Bringing a manuscript to life is an exhilarating journey, a testament to countless hours of creative energy and meticulous crafting. But for many authors, the transition from writing the final word to preparing for professional editing feels like navigating a dense jungle without a compass. It doesn’t have to be. Properly formatting your manuscript for an editor isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about clarity, professionalism, and ultimately, efficiency. A well-formatted manuscript signals to your editor that you are serious about your craft, respect their time, and are ready for a productive collaboration. This comprehensive guide will demystify the process, providing actionable steps and concrete examples to ensure your manuscript arrives not just ready, but optimized for the editing process.
The Foundation: Why Standard Formatting Matters
Before we dive into the specifics, let’s understand the “why.” Editors work with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of pages. Their eyes are trained to spot inconsistencies, grammatical errors, and stylistic issues. Standard formatting is designed to reduce eye strain, improve readability, and create a consistent canvas upon which they can work their magic. It allows them to focus on the content rather than wrestling with your chosen font or deciphering where one paragraph ends and another begins due to unusual spacing. Think of it as providing a clean, uncluttered workbench for a master artisan.
For instance, an editor encountering a manuscript with varying font sizes, inconsistent line spacing, and haphazard page breaks has to expend mental energy just to read it. This detracts from their primary task: improving your prose. Conversely, a manuscript adhering to industry standards allows them to seamlessly flow through your work, identifying areas for improvement with greater speed and accuracy.
The Essentials: Page Setup and Layout
The very first step in preparing your manuscript involves setting up the fundamental page geometry. These are non-negotiable standards that ensure your text is presented clearly and consistently.
Page Size and Margins
Your manuscript should always be set to a standard 8.5 x 11-inch (US Letter) page size. While you might envision your book in a different trim size, editors work on standard paper. This is the industry default for manuscript submission and proofing.
Margins are equally critical. Set all four margins (top, bottom, left, right) to 1 inch. This provides ample white space around your text, making it easier to read and offering room for an editor to make digital or print annotations.
Actionable Example:
In Microsoft Word:
1. Go to “Layout” (or “Page Layout”).
2. Click “Size” and select “Letter (8.5″ x 11″)”.
3. Click “Margins” and select “Normal” (which is typically 1 inch all around). If not, select “Custom Margins” and manually enter 1 inch for all four.
Line Spacing
Double-spacing is not just a polite request; it’s a fundamental requirement. Every line of text, including paragraph breaks, headings, and even block quotes, should be double-spaced. This creates crucial white space between lines, allowing editors to insert track changes, comments, or even handwritten notes if they print your manuscript. Single or 1.5-line spacing makes it incredibly difficult to mark up text without obscuring the original words.
Actionable Example:
In Word:
1. Select your entire manuscript (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A).
2. Go to the “Home” tab.
3. In the “Paragraph” section, click the “Line and Paragraph Spacing” icon (it looks like four lines with up and down arrows).
4. Select “2.0”.
5. Crucially, go back to the “Line and Paragraph Spacing” dropdown, and click “Line Spacing Options…”. Under “Spacing,” ensure “Before” and “After” are set to “0 pt” and the “Line spacing” dropdown is set to “Double.” This eliminates extra paragraph spacing that can visually break up your text unnecessarily.
Font Choice and Size
While your personal preference for “fun” fonts might be strong, editors crave clarity and readability. Always opt for a standard, professional, and highly legible serif font. Serif fonts have small lines (serifs) attached to the end of strokes in letters, which are traditionally believed to aid readability in long blocks of text.
The industry standards are:
* Times New Roman
* Courier New (especially popular in screenwriting, but perfectly acceptable for prose)
* Garamond
* Palatino Linotype
Choose a font size of 12pt. This is large enough to be easily readable without being so large it wastes space or feels infantilizing. Avoid using bolding, italics, or underlining for emphasis unless it serves a distinct narrative purpose, such as dialogue or specific stylistic choices you intend to keep. Overuse of these can be distracting.
Actionable Example:
In Word:
1. Select your entire manuscript.
2. In the “Home” tab, next to the font dropdown, select “Times New Roman” (or your chosen standard font).
3. Next to the font dropdown, select “12” for the size.
Pagination
Every page of your manuscript, starting from the first page of your actual text (usually Chapter 1), should be numbered consecutively. The standard placement for page numbers is the top right corner of the header. Do not start your page numbering over with each chapter. The goal is one continuous numbered sequence from beginning to end.
Actionable Example:
In Word:
1. Go to “Insert.”
2. Click “Page Number.”
3. Hover over “Top of Page” and select “Plain Number 3” (which places it in the top right).
4. Important: If your title page or table of contents should not be numbered, or if you want numbering to start from chapter 1:
* Place your cursor at the end of the page before where you want numbering to begin (e.g., the last page of your table of contents).
* Go to “Layout” (or “Page Layout”).
* Click “Breaks” and select “Next Page” under “Section Breaks.”
* Go to the page where you want numbering to start (e.g., Chapter 1).
* Double-click in the header area.
* In the “Header & Footer” tab, deselect “Link to Previous” (this is crucial to break the connection to the previous section’s numbering).
* Click “Page Number” -> “Format Page Numbers…”
* Under “Page numbering,” select “Start at:” and enter “1”.
* Click “OK.” Your numbering for that section will now start at 1.
Structuring the Manuscript: Before the Chapters Begin
What comes before Chapter 1 is almost as important as the chapters themselves. These preliminary pages provide essential information for your editor.
Title Page
Your title page is the first impression. It should be clean, concise, and contain all necessary contact information. Place these elements double-spaced and centered on the page.
Elements to include:
* Your Full Name: (At the top, about 1/3 of the way down the page)
* Your Contact Information: (Email and Phone Number, directly below your name)
* Word Count: (Usually rounded to the nearest thousand, e.g., “Approx. 85,000 words,” centered or below your contact information)
* Manuscript Title: (About halfway down the page, in all caps)
* Your Subtitle (if applicable): (Below the title, title case)
* Your Nom de Plume (if different from your real name): (Below the title/subtitle, if applicable)
Actionable Example – Title Page Layout:
[Your Full Name]
[Your Email Address]
[Your Phone Number]
Approx. 85,000 words
[MANUSCRIPT TITLE IN ALL CAPS]
[Subtitle, if applicable, in Title Case]
[By Nom de Plume, if applicable]
Chapter Starts
Each new chapter should begin on a new page. Use a page break, not a series of returns. This ensures that regardless of font changes or edits, your chapter breaks remain consistent.
The chapter number (e.g., “CHAPTER ONE”) and chapter title (if you have one) should be centered on the page, about one-third of the way down from the top margin. Leave several double-spaced lines between the chapter title/number and the start of your prose.
Actionable Example – Chapter Start:
[Page Break Here]
[Double-space]
[Double-space]
[Double-space]
[Double-space]
[Double-space]
[Double-space]
[Double-space]
CHAPTER ONE
The Whispering Woods
[Double-space]
[Double-space]
[Double-space]
The scent of pine needles filled the air, sharp and insistent, as Elara pushed deeper into the foliage. Here, the shadows stretched long and thin, clinging to ancient trunks…
Actionable Example (Word):
To insert a page break: “Insert” tab -> “Page Break.”
In-Text Formatting: Clarity Within the Chapters
Once you’ve set up the page and chapter starts, the details of your in-text formatting become paramount. These choices directly impact readability and the editor’s ability to seamlessly work through your narrative.
Paragraph Indentation
Every new paragraph should be indented. The standard indentation is 0.5 inches (the equivalent of one Tab key press, but do not use the Tab key). Instead, use the paragraph formatting options within your word processor. Do not manually indent with spaces, as this creates inconsistencies if the font changes.
The first paragraph after a chapter title, a section break, or a block quote is an exception: it typically does not need to be indented. This is a stylistic choice that helps visually break up the text. However, consistency is key: choose one method and apply it universally.
Actionable Example – Paragraph Indentation Setting:
In Word:
1. Select your entire manuscript.
2. Go to the “Home” tab.
3. In the “Paragraph” section, click the small arrow in the bottom right corner to open the “Paragraph Settings” dialog box.
4. Under “Indentation,” set “Special” to “First Line” and “By” to “0.5”.”
5. Click “OK.”
Dialogue
Dialogue should be formatted with standard quotation marks. Each new speaker should start a new paragraph, even if the preceding line ended in dialogue. This makes it instantly clear who is speaking.
Actionable Example:
“We need to leave now,” Liam insisted, his voice tight with urgency.
“But the storm,” Maya countered, pulling her shawl tighter, “it’s getting worse.”
“We can’t wait it out here. It’s too exposed.”
“You’re right,” she conceded, looking towards the darkening horizon.
Section Breaks (Scene Breaks)
When you have a significant shift in time, location, or point of view within a chapter, and you want to indicate a distinct break without starting a new chapter, use a section break. The standard way to do this is with a single center-aligned asterisk (*) or three asterisks (***) on a line by themselves, surrounded by a double-spaced line above and below.
Actionable Example:
The path narrowed abruptly, forcing them into single file. The air grew colder, and a faint, acrid smell began to permeate the woods.
[Double-space]
*
[Double-space]
Hours later, they emerged from the trees onto a desolate, windswept moor. The sun, a bruised orange in the sky, was beginning its slow descent.
Emphasis (Italics, Bolding, Underlining)
Use italics for emphasis sparingly, for internal thoughts, foreign words (that aren’t common), or for titles of books/movies/shows within your text. Consistency is paramount. If you italicize a character’s internal thought once, do it every time.
Avoid Bolding and Underlining for narrative emphasis. These are generally considered unprofessional in prose manuscripts and can make text look aggressive or informal. Save bolding for headings or specific technical terms if your manuscript is non-fiction and requires it. Underlining is an artifact of typewriters for italics and should be avoided entirely in digital manuscripts.
Actionable Example:
He had to get out. The thought clawed at him, relentless.
(Instead of: He had to get out.)
Numbers
Generally, numbers one through nine should be spelled out (e.g., “three,” “seven”). Numbers 10 and above are typically written as numerals (e.g., “12,” “250”). However, always use numerals for percentages, addresses, technical measurements, and ages. Consistency within your manuscript is the most important rule here. If you write “twelve” for an age, stick to that throughout, but generally, “He was 12 years old” is preferred.
Actionable Example:
There were seven cats on the fence, but only two of them were hers.
(Instead of: There were 7 cats on the fence, but only 2 of them were hers.)
He earned 15 percent of the profits.
(Instead of: He earned fifteen percent of the profits.)
Acronyms and Abbreviations
On the first instance, write out the full term followed by the acronym in parentheses. Subsequent mentions can use the acronym.
Actionable Example:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched a full inquiry. The FBI released its findings last week.
Headings (for Non-Fiction/Complex Fiction)
If your manuscript (especially non-fiction) uses headings to structure content, ensure they are consistently formatted. Use clear, hierarchical heading styles. A common approach is:
- Chapter Titles (Heading 1): Centered, 14pt or 16pt, bold (but still 12pt for the main body)
- Major Sections (Heading 2): Left-aligned, 12pt, bold
- Sub-sections (Heading 3): Left-aligned, 12pt, italic
Always ensure that headings are separated from the text above and below by double spacing.
Actionable Example – Headings:
CHAPTER FOUR
The Art of Miniature Painting
[Double-space]
[Double-space]
An Introduction to the Craft
Miniature painting, a revered art form with centuries of history, requires immense patience and precision…
Preparing Your Workspace
Before you begin, ensure your studio is well-lit and free from dust. Organize your tools.
The Final Review: Preparing for Submission
You’ve meticulously formatted your manuscript. Now, it’s time for some crucial final checks before you hit “send.”
Clean Up Extraneous Formatting
It’s astonishing how much stray formatting can accumulate during the writing process. Bits of bolding, accidental underlines, or inconsistent indents can sneak in.
- Remove Extra Spaces: Search and replace multiple spaces with single spaces. Specifically, look for double spaces after periods (which is an archaic typesetting rule and not used in modern manuscripts). Find ” ” (two spaces) and replace with ” ” (one space). Repeat until no more double spaces are found.
- Check for Hard Returns: Ensure you haven’t used multiple hard returns (pressing Enter repeatedly) for spacing. Always use paragraph spacing settings or double-spacing.
- Ensure Consistent Indentation: Double-check that your first-line indent is applied correctly and consistently to every paragraph (except the desired first paragraph after a heading/break).
Spell Check and Grammar Check
While your editor will perform a thorough sweep, a basic spell check and grammar check before submission is respectful of their time. It cleans up the most obvious errors and allows them to focus on substantive improvements. Don’t rely solely on these tools, however; they are guides, not perfect solutions.
Save in the Correct File Format
The overwhelming majority of editors prefer Microsoft Word documents (.docx). This format is universally compatible and allows editors to use Track Changes effectively. Do not submit PDFs unless specifically requested. PDFs are static and incredibly difficult for editors to mark up with standard tools.
Actionable Example:
In Word:
1. Go to “File.”
2. Click “Save As.”
3. Choose a location.
4. In the “Save as type” dropdown, select “Word Document (*.docx).”
5. Name your file clearly: opt for “YourLastName_ManuscriptTitle.docx” (e.g., “Smith_TheLostChronicle.docx”).
Disable Track Changes (Unless Requested)
If you have been using Track Changes during your own revision process, ensure they are all accepted and no longer visible when you save the final version for your editor. An editor wants a clean manuscript to begin their work, not one filled with your previous edits. They will enable their own Track Changes to show you their work.
Actionable Example: Accepting All Changes in Word:
1. Go to the “Review” tab.
2. In the “Changes” section, click the down arrow on “Accept.”
3. Select “Accept All Changes in Document.”
4. In the “Tracking” section, ensure the “Display for Review” dropdown is set to “No Markup.”
Review and Proofread One Last Time
Before sending, read through your entire manuscript one last time specifically looking for formatting errors. It’s surprising what the human eye can catch even after automated tools have been run. Look for orphaned lines at the bottom of pages (one line of a paragraph), or single lines at the top of pages (widows). While editors can fix these, it shows an extra level of polish if you’ve already addressed them.
The Purpose of Discipline: Beyond the Rules
Formatting a manuscript for editing isn’t just about adhering to arbitrary rules. It’s an act of respect – respect for your editor’s time and expertise, and respect for your own work. A clean, well-presented manuscript screams “professional” and instills confidence in the editor that you are serious about your craft. It allows them to dive directly into the heart of your story, focusing on the prose, the pacing, the character development, and the overall impact, rather than getting bogged down by technical inconsistencies.
By adopting these standard formatting practices, you are not stifling your creativity; you are reinforcing it. You are providing a clear, readable canvas upon which your masterpiece can be brought to its fullest potential. This level of preparation will not only streamline the editing process but also strengthen your professional relationship with your editor, paving the way for a more collaborative and successful journey towards a published work. Follow this guide, and your manuscript will arrive not just ready for editing, but ready to shine.