Knowing standard submission format is essential. We all need to know what agents and editors expect in a submission, either by email or by snail mail. So, be sure to format your manuscript so that it looks professional, no matter who you submit to, because an agent or publisher may instantly reject a manuscript if not formatted correctly.
Moving along, start your manuscript with an informative title page. Title should be centered, along with the byline (can use your pen name if you have one) in the center of the page. Include your name, address, phone number and email address in the lower right corner and the word count (don’t put “approximate” by your word count number) and genre in the top right side.
To format the first page in a Word doc go the PAGE LAYOUT tab, then click on PAGE SET UP, and make sure it is set to 1 inch margins. Next go to the LAYOUT tab, and be sure to check the box labeled: DIFFERENT FIRST PAGE.
See example of the first page / title info page:
Remember, Times New Roman, 12-point font and double-spacing is the industry standard for novels. NO--fancy or creative fonts, it will lead to an automatic rejection in most cases.
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Each chapter should begin on a new page, with 12 single lines (or 6 double-spaced) between the chapter title and the first paragraph. To insert a hard page break into a Word document, it’s located under the INSERT menu. Select BREAK, then PAGE BREAK.
Add a header on each page of your manuscript in the upper left-hand corner in the "HEADER" section; To insert a header and page number into a Word document, it’s located under the INSERT menu. Select "Page Number", Select "Top of Page/Plain Number", then type in your last name and title in 12-point font next to the number.
Set your margins at a standard 1 inch on all sides of every page.
Paragraph indents should be five spaces.
Use one space between sentences, not two.
Add a header on each page of your manuscript in the upper left-hand corner in the "HEADER" section; To insert a header and page number into a Word document, it’s located under the INSERT menu. Select "Page Number", Select "Top of Page/Plain Number", then type in your last name and title in 12-point font next to the number.
Set your margins at a standard 1 inch on all sides of every page.
Paragraph indents should be five spaces.
Use one space between sentences, not two.
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See example of how each chapter should look:
Scene breaks should be indicated with one line of white space and a # centered in the middle of the line break. Never add extra spaces between paragraphs (set them off by indenting at the beginning of each paragraph instead). Do not staple your manuscript or use ring binders, clamp binders, comb binders, brads, string, or any other thing that cannot be easily removed. Paper clips or rubber bands only.
