Manuscript Style for Submission
Manuscript style is incredibly important when submitting to a publisher or literary agent. Most writers think the fancier the better. You want to catch that editor’s eye and show off your great talent and skills at designing your layout, right?
Wrong. Just plain wrong.
Editors could care less if you have cutesy little boxes and stylish scene change indicators. In fact, it’s downright bothersome. Publishers have their own in-house layout and design team and the fancier you make your manuscript, the more adjustments they need to make down the road. They will have to take out your nice little styles down the road. So my advice – keep it simple and leave the layout and design to the professionals.
Easier and cleaner is better. There are some very standard things publishers want to see in a manuscript:
- Double space – ALWAYS
- Indent your paragraphs, do not use block formatting
- Keep the font simple – Times New Roman and Courier are always acceptable and they are easy for editors and agents to read
- Always include page numbers. It doesn’t matter where they are, as long as they are there.
- Unless you are writing non-fiction, never include a table of contents
- Do not include forwards, dedications or personal notes in your manuscript. If you land a contract, all front matter will be taken care of down the road.
- Photographs and illustrations: Just say NO! These take up a ton of file space and the editors could care less when they are reading your manuscript. In fact, they just get in the way. Keep your graphics in separate files and save them for when the contract is signed. Mention in your cover letter that all graphics are completed. In the content of your book, simply insert a comment in brackets: [Insert Illustration 1 about here].
There is a debate as to whether or not to submit your manuscript with one space or two spaces after colons and periods. Honestly, I don’t know the answer to that these days. I’ve seen it done both ways and no one has ever come back to me and said, “This is wrong. It should be…” So, use your own preference. If you are self-publishing a manuscript, however, be sure to use only one space, otherwise, the layout will look off. Publishers print with only one space; it has always been the editors who preferred two spaces to allow them to redline the manuscript.
Finally, ALWAYS CHECK YOUR PUBLISHER’S SUBMISSION GUIDELINES! I don’t think I can make it any clearer than that. Every publisher has their own set of guidelines that you MUST follow if you don’t want your manuscript immediately thrown into the slush pile.