Formatting Your Manuscripts

 

If you truly want to have your manuscript noticed by a potential agent or editor, then make sure you are presenting it in the best possible light. This means that  you have to resist the urge to display your masterpiece like it will hopefully appear in print, and instead format it in a professional, and industry-accepted format.

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As an author, I wanted to make sure I was doing it right, and now as an editor, I want all of those who submit to me to try and be as consistent as possible. Following the lead of other authors--like Bill Shunn, whose work on the topic has become almost scripture--I decided to help out my clients and associates alike, and created a document that lays out how to format your masterpiece for submission.

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I also created a single page guide that can serve as a cheat sheet, in an easy to save and print picture. You can left-click this image to read the entire document, or right-click and save it to refer to later.