by: Matt Crazoner

Format Your Manuscript for the Publishing Firm

If you want to publish your novel, you must present your manuscript in the accepted format or else it may never see the light of the day. You have to make sure that you fulfill all the requirements and expectations of the publishing agent. Your manuscript should not be different from others in form even though it is exclusive in style and content.

For a first novel, the word count should range from 60,000 to 120,000 words. This can be lower if the novel is directed to younger readers, but these numbers are fairly standard. If you\'re submitting directly to a publisher, you\'ll want to look at other things that they have published in order to see what kinds of word counts they like to accept.

The next order of business is to format the manuscript. This includes having the text in a word processing document. While typing on a typewriter might be your standard method of creating your novel, it does not look professional. If you do not own a computer, pay someone to type up your manuscript on their computer. However, you should really look into having your own computer, as most communication is done via email these days.

Make sure that you type the manuscript in Times New Roman or Courier font in twelve point font size and it should be consistently double spaced throughout the text. The title page should include your name, address and email address in the bottom right hand corner. If you are going through an agent, then type your contact information in the top left hand corner and your agent\'s contact information in the bottom left corner.

The title of the manuscript should be typed in all capital letters and placed in the center of your title page.

The page number is always typed in the top right hand corner along with your name and title in all capitals, separated by a backslash in the upper left hand corners.

Skip four lines and type the chapter titles in all capital letters and then proceed to the text.

Make sure you indent new paragraphs and dialogue either with the TAB key or with five spaces.

Most importantly, get your document edited by a professional copyeditor or do it yourself. For this purpose, it\'s\'sbest to print the document out and read it word by word. You will be surprised how many errors get overlooked when the document is on the computer screen.

A thorough editing job should make your document free of spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. Otherwise, your agent or publisher might think that you are not professional or committed to the manuscript. These apparently simple errors can ruin your manuscript.

Take the time to create a professional manuscript and one that is consistent with these industry standards. Anything flashy will only draw the annoyance of the one reading it, not the attention.