Photocopy charges??

The comapnies I've worked for are able to photocopy for 3 cents per page and under.

Postage would depend on the length of your novel and the country you're in. Maybe put the novel in an envelope, unsealed, and take it to your mailing office to see how much it would cost to mail.

Usually agents that do this are small - my agency does not charge for anything like this.
Agents who do usually put a cap on it (like under $200 or not to exceed $500 in a year).
I would question an agent that asks for this up front although I have heard of a couple reputable ones who have been known to do this.
This practice is not the norm.
Most agencies email manuscripts as attachments - eliminating the mail and copying expenses.

I understand that Andrew Wylie, who is one of the biggest of the big, does this. I find it odd that a well-established agent wouldn't float postage and copying until a ms. is sold. But, as Orion says, most established agents *do* float these costs.
I certainly wouldn't worry about this in advance of finding an agent, and if you do find a reputable agent who wants to charge, you can always ask for their ballpark.

Actually, a lot of agents I researched do charge these fees (even at big and reputable agencies). From my research (and talking to repped friends) it really varies from agency to agency. Some say they charge these fees, but only actually charge when they send overseas stuff, some say they do not charge copy/post fees but they still charge for sending overseas, and some ask the clients to make copies. And like Orion said, some don't charge for anything. It just all depends.

If you get an offer from an agency, all these fee issues should be in their contract. And if they charge for fees, you can ask them to put a cap on it, to alert you when it reaches a certain amount, etc. Also, at the end of the year, they should provide you with an accounting of every expense. My understanding is that this fee is rarely more than $200-300.

I know that a lot of agents and editors are moving electronic, but there are still a fair amount that deal with hard copies.

Billing writers for expenses or asking writers to provide full manuscript copies at their own expense used to be major warning signs, but in the past few years these practices have become more and more common among reputable agents. They're still not desirable--it's much better if an agent accrues expenses and deducts them from your advance--but they're no longer an indication of a questionable agent.

Any expenses that will be charged to you should be laid out in your contract.

What still is a warning sign:

- Any sort of upfront charge. Some questionable agents have take to calling these "advances" on expenses they intend to incur, but don't be fooled. Reputable agents who want you to pay out-of-pocket bill you AFTER an expense has been incurred.

- A flat monthly, quarterly, or per-submission charge. Some questionable agents will charge $30 per submission, or $75 per month, or $150 per quarter. Reputable agents bill you for actual expenses incurred.

- Excessive billings. If an agent bills you, s/he should break out the expenses. These typically include photocopying, postage, long distance phone calls--expenses, in other words, that the agent wouldn't incur if he didn't represent you. Watch out for billings padded with stuff that should be absorbed as normal business overhead--envelopes, stationary, business cards--or with stupid extras that publishers don't want to see--photos of you, fancy binders, cover mockups.

- A monthly expense cap. An agent who promises to charge you "no more than" $50 per month will often use this like a blank check--meaning you can depend on having to pay $49.95 every month, no matter what. (Note: this is not the same as a [SIZE=-1]as a general expense cap--an amount above which your permission must be sought for any single expenditure. A general expense cap is a standard part of an author-agent agreement.)[/SIZE]

- A set number of submissions per month, every month. Real agents will submit to as many or as few editors as are appropriate for the manuscript, one or more at a time. They'll also wait to hear back before sending the ms. out again.

- Victoria