HOW TO FORMAT YOUR MANUSCRIPT FOR EDITING
Your Guide to formatting
When submitting your manuscript to me, please format it according to these guidelines:
FILE TYPE
I work in Microsoft Word for many reasons.
- Its features help me look for problems in the text and quickly fix them.
- It allows me to use macros to be more efficient, saving you time and money.
What you should do:
Place your manuscript text in a Word file.
NUMBER OF FILES
Submit only one file.
- This makes sure nothing gets lost in the transfer of files.
- Some macros work best when everything is in one document.
- Checking for consistency is most efficient within a single file.
What you should do:
Make sure you have one master file containing all your manuscript’s text.
FONTS/COLORS/LINE SPACING
Please format your manuscript—including its fonts, colors, and line spacing—in a way that is easy to read.
- When editing, I need minimal distractions in order to focus on the text.
- Certain text and background colors can cause eye strain over hours of focused work.
- Adequate line spacing allows me to read the manuscript easily.
What you should do:
Set the font to Times New Roman, size 14.
The text should be black.
The background should be white.
Line spacing should be set to 2 (double spaced).
HEADINGS
Chapter titles should be styled with one of Word’s heading styles.
- This allows me to use the navigation pane to jump back and forth between chapters.
What you should do:
Assign the chapter titles to one of Word’s default heading styles, either ‘Heading 1’ or ‘Heading 2.’
Go to the Microsoft Word support page for instructions on how to apply styles.
