If you are unclear on how to format your manuscript, you may find yourself swimming in a sea of contradictory information. This page will break down the basics and explain why contradictions occur to help guide you in making the right choice.

1. Above all, your manuscript should be easy to read.
2. Always double-space your manuscript.
3. Avoid fancy fonts.
4. Don't use fancy tricks to make your manuscript look longer or shorter.
5. Don't forget to include your contact information.

If you are unclear on how to format your manuscript, you may find yourself swimming in a sea of contradictory information. This page will break down the basics and explain why contradictions occur to help guide you in making the right choice.

1. Above all, your manuscript should be easy to read.
2. Always double-space your manuscript.
3. Avoid fancy fonts.
4. Don't use fancy tricks to make your manuscript look longer or shorter.
5. Don't forget to include your contact information.

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• by Darcy Logan

• 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.

• The following are some basics of manuscript formatting.

1. Lines need to be double-spaced.
   1. Double-spacing allows editors to write corrections in between lines and is easier on their eyes.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format
   2. Never try to make your manuscript appear longer or shorter by deviating from this.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
2. Indent paragraphs 1/2 inch.
   1. Do not use an extra line to indicate paragraph.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format
   2. 1/2-inch indention is the same as hitting tab or spacing five spaces for some fonts.
   3. Some word processing programs have a 0.3 inch indention as their standard.Story Sensei: Novel Manuscript Format for CBA Publishers
3. 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
4. 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
5. Use one space between sentences.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format
   1. Two spaces between sentences is a holdover from typewriters.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
   2. 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.
   3. 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.

• Here are a few things that you do not want to do:

1. Do not try to layout your manuscript so it looks like a book.Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: Formatting Your Manuscript (February 14, 2007)
2. Do not use business letter format (single-spaced, no paragraph indents with one space between paragraphs).Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format
3. Do not try to deviate from the standards to make your manuscript look longer or shorter.Marie Brennan: Standard Manuscript Format
4. Do not include a copyright notice.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript

• Here are a few basic standards on how your manuscript should be styled.

1. Bold should be reserved for chapter headings and subheadings.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format
2. Turn off hyphenation.Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America: MS Preparation: Chuck Rothman
3. Write em dashes as two hyphens (--).Dictionary.com: Em Dash Definition Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America: MS Preparation: Chuck Rothman
4. 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.
5. 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
   • You do not need to do this at the end of a chapter.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
6. Indicate the last page of the manuscript with one of the following, centered:
   • # # # # #Science Fiction Writer: Manuscript Format Checklist
   • The EndScience Fiction Writer: Manuscript Format Checklist
   • ENDMarket Savvy Book Editing: Standard Manuscript Formatting
   • -end-Dayton Ward: "Standard" Manuscript Format
7. Do not use all capital letters in your main text.Dayton Ward: "Standard" Manuscript Format It is fine for chapter titles, but nowhere else.

• 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

1. 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
   • Fixed-space fonts make it easier to estimate how much space the text would take up when printed.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format
2. 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.)
   1. These fonts can be good for headlines but make for difficult reading in print.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format
   2. Interestingly, san serif fonts are easier than serif fonts to read on monitors.Story Sensei: Novel Manuscript Format for CBA Publishers
   3. Some editors have claimed they prefer these fonts.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format
3. Use 12 point type unless instructed to use a larger font.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format
   1. Never use a smaller font.
   2. If you're using Times New Roman, some suggest using 14 point type.Story Sensei: Novel Manuscript Format for CBA Publishers
   3. 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.
4. Do not change the width of the type.Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: Formatting Your Manuscript (February 14, 2007)
5. Do not use multiple fonts within your manuscript.Dayton Ward: "Standard" Manuscript Format

• 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

• 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 (/):
  1. The author's last name.
  2. The title of the manuscript or a keyword if the title is long.
  3. The page number.

• Beyond that, here are some basic tips on how to format the running header:
  1. Page numbers should not start over at each chapter.Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: Formatting Your Manuscript (February 14, 2007)
  2. Try to make it as unobtrusive as possible.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
  3. Make sure it is easy to distinguish from the text.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
  4. Position it about 1/2 inch from the top of the page.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
  5. If you have a very common last name, you might want to add your first name.Klein Editorial Services: Standard Manuscript Format

• 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:
  1. Multiply the number of pages in your manuscript by 250.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
  2. Use the word count from your word processing program.Marie Brennan: Standard Manuscript Format
• 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.

• Novels and non-fiction books typically require a cover or title page.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format

1. In the center of the page, put the following information on separate lines (usually with at least one empty line between them):
   1. The title of the manuscript.
   2. Your name or pseudonym.
2. You also want to put your contact information or the contact information of your agent.
   1. Do NOT forget to include your contact information.
   2. Center it a couple of lines underneath your name, or place in the top left corner.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript FormatStory Sensei: Novel Manuscript Format for CBA Publishers
   3. Your contact information should include your real name, address, phone number, fax number and email address.
3. Your word count can be placed on the right hand side opposite your name, or after your contact information.Dayton Ward: "Standard" Manuscript FormatWriting-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format

• 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.

1. In the upper left hand corner, type your name, address, email, phone number and other contact information.
   1. It should be single-spaced.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format
   2. Format your contact information as you would on a business letter.Dayton Ward: "Standard" Manuscript Format
2. In the upper right hand corner, write the word count.
3. In the center of the page, write the title of the manuscript.
   1. 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.
   2. On the next line, write your name or pen name.Writing-World.com: A Quick Guide to Manuscript Format
   3. On the next line, begin your article or short story.Dayton Ward: "Standard" Manuscript Format

• Once you have your manuscript formatted, it is time to print it out. Here are some guidelines on how it should be printed.

1. Use high quality, 8.5 x 11 inch white paper.
   1. In Europe and other countries, use A-4.
   2. This means 20-lb. minimum.
   3. Never use erasable paper.
   4. Paper should have a brightness scale in the high 90s.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
2. Use black ink. Use a fresh cartridge to ensure all the pages print out clearly.Erotic Fiction by Louisa Burton: Formatting a Novel Manuscript
3. Print on one side of the paper.Mary Soon Lee's Home Page: Standard Manuscript Format
4. Do not staple the pages together.Mary Soon Lee's Home Page: Standard Manuscript Format

• 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:

1. William Shunn Manuscript Format: Short Story | Novel | Poem
2. Market Savvy Book Editing: Article Manuscript Format Example
3. Science Fiction Writer: Complete Sample Manuscript
4. Camy Tang: Title Page Example | Novel Manuscript Format Example

• 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

• When in doubt, don't be afraid to ask your editor, agent or publisher for clarification on how they want your manuscript formatted. When all else fails, remember to make sure your manuscript is easy to read.

• Introduction
• Manuscript Basics
• Font
• Style
• Running Headers
• Word Count
• Cover Page
• First Page
• Chapters
• Printing it Out
• Online Examples
• Conclusion
• References