MANUSCRIPT FORMAT HOW TO
MANUSCRIPT FORMAT MANUAL
MANUSCRIPT FORMAT DOWNLOAD

To indicate a scene change use either “#” or “***”.

What about that twisty scene change in the middle of chapter 3? You don’t want to confuse your readers, but how do you indicate it while formatting your manuscript? Don’t worry, there’s a special provision.

So take a look at your manuscript’s indent spacing, and change it to “half-inch” needed.

Half-inch indents are what you need when it comes to paragraphs.

(This is standard, so they probably already are, but it never hurts to double-check.)

First, check the margins on your document, they should be 1-inch for each side.

Margins, and indents, and scene separators, oh my! -Again, this is going to be pretty easy, thanks to the wonders of technology.

Single spaced sentences -This is standard, no matter what you automatically remember from typing lessons, so be ruthless and remove all those extra spaces between sentences.

This might take some fiddling with your processor spacing, but you can do it!

Double spaced BUT no double lines -Make sure your manuscript is double spaced, but don’t let that spacing lead to two lines between each paragraph.

Does that mean you need to change all your manuscript’s font? If so, don’t forget that handy CTR + A (or, if you have a Mac, COMMAND + A) to highlight your entire document, then select “Times New Roman” in your processor’s font box.

Times New Roman rules -All, I repeat, ALL of your manuscript should be in a simple serif font, and Times New Roman is the tried and true standard.

Now, without further ado, let’s go through eight basic things you need to do to format your manuscript. However, if you are working with a nonfiction manuscript, then your indentation, spacing, and formatting requirements might be slightly different than the guidelines below, so make sure to double-check the publisher nonfiction-specific formatting guidelines. One note, if you are working with a fiction manuscript, then this checklist is going to be perfect for you. Your computer/word processor is about to become your best friend. Now that your cover page is done, give yourself a high five! The rest of the rules you need to know for formatting your manuscript are relatively easy thanks to the fact we no longer live in the days of typewriters. If they require a category, add that at the bottom of the cover page. This isn’t always required, so take a look at the manuscript format guidelines of where you will be submitting your manuscript. However, there’s just one more thing you might need to add -a category. Once you’ve added all this information to the cover page, you should be good to go. Manuscript title (If you have a subtitle, put this on the same line.) (Sometimes the nearest hundred is preferred, so check where you want to submit to see if they have a preference.)īottom line, round to the nearest thousand or nearest hundred in word count.Ī Third/Half way down the cover page, centered: Manuscript word count - most guidelines recommend rounding to the nearest thousand. To help you, let’s break down where everything goes on that cover page.

This is the first page any or publisher looking at your manuscript will see, so we want to make sure it is looking its very best. So, to get started, let’s look at your cover page. However, even if you use that to get started, you’ll want to go through and make sure your manuscript is pitch perfect when it comes to formatting rules.Ĭorrect formatting will help your manuscript be professionally presented on its way to publication.

MANUSCRIPT FORMAT DOWNLOAD

So, let’s get to work and format your manuscript!īut, before we begin, there is an amazing manuscript format template you can download over at Reedsy. While it’s always a good idea to check your specific publisher’s manuscript formatting stipulations, there is a standard accepted format.

MANUSCRIPT FORMAT MANUAL

In fact, some rules are based on a variation of the Chicago Manual of Style.

MANUSCRIPT FORMAT HOW TO

Ready to go? Let’s learn how to format a book manuscript! How to Format Your Manuscriptĭo you remember the time you had to write a paper and follow the Chicago Manual of Style or maybe MLA with its specific rules and guidelines? Manuscript formatting is like that. All right, you might be saying, how do I go about formatting my manuscript? What does manuscript format even mean? Honestly, it’s not that hard, and we’re going to share some great tips along the way. You are also showing your potential audience that you know how to follow directions. By following these rules in your manuscript format, you are showing it off and highlighting that you have done your homework. Believe it or not, there is a whole world of rules concerning manuscript formatting. Your book is written, so you can just send it out into the world of publishers, right? Nope! You need to learn how to format your manuscript, so it is looking its best.