As such, name your files with those details plus the date that you’re submitting the manuscript. Agents and publishers have a lot of manuscripts to look at so they’ll most likely be searching for your manuscript on their hard drive with only some part of your name or book title in mind. Give it a file name that sounds professional and is easy to search for. Finish formatting the manuscript with ‘The End’īefore you start typing anything, open up your word processor, create a new document, and SAVE the document. Use 1-inch margins for the manuscript format You can even save 15% by buying it as a bundle with our Becoming A Proofreader course. From the basics of editing to a dedicated creative writing module, the course comes with everything you need-and lifetime access to all of it. If editing creative writing is your dream career, our Becoming An Editor course can help you achieve it. If your client has no agent or publisher in mind, advise them to look for any relevant guidelines when they finally submit their manuscript. When it comes to formatting a manuscript, always check the publisher’s requirements. If the agent or publisher your client is submitting to has their own style guide or submission guidelines, it will take priority over the standard format, even if it contradicts any of the details we’ve covered above. The standard manuscript format isn’t a rule for how every manuscript should be presented, but rather, a series of guidelines generally considered acceptable. When Not to Use the Standard Manuscript Format The standard manuscript format is widely accepted by many publishers, but as you’ll see in the next section, it might not always be the right way to format your client’s work. A by-line should be written under the title, consisting of your client’s name or pen name.Įach subsequent page should then include a right-aligned header containing the author’s name, the manuscript title (shortened if necessary), and the page number in the following format:ĭoing so means that if the printed manuscript is dropped or shuffled while passed around, it can easily be reassembled.The manuscript’s title should be written several lines beneath this information, center-aligned, and written in title case (i.e., with each word capitalized).In the top right, they should write the manuscript’s word count.Your client should provide their name and contact information in the top left corner.There are several further requirements for the first page of the manuscript: Concluded with “The End” written on the final page.Consisting of 24 or 25 lines of text per page.Indented by 0.5 inches at the start of each new paragraph.Bordered by 1-, 1.25-, or 1.5-inch margins on all sides.Written in a font size of 10 or 12 points.Written in a black, easy-to-read font, such as Courier New or Times New Roman.In either case, you’ll need to know the key features of the standard manuscript format, which consist of the following: The standard manuscript format refers to a set of common conventions for formatting a manuscript before submitting it to an agent or publisher.Īs an editor, you may be asked to check that a manuscript meets these conventions before it is submitted or even help your client prepare the manuscript itself. Read on to find out what the standard manuscript format is and when it should be used. As a proofreader or editor, knowing what the standard format requires will allow you to better help your clients. Many publishers expect submissions to use a standard manuscript format.
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