Are Query Letter or Literary Agent Submission Fees Deductible?

It depends — legitimate costs tied to submitting your work for paid publication or representation are generally deductible, but this is an area worth extra caution, since the IRS scrutinizes writing-related deductions more closely when a writer isn't yet earning consistent income from their craft. Costs like manuscript formatting services, submission tracking software, or fees charged by legitimate literary agencies for specific services (not fees to simply "read" your work, which reputable...