From the Appendix to DON'T SABOTAGE YOUR SUBMISSION: SAVE YOUR MANUSCRIPT FROM TURNING UP D.O.A.
Here's
what most publishing professionals consider standard manuscript
format:
Times or Courier—that is the question that sets off some of the longest running discussions among writers. Here’s the most important guideline you need to know:
Always follow the submission preferences stated by individual recipients. If none are stated, use the following industry standards, preferred for true manuscript editing.
Font: Monospaced, as a typewriter, unless Times is stated.
• This is Times New Roman (it’s proportionally spaced).
• This is Courier (it’s monospaced; letters are the same width). Times is preferred by editors who want a quick read to get the jist of the writing; Courier is preferred by hands-on manuscript editors who want a clearer look at the actual text. Unless instructed otherwise, use Courier.
Note: To mimic typesetting is to look like an amateur.
Typewriter users: “pitch” refers to characters per inch: elite = 12 pitch or 10 points; pica = 10 pitch or 12 points.
Title page, headings: Same size and font as the text. Capitalizing is optional.
Serif font: Courier and Times have little “feet” that make them easier to read, so never use a sans serif font (like this one) for manuscripts. Go easy on the italics; avoid ALL CAPS and all decorative or display type.
Double-spaced typed text: This does NOT mean one-and-a-half lines of space. It means that for 12 point type, spacing or leading should be 24 points. Also use 12-point doubled-spaced type for submitting quotations and footnotes.
Margins: Minimum 1" top and bottom, 1.25" sides. Large margins make it easier for an editor to write notes and for the author to read them.
Alignment: Flush left, also known as ragged right. Never justify.
Paragraphs: Don’t skip lines between. To separate scenes within a chapter, hit “return” once and type # # # or * * * (with spaces) in the center of the line.
Paragraph indents: One tab or 5 spaces.
Tabs: Use only for indents, never for columns, tables, or centering. Instead, use the word processor’s features meant for those functions.
Underscore: This tells copyeditors and traditional typesetters to set words in italics (a separate font that is not always the same as your keyboard shortcut). Use for most foreign words and for the names of books, plays, movies, and TV series. (Use quotation marks for articles, chapters, acts and scenes, short stories, and TV episodes in a series.) To show that italicized text should not be italicized, underscore that text and write rom (for roman) in the margin.
Bold face: May be used for headings and subheadings, never in text. If emphasis is required, underscore to represent italics.
Dash: Type as a double hyphen--without spaces--so its length is unmistakable. Don’t type a 1-em dash because a change in font can alter its appearance.
Ellipsis: Show with 3 periods, with or without spaces; 4 periods when trailing off occurs at the end of a sentence. (Please see the TIP on page 193 of Don't Sabotage Your Submission or on page 177 of Don't Murder Your Mystery.) Turn off the keystroke feature that creates 3 condensed dots.
Hyphenation: Off.
Page numbers: Must be in sequence throughout, including front matter—no pages missing, repeated, or out of order. (Use the auto-numbering feature that’s part of your word processor’s header and footer options). If necessary, hand-write page numbers on the printout; never type them on individual pages in a word processing program—they become scrambled within the text when revisions are made.
Footnotes (for nonfiction): If the work is being submitted for editing, use your word processor’s footnote or endnote feature and set all notes and bibliographic material to print the same as other text: 12 pt Courier double-spaced. Or type the actual note directly into the text where you want it referenced, and enclose it in parentheses, without numbering.
Graphics: Avoid embedding charts, tables, figures, etc., in the main text. Number each graphic, and show where it belongs by typing a corresponding number in the text, adding the words: “Insert figure __ here.”
Paper: Standard white 8-1/2" by 11"; no pin-feed tear-offs or hole punching. Avoid erasable bond, which smudges. Avoid heavy bond; the added weight increases shipping costs and makes editors judge the length as excessive.
Printing: One side of the paper only; one column of text.
Black ink: Use a laser or ink cartridge that produces clear, sharp text. If submitting a photocopy, it should be a first generation copy. Handwritten text must be typed. If accepted for publication, text must be available electronically, so use a computer. Scanning is not recommended.
Binding: None. Loose pages only, not stapled, not clipped, not bound in a looseleaf or any kind of binder. Punched holes get in the way of an editor’s marginal notations. Use a big rubber band.
Never fold manuscript pages, no matter how few.
Never send photos or drawings without permission or your only copy of anything.
Exceptions: When in doubt, your recipient’s stated specifications take precedence over any formatting standard that says otherwise.
END: Type this word at the end of your manuscript. This, together with consecutive page numbering, lets the editor and typesetter know they have the entire manuscript.
