If the editor wrote notes on it, that's a reason to want it back.

Book-length MSes, though, I think people generally do not request return because it's just a pain in the ass, they're so big.

Susan, get an enormous rubber band and send in bubblebag envelopes.

I used to send in boxes, and stopped when no fewer than three editors plaintively asked me to. Not sure why.

I never did copies; I printed on demand. I didn't like the mass produced feel of copies, but we've had a laser printer in the house since the mid-eighties.

Susan, get an enormous rubber band and send in bubblebag envelopes.

For 100,000 words and change? 486 pages?

Oh, whoops. Shit.

Nope. No, that would need a box. Mine were in the 300-350 range. Different beastie.

Office Max for MX boxes, then.

Deb, congratulations on the series contract!

I've been told that 'disposable' manuscripts are completely OK with editors, in fact they find it easier to deal with than stuffing the MSS back into a tiny envelope and dealing with the sealing et cetera. You can still send a regular business-sized SASE, that's easy to keep in with the MSS and if they're going to buy the book, they'll not mind springing for a bigger envelope and more postage to accommodate a contract, et cetera.

And yes, most of the editorial houses do recycle all that paper, which adds up to quite a bit!

Oh, in the old days, I never asked for an ms back; Marlene has a horror story about sending one off and getting it back reeking of cigarette smoke. Not something you'd send out to the next agent or editor.

Hmm. Is there any good reason to want the manuscript back, or is that an artifact of the days where it wasn't quite so easy to print/copy a fresh one at will?

That's an artifact of the old days. Save yourself and them the postage, and just include the SASE. They won't mark it up unless they want to buy it.

I think Office Depot and Staples have appropriate-sized boxes; you might check.

On the copy vs. laser print issue, go with whatever's cheapest. As long as the photocopy is readable, the editor's not going to care.

See in the old days, printing on the laser was way cheaper than photocopying. Office Depot has the house brand reams of paper for about $4; at three cents a page, copying 400 pages is $12.

Our HP laserjet gets a lot of pages off a cartridge, plus it's there, in the house; saves the added shlepping to Kinkos.

We have an inkjet. Cartridges are where the manufacturer makes the profit; the last one was $35.00.