Why Do Literary Agents Not Accept Manuscripts Via Email?

Nowadays, there are a few more agents who accept manuscripts via email. One reason why they do not accept manuscripts via email could be because the agent doesn't want their email clogged up with manuscripts. Agents receive hundreds of manuscripts each week, which means that hundreds of manuscript samples would take up a lot of space in the agent's inbox. It could also slow down their system.

As well as samples, agents usually like authors to send covering letters and a synopsis, and they usually prefer all this to be sent via post.

Another reason may be because they simply prefer the manuscript to be sent to them so that they can read through it properly and pass it on to other people in the company.

Some agencies do allow authors to send queries via email, but not samples. Other agencies may not want any emails at all. The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook contains lists of literary agents who usually state which way they prefer manuscripts to be sent to them.