Proper manuscript format is something that every writer must learn (as those of
us who have been part of the RWA-link know all too well). All of us, at one
time, had to learn the way to format our manuscript -- even if we claim to have
been writing in the days of stone tablets and chisels. Yes, I imagine there
were rules - even way back then. So, for those who are just starting, or
for those who would like a refresher, here are the basics on formatting your
manuscript.
1) Use only white 8 1/2" by 11" paper, 20 to 24lb weight. Do not use onion-skin
paper. The rule is, if you can lay one sheet of your paper over a printed sheet
and still read the print on the bottom sheet, the paper is too thin. Use the
correct paper for your printer. Laser paper for laser printers, ink jet paper
for ink jet printers. Only use a letter quality printer. No hard to read
dot-matrix print, please. No colored paper, no fancy borders, etc. You don't
want anything to distract from your story. And while you might think that pale
pink paper with the hearts is romantic or that the Native American motif paper
adds to your Indian Romance, an editor will just think it's unprofessional if
not downright strange.
2) Use a non-proportional font, preferably Courier. Non-proportional font means
that the letters are of a uniform width. The lower case f or i takes up as much
space as an upper-case M. With proportional fonts, like Times New Roman, this
isn't the case. Using Courier or a similar non-proportional font will allow you
to achieve a more accurate word count. More on that later.
Sometimes guidelines will say use a 10 pitch font. They aren't telling you to
use a 10-point font, but that the font you use should uniformly give you ten
characters per inch. Courier size 12 gives 10 characters per inch.
Don't use any fancy fonts, scripts, italics, Arial type, etc. Editors work long
hours, so you want your manuscript to be as readable as possible.
In the same spirit, only the left-hand margin of your manuscript should be
straight. The right-hand side should look ragged on the edge. Don't
right-justify your manuscript. This will throw off your word count drastically,
and irritate the editor who can no longer tell at a glance how long your
manuscript is.
3) Use 1 inch margins all the way around the body of your manuscript. You may
need to make the top margin 1.1 for the header to space properly, but the sides
and bottom margins should always be 1 inch.
4) Double space the lines of your text. This gives contest judges and editors a
place to write comments. Plus, it is much easier to read.
5) Use two spaces after periods and colons. This has been the standard
forever. If you want to break a phrase - like this - in your finished book,
indicate that by typing it this way:
And so--according to the villagers--he was the Devil's
Own.
Use two dashes, no spaces between the dashes and the words on either side.
A note on em-dashes. Some word-processing programs will change your double dash
to a single long dash. If this happens it means that your auto-format is set to
do this. Turn it off. Most auto-format functions, aside from the auto-spelling
corrections, will make strange things happen to your manuscript.
6) If you have words or phrases in your manuscript that are supposed to be in
italics indicate that by underlining them. I've had many beginning writers say,
"But it's italicized in books!" Yes, it is. But you aren't producing a
finished typeset book. You are working on a manuscript and you need to make it
as readable as possible.
Also, when the copy-editor is working on your manuscript they like for things to
be in a standard format. So, be kind to the copy editor, use an underline.
7) Check your work for typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors. Each time
the reader is pulled out of your story because of one of these annoyances it
becomes harder for them to remember the things they enjoyed. Most editors will
just assume that you don't know the rules if there is more than an occasional
problem with grammar and spelling. And since they don't have time to teach
basic spelling and grammar, they will buy Prunella Fernstarter's manuscript
which is just as entertaining as yours, but had little or no problems with
technical errors. I know it doesn't seem fair, but that's the way it is.
Some writers will advise you not to worry about typos, spelling, and grammar --
that the copy-editor will fix any problems. I discovered early on that these
writers usually fall into two categories. The first is a lazy writer who
doesn't want to learn the rules or put forth any effort himself. Most likely
this writer is not published or had a couple of poems published in a fanzine ten
years ago. Since that glorious event they sit around and moan that no one sees
the genius in their 1,000 page masterpiece about the American Revolution seen
from the viewpoint of an onion.
The second is a paranoid person who wants to lessen the competition. They think
if you get published, even in a completely different genre than they are working
towards, this somehow hurts their chances for publication. They usually think
most of the books that do get published are tripe and unworthy of the honor.
I stay as far away from both of these types of writers as possible. If anyone
says you don't need to copy-edit your own work for these little glitches, be
very wary of any advice popping out of their mouth. You are a
professional, and your manuscript should reflect that to any editor who picks it
up.
From the Beginning...
Another format aspect which many beginning writers haven't learned is how to set
up the first page of their manuscript. In the upper left-hand corner of the
first page, place your legal name, address, and telephone number. In the upper
right-hand corner put the approximate word count of your manuscript. As I said,
more about word count later...
Next, center your title half-way down the page - not one-third of the way down,
or one-quarter, but halfway. Since you will have 25 double-spaced lines per
page this is at line 13. Then, hit the enter key once, and under your centered
title, put
by _______________
Use your name - or if you are using a pen name, this is
the place to indicate that.
Example:
Burning Love
<Double Space>
by Eudella Winterheart
<DS>
<DS>
Chapter One
Not -
Burning Love
by
Eudella Winterheart
<Double Space>
Chapter One
Each subsequent chapter should begin halfway down the
page with the words 'Chapter Two' etc. on the 13th line. If you are putting
your entire book into one file, use the 'page break' function to maintain this
format.
Also, remember to read the rules of any contest that you enter. Most do not
want the writer's name on the entries, and will disqualify entries that do have
names. If you are entering the Indiana RWA's Golden Opportunity Contest, follow the
directions on our
contest entry form and check out our
formatting
examples.
Before I go any further, a note on titles. Don't use a larger font,
bolded/italicized font, or a strange font for the title. Just use regular
Courier, 12-point as you did in the rest of your manuscript. You might think it
will get the editor in the mood to read your novel about a serial killer by
using a strange font with spikes protruding or blood dripping from the letters,
but the editor will - in all probability - think you are disturbed, and will
send your manuscript back without reading it, wondering all the while if she
should place a call to the FBI.
After typing Prologue or Chapter One, double-space twice and begin the first
paragraph of your manuscript. Each subsequent chapter should have two
double-spaces between the chapter heading (which began on the 13th line) and the
first paragraph.
In the body of your manuscript, double-space between each line, and indent the
first line of each paragraph five spaces. Don't skip an extra line between
paragraphs - this only throws off your word count, and if you indent that will
be enough of an indication of a new paragraph.
When you indicate a scene break, centered on the line between the scenes put
three symbols. Most writers use the # symbol. Some writers just skip a line,
but that can lead to problems if the scene break falls at the end of a
page. Better to get into the habit of using this symbol.
Now a few words on headers...
Headers should appear in the right-hand corner of every manuscript or synopsis
page except the first. Remember, you already put your pen name, address, and
title on the first page. It's redundant to have a header there.
Why the right hand side? Because often the typesetter will have the left-hand
side of the manuscript clipped to keep the manuscript together. Having the
header on the right-hand side makes their job easier.
An example of a header -
Winterheart/Burning
2
Don't put your first name in the header, unless you have a common last name like
Jones. Then, you might consider adding your first initial to the header.
Someday I'll put a lesson on here about how to use the header function in MS
Word. If you don't know how, try looking it up in the help section. Don't try
to type your headers in manually on every page. I hear some of you groaning out
there, but I actually knew a woman who was doing this! She could never add to
or cut her manuscript because it threw everything off.
At Long Last...
Word Count - you cannot use the word count on your word-processing program to
gauge how many words are in your manuscript. The reason is the word count on
your word processor counts short words like, 'is' and 'the' the same as
'inexpressible'. It's not accurate.
Also, editors are less concerned with the cost of ink than paper. A page of
dialogue, using less words, costs the same for them to produce as a page full of
narrative. White space counts! Remember how I told you to use Courier,
12-point font. Well here's where it pays off. If you have 25 lines per page
and 1 inch margins, by using Courier 12, you will have 250 words per page. This
makes it very easy to tell what your approximate word count is.
100 manuscript pages = 25,000 words
200 manuscript pages = 50,000 words
300 manuscript pages = 75,000 words
400 manuscript pages = 100,000 words.
And so on. See how easy!
Just multiply 250 by your page count, and you know how many words you've
written. And it's also nice for the editor who can tell at a glance how much
it will cost for her to produce your book.
If you are having trouble getting 25 lines per page on a consistant basis, look
at your format options. Make sure the 'Widow and Orphan' control is turned
off. This is the function that prevents the first or last line of a paragraph
from being left by itself on a page. And make certain that the 'smart quotes'
is turned off as well. As I said earlier, most of the auto-format options only
mess up your manuscript, so turn them all off, except the auto spelling
correction which may catch some of the typos we all make.
For those of you who would like a bolder version of Courier New, you can download
Dark Courier
to fix the problem.
Well, that's it for now in the manuscript format department. Maybe we'll get
something on synopsis and cover letters on here soon. *G*
Phoebe Imel is a former president of Indiana RWA.
Updated by
Deborah Lawson 2/27/06.