WHAT IS STANDARD MANUSCRIPT FORMAT?
A properly formatted manuscript has several elements, which usually include the following:1. On the first page, upper left corner, put your real name (not a pen name), address and telephone number. If you have e-mail, put that, too. In the upper right corner, put the word count, rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. Half way down the first page, put the title and byline. These should be centered. Skip one more line and begin your main text. It is not necessary to number the first page, but on all following pages, you need a header with your name, the story title, and page number. Like this:
Fredericks/The Greatest Story Ever/23. Use only white paper; no fancy paper, resume stock, or erasable bond. Only print on one side of the paper. Use either Courier or Times New Roman as your typeface; no fancy typefaces that may be difficult to read. Use twelve-point size. Double-space your text and have 1" margins all around the page.
4. Use left justification (that is, having all words lined up against the left side of the page); do not "fully justify" (that is, having the words spaced to fill the page evenly).
5. For poetry, you may either center the text or leave it on the left.
6. If you are using a dot matrix printer, be sure the ribbon is dark enough that your text can be read easily. Use paper clips or alligator clips to hold the pages together; no brads, covers, etc. For a longer manuscript, leave the pages loose in the box or envelope. Do not send your only copy of any manuscript. Make a photocopy or print a fresh one.
Deby Fredericks
Regional Advisor