains literary agent listings for every active book agent in the world. But it also specifies every publishing agent’s preferred submission method(s).

Click here now to Get Instant Free Access to My Directory of Literary Agents.

Then click here to read the next article in this 17-part series and see
our File Format Submission Guidelines for Literary Agents.