It doesn’t matter if you want to be an independently published author or a traditionally published author, submitting a manuscript that follows industry standard manuscript formatting rules is critical to getting your work read.
For writers who want to be published freelance authors, this process will reduce your costs when it comes time for manuscript evaluation, proofreading, editing, and typesetting. Professionals who do this work will charge more if the format of your manuscript does not meet industry standards, because that means they will have to reformat your manuscript before they can begin their work.
You are reading: What format are books written in
For authors going the traditional publishing route, proper manuscript formatting is also an important step: the agents and publishers you submit your paper to won’t even see your manuscript if it’s not formatted according to the industry standard. they won’t spend time with an author who hasn’t done the necessary homework. they get too many submissions and just move on to the next one without giving your manuscript a second look.
what is the manuscript format?
Manuscript format is the way the text of your book or novel is presented on the page. the same text could have a larger or smaller font; could be set to times new roman, courier, or another font; it could be on a white page or a cream page; the size of the page, or the size of the margins may vary; and so. the words and sentences themselves haven’t changed, just the way we present them, that’s the format.
When submitting your manuscript to agents, editors, and publishers, they expect your writing to be in a specific format. this makes it easy for them to read the tens and hundreds of mailings they receive each week.
Manuscripts that do not follow these industry-standard formatting rules are much more likely to be discarded unread, because they not only waste the reader’s time, but also suggest that the writer is an amateur. you don’t want that!
how to format a book
Luckily for you, proper formatting for your book manuscript can be summed up in a few bullet points.
Some of your recipients may have their own special rules that they would like you to follow when formatting your manuscript. if they do, then of course you have to follow their requirements. but if they only ask for the “industry standard manuscript format”, here are the rules you must follow to the letter:
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Put a 1 inch (2.5 cm) margin on all four sides of your manuscript. Usually this is already the default setting in Word, but double check on your computer to make sure.
align the text to the left; the right side should remain jagged. (ie don’t set your text to be justified).
use times new roman font, size 12 point. courier and arial fonts may also be acceptable, but to be safe, stick with times new roman unless otherwise specified contrary.
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black text on white background only. don’t get creative with colors.
indent each paragraph a half inch (1.25 cm). do not do this by pressing the tab key; instead, set the indentation in word using the format → paragraph → section menu, or see this tutorial.
double-spaced lines with no extra space between paragraphs.
single space between sentences, after periods.
Use a blank line to indicate scene breaks and place a pound sign (#) in the center of the blank line.
Create a header in the upper right corner using your last name, then select a keyword from your manuscript, followed by the page number. eg hart – manuscript – 1. can add headings and page numbers in word automatically.
Start chapters on new pages. Center the chapter title, even if it’s only chapter one, about a third of the way down the page. skip a couple of lines and start the chapter text.
At the end of the manuscript, center a pound mark (#) on a double-spaced blank line after the last line. or just write the ending. this will ensure the reader that pages are not accidentally lost.
Use italics when necessary, but never underline in novel manuscripts.
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title page format for manuscripts
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Your manuscript should always include a title page. it should follow the same formatting conventions as body text, including margins and font size. must include:
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your contact details at the top left of the title page, in the same font format and size as the manuscript text.
the approximate word count, to the nearest hundred, at the top right of the title page.
the name of the novel, about a third of the title page and centered.
your name just below the title of the novel, preceded by the word by.
Copyright details if applicable, centered at bottom of page.
an example of correct script formatting
a well-formatted title page looks like this:
Body text that follows correct manuscript formatting looks like this:
If you’ve followed all of these bullet points, then congratulations! You now have a manuscript formatted to the industry standard, and it’s ready to be sent to agents, editors, and publishers.
things to do before submitting your manuscript
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Check with the recipient to make sure they don’t have any special formatting requirements that you need to follow before sending.
Keep an exact file copy of the manuscript you submitted, with a separate backup copy of your master document. for example, if your original manuscript file is called my-novel.docx, keep an exact copy of the file you submitted called my-novel-penguin-submission-feb-3-2022.docx. it’s important to keep track of exactly which text you sent to which recipient, in case you make changes to your master manuscript later.
kelly hart is a proofreading contractor for book cover cafe and has been a muddy reader of andromeda spaceways inflight magazine. she is completing her masters in writing at swinburne university of technology. you can find and contact kelly at scribophile.
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