Lens On: Manuscript Formatting
Part One – Formatting a Manuscript for
Submission or Contests
By
Brad R. Cook
Agents,
editors, and publishers have so many submissions to go through don’t give them
any reason to drop it in the T-file! Producing a quality, professional product
is the best way to get noticed.
Even
if you are not going the traditional publishing route, and have a damn-the-man
attitude, you’ll still need to hire editors, e-book formatters, and other
freelance professionals. Having a properly formatted manuscript will save
money. As a freelancer for several years, I can tell you not having a properly
formatted manuscript could double the price, because it will take twice as long
to work on.
The
writing is what should stand out, not the font, the indents, or anything else.
Proper
Manuscript Formatting
Use a standard font, 12 point type
in black only, Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier
Do not use all bold, no crazy
colors, and no cute fonts, in fact don’t use Courier, they say you can, but use
Garamond instead.
Double-space the entire text
Single space is great in a 6x9 trade
paperback, but on a 8.5x11 sheet of paper it is a literal wall of text. Double
space so a reader, or more importantly, an editor can get through the page
without a headache.
Begin the next sentence one space
after the period
History lesson: back when we used
typewriters, due to the spacing issues of letters (look at courier and it will
give you an idea) they had to put two spaces at the end of a sentence so the
readers eye would notice the break. Welcome to the future, fonts are spaced
more appropriately and adding those spaces, not only looks awkward, but also
adds pages to your novel.
One inch margin on all sides of
your document
One inch is standard, don’t make it
.5 so you can turn 12 pages into 10 pages. Not to mention they stick out (not in
a good way) especially in a stack of manuscripts.
Indent five spaces for the first
line of each paragraph
This is best done by formatting the
paragraph in the document’s toolbar or by using the tab button; do not hit the
spacebar five times.
Every paragraph needs to be indented
in a manuscript, most people know this and get it right, but I’m mentioning
this because of how most people indent or even center for that fact. Please do
not use the spacebar! Someone, your publisher, your e-book formatter, your
editor will have to go through the entire manuscript fixing these mistakes. Please
save them from wanting to rip every hair off their body, and set your paragraph
indent in the toolbar. Then all you have to do is write and the document does
all the formatting for you. Thank you.
Do not add a space between paragraphs
Remove the default line spacing (Why
Word, why couldn’t the default have been standard manuscript format!)
History lesson: In the early days of
the internet to break up the text heavy screen (back when blogs had text that
scrolled for days, now we just use gifs) a space was put between paragraphs.
As the age of the long blog fades
into six second videos, let this practice of adding a space between paragraphs
fade into history. It not only adds half an inch to a stack of manuscript
pages, but it breaks up a readers flow, and that’s the last thing a writer
wants to do.
Set this for the document, usually
under Page Layout, and let the program do the work for you.
Begin the first paragraph four to
six lines below the chapter heading
If the document is double-spaced,
just hit Enter twice and – if you’ve formatted the document in the program,
then it’s already indented too – and start the first sentence.
Start each new chapter one third of
the way down on a new page
For short stories this is about
where to start the story on a page. Leaving space around the title is not only appealing
to the eye, but also clearly denotes a new section of the story.
Use a title page
Contact information should be
included unless otherwise specified by the guidelines. Do not number the title
page, begin numbering on the first page, usually chapter one.
Place page numbers in the bottom
right hand corner
Just like a book.
Use a header on the upper right
hand corner of each page
Include your name and the title of
your manuscript. Name – Title or I always use Name | Title
Use 20lb bond paper, white, with a
high brightness
If you have to print the submission
for a contest or conference please use only white paper. For some reason,
especially in contests, people think crazy paper is going to help out their
entry, but yet again you want the writing to stand out not the paper.
Acceptable file formats
Try to submit everything in a .doc
file. Other file formats are accepted, .docx, .rtf, or pdf, but to be honest it’s
about where you’re submitting it. If handing it off to an editor they will want
.doc file, same as with an e-book formatter, but a printer might want a pdf.
Always follow the guidelines.
Do not embed pictures into the
manuscript
This will happen when the book gets
to layout. Send them when the publisher asks for them; maybe send a couple with
the submission packet. Ask what the agent or publisher would like to see.
Tips
when formatting
Be
consistent! How anything is displayed is up to you, if you want to use
year/place instead of place/year that’s fine but keep it the same throughout
the whole manuscript.
When
entering a contest, do not put your name on the manuscript, only the title
page.
Always
follow the submission guidelines!
Coming soon - Part Two: Formatting Tips for Ebooks
and Print
The Lens On: Series is a reoccurring
series of articles on The Writers’ Lens highlighting various aspects on
writing; they are meant to start a discussion on the stated topic. For more
information on this topic please consult Google or other literary sources.
Once you’ve
written a book, getting the attention of an agent or publisher isn’t always
easy. Learn how to promote yourself and your writing at the St. Louis Writers
Guild’s second annual “Sit Down
and Pitch” workshop from 10 a.m. to noon, March 1, at the Kirkwood
Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Rd. in Kirkwood.
