Novel Editing, Plotting Help, Writers Resources
Brenda Hill
Formatting Your Manuscript
The Standard for Submitting Novel Manuscripts to Agents:
White paper (20-lb. minimum, not erasable - 8.5x11 paper
Double-spacing
1" to 1 1/4" margins all around
Usually Courier or Times New Roman, 12 pt
A header with your last name, book title, and page number
Paragraphs indented by tabs
Underline instead of using italics
For Novels and Short Stories, the Header should appear on each page except the first, and it should look like this:
EX:
Hill/BEYOND
THE QUIET
12
Page Numbers
should be sequential from the first page of
the book to the last. Never number chapters separately
The Title Page should
include your contact information such as your name, address, telephone
number and email address in the upper left-hand corner. Single-space
that information. On the right side of the page, enter your genre and
word count. There has been a lot of confusion over the method used for
the word count. Before the computer age boomed, we counted the words in
three sentences, averaged the number, then multiplied by the number of
pages. Today, most everyone simply enters the compter word count.
Microsoft Word does an excellent job of correctly counting.
Skip
to the middle of the page and enter your title, then double-space and
enter your byline, then another double-space for your name. Always
enter your legal name in your contact information, but if you use a
pseudonym, enter that name under your byline
Brenda Hill Seaman Women's Fiction
anytown, approx 76,000 words
California
telephone number
www.brendahillseaman.com
(1/3 or Halfway down the page and centered)
BEYOND THE QUIET
by
Brenda Hill
Then skip two-double spaces and begin your novel.
For Submitting directly to Small Publishers, the formatting requirements are different for each one. Click their 'submissions' page for the information.
