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Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Manuscript Basics
- Font
- Style
- Running Headers
- Word Count
- [[#Cover Page (Novels and Nonfiction Books) | Cover Page]]
- [[#First Page (Short Stories and Articles) | First Page]]
- Chapters
- Printing it Out
- Online Examples
- Conclusion
- References
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How to Format an Article or Short Story Manuscript
This 9 and a half minute video walks through a MS Word manuscript showing how to format it when no writer's formatting guidelines are not posted. Although the picture quality is not as clear as it could be, this is an excellent video for sound clarity and easy to follow tips. -
Manuscript Format Tips
- Above all, your manuscript should be easy to read.
- Always double-space your manuscript.
- Avoid fancy fonts.
- Don't use fancy tricks to make your manuscript look longer or shorter.
- Don't forget to include your contact information.
</note>- by Darcy Logan
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Introduction
- It finally happened (or you just want to be prepared for when it does). You received a positive response to one of your query letters and the publisher/agent has requested to see your manuscript. Only one problem, they requested it be in "Standard Manuscript Format" and you have no clue what that means. Standard manuscript format exists for one major reason: to make the manuscript easy for someone (publisher/editor/agent) to read.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format As long as you keep that in mind, you cannot go wrong.
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Manuscript Basics
- The following are some basics of manuscript formatting.
- Lines need to be double-spaced.
- Indent paragraphs 1/2 inch.
- Do not use an extra line to indicate paragraph.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format
- 1/2-inch indention is the same as hitting tab or spacing five spaces for some fonts.
- Some word processing programs have a 0.3 inch indention as their standard.Story Sensei: Novel Manuscript Format for CBA Publishers
- Text should be aligned left or left-justified.
- This is also known as ragged-right margins because the text on the right side is not even.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format
- One inch margins on all sides.
- Some editors may request 1-1/2 margins so they have more space to write comments and corrections.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format
- Use one space between sentences.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format
- Two spaces between sentences is a holdover from typewriters.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
- A quick way to change your manuscript (if you double-spaced) is to use Find and Replace and replace all double-spaces with single-spaces.
- Some suggest using two spaces if using a monospaced font such as Courier.Science Fiction Writer: Manuscript Format Checklist
- See the Font section for more information.
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What Not to Do
- Here are a few things that you do not want to do:
- Do not try to layout your manuscript so it looks like a book.Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: Formatting Your Manuscript (February 14, 2007)
- Do not use business letter format (single-spaced, no paragraph indents with one space between paragraphs).Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format
- Do not try to deviate from the standards to make your manuscript look longer or shorter.Marie Brennan: Standard Manuscript Format
- Do not include a copyright notice.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
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Style
- Here are a few basic standards on how your manuscript should be styled.
- Bold should be reserved for chapter headings and subheadings.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format
- Turn off hyphenation.Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America: MS Preparation: Chuck Rothman
- Write em dashes as two hyphens (--).Dictionary.com: Em Dash Definition Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America: MS Preparation: Chuck Rothman
- Write ellipsis (...) as three individual periods (with or without spaces) and not the condensed version.Market Savvy Book Editing: Standard Manuscript Formatting
- Don't forget to add a period if it occurs at the end of a sentence.
- Scene breaks should be indicated using a number sign (#) centered on a blank line.Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America: MS Preparation: Chuck Rothman
- Indicate the last page of the manuscript with one of the following, centered:
- Do not use all capital letters in your main text.Dayton Ward: "Standard" Manuscript Format It is fine for chapter titles, but nowhere else.
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Font
- Editors want a readable font.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format However, there is some debate on which font that is. The standard font used to be Courier (Courier New), but Times New Roman (Times Roman) is becoming the new standard and some prefer it.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: Formatting Your Manuscript (February 14, 2007) If your editor expresses a preference use that font.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format Otherwise, most advice is to use Courier.Market Savvy Book Editing: Standard Manuscript Formatting
- Courier is a "fixed-space" font. This means that each letter takes up the same amount of space.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format
- Do not use a sans serif font such as Helvetica or Arial.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format (Sans serif means it doesn't have the little tags. Serif means it does.)
- These fonts can be good for headlines but make for difficult reading in print.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format
- Interestingly, san serif fonts are easier than serif fonts to read on monitors.Story Sensei: Novel Manuscript Format for CBA Publishers
- Some editors have claimed they prefer these fonts.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format
- Use 12 point type unless instructed to use a larger font.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format
- Never use a smaller font.
- If you're using Times New Roman, some suggest using 14 point type.Story Sensei: Novel Manuscript Format for CBA Publishers
- You will sometimes see fonts referred to as "pitch," which refers to old typewriters.Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America: MS Preparation: Chuck Rothman Ignore that and use 12 point fonts.
- Do not change the width of the type.Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: Formatting Your Manuscript (February 14, 2007)
- Do not use multiple fonts within your manuscript.Dayton Ward: "Standard" Manuscript Format
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Italics versus Underlining
- There is some debate about whether italics or underlining should be used. Some editors prefer you use underlining for titles or emphasis instead of italics.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format Underlining is a holdover from the days when manuscripts were not typeset from digital copy and is easier to see.Marie Brennan: Standard Manuscript Format However, this practice seems to be becoming less popular.Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America: MS Preparation: Chuck Rothman
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Running Headers
- A running header is expected on articles, short stories, novels and nonfiction books.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format It is printed along the top of every page except the first. Although there is some debate on how it can be formatted, it is agreed that it should contain the following items separated by forward slashes (/):
- The author's last name.
- The title of the manuscript or a keyword if the title is long.
- The page number.
- Beyond that, here are some basic tips on how to format the running header:
- Page numbers should not start over at each chapter.Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: Formatting Your Manuscript (February 14, 2007)
- Try to make it as unobtrusive as possible.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
- Make sure it is easy to distinguish from the text.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
- Position it about 1/2 inch from the top of the page.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
- If you have a very common last name, you might want to add your first name.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format
- A running header is expected on articles, short stories, novels and nonfiction books.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format It is printed along the top of every page except the first. Although there is some debate on how it can be formatted, it is agreed that it should contain the following items separated by forward slashes (/):
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Word Count
- The word count is included as part of your cover page. Typically, it is rounded to the nearest 100 words.Dayton Ward: "Standard" Manuscript Format There are several ways how to calculate the word count of your manuscript. Here are the two easiest:
- Chuck Rothman explains a more complex method used by magazine editors in his article "What is a Word?"Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America: What is a Word? However, since few writers are going to know how to do this, it is doubtful that editors and publishers will expect you to do this.
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Cover Page (Novels and Non-fiction Books)
- Novels and non-fiction books typically require a cover or title page.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format
- In the center of the page, put the following information on separate lines (usually with at least one empty line between them):
- The title of the manuscript.
- Your name or pseudonym.
- You also want to put your contact information or the contact information of your agent.
- Do NOT forget to include your contact information.
- Center it a couple of lines underneath your name, or place in the top left corner.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format Story Sensei: Novel Manuscript Format for CBA Publishers
- Your contact information should include your real name, address, phone number, fax number and email address.
- Your word count can be placed on the right hand side opposite your name, or after your contact information.Dayton Ward: "Standard" Manuscript Format Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format
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Printing it Out
- Once you have your manuscript formatted, it is time to print it out. Here are some guidelines on how it should be printed.
- Use high quality, 8.5 x 11 inch white paper.
- Use black ink. Use a fresh cartridge to ensure all the pages print out clearly.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
- Print on one side of the paper.Mary Soon Lee's Home Page: Standard Manuscript Format
- Do not staple the pages together.Mary Soon Lee's Home Page: Standard Manuscript Format
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First Page (Short Stories and Articles)
- For short story and articles, the contact information, word count and title will go on the first page of the manuscript. No cover page is necessary.
- In the upper left hand corner, type your name, address, email, phone number and other contact information.
- In the upper right hand corner, write the word count.
- In the center of the page, write the title of the manuscript.
- Use a larger font or bold the title.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format From this point, your manuscript should be double-spaced.
- On the next line, write your name or pen name.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format
- On the next line, begin your article or short story.Dayton Ward: "Standard" Manuscript Format
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Online Examples
- If you're still a little unclear on how all this fits together, check out some of the following examples that can be found online:
- William Shunn Manuscript Format: Short Story | Novel | Poem
- Market Savvy Book Editing: Article Manuscript Format Example
- Science Fiction Writer: Complete Sample Manuscript
- Camy Tang: Title Page Example | Novel Manuscript Format Example
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Chapters
- Each chapter of your manuscript should begin on a new page.Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: Formatting Your Manuscript (February 14, 2007) Each chapter should start about halfway down the page with the title of the chapter or a number, if no title. Do not include your byline or any contact information.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format
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How to Format Your Manuscript Links, Powered by Google Powered by Google
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Formatting your Manuscript for submission to a publisher
Formatting children's book manuscripts for submissions to children's publishers or literary agentssignaleader.com -
FictionAddiction.NET - Manuscript Format
Margins. Running headers. Cover pages. Before your short story or novel is published, you've got to know the secrets of proper manuscript format.fictionaddiction.net
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How to Format Your Manuscript Blogs
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Creative Writing Software Discounted creative writing software for writers, novelists, and storytellers. Book Formatting Software Automatically format and fix your manuscript before you submit it to a literary agent or publisher. ...fastcashfreelance.com (November 08, 2009) -
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Movie Magic Screenwriter automatically formats action, character name, dialog and other elements as you write your screenplay. Book Formatting Software Automatically format and fix your manuscript before you submit it to a literary ...fastcashfreelance.com (November 08, 2009) -
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In this ground-breaking book, best-selling and award-winning author Nancy I. Sanders shares insider's tips and explains the secrets to landing a contract before you write one word of your manuscript — even if you're an inexperienced or .... Format your papers and references in accordance to the latest style guidelines of The P...fastcashfreelance.com (November 08, 2009) -
Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: Formatting Your Manuscript
In terms of the "no fiddling around" note in your post, could you please suggest how you would format your manuscript for italics? If my manuscript includes titles for movies, TV shows and albums, should I italicize those in the copy or ...nathanbransford.blogspot.com (February 14, 2007)
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Questions and Answers About How to Format Your Manuscript | View All | Ask a Question
View All How to Format Your Manuscript Questions (14399) | Ask a QuestionIs it faster to format a manuscript after or should you set up formatting in your wordprocessor when you start? (1 Answer)Formatting is to identify what a Header is vs. a Paragraph, etc. Style assigns an appearance to a specific format such as font, font size, line spacing, etc. In my ... read moreWhat are your best tips for proofreading college essays? (2 Answers)There are many different kinds of proofreading: proofreadig for grammar, typographical errors, punctuation, meaning, coherency, logic of argument, etc. Many writiers have difficulty proofreading their own work because the eye/brain ... read moreHow can I entice a publisher to look at my childrens book manuscript? (6 Answers)Have you considered self-publishing it first? When you're approaching another publisher, you're basically trying to prove to them that your book is worthy of being published. Self-publishing the book will ... read more
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