Dorrance Writer's Advocate: Bookmaking

A F O O T I N T H E D O O R

As a new author in today's publishing climate, it is difficult enough to have a trade publisher merely read an unsolicited manuscript, let alone publish it. Trade publishing companies receive heaps of unsolicited manuscripts, and editors are selective in choosing which of those they will read. One way to guarantee that an editor will not read your unsolicited manuscript is to submit it in the improper format. (While most subsidy publishers will work with an improperly formatted manuscript, they do benefit from receiving a manuscript submitted in the standard format.) Whether you are sending your work to a trade or subsidy house, the following manuscript mechanics will enable you to present your work in its best form:

Do not use a cover sheet or title page on the manuscript.
Do not use a binder to hold pages together unless you are submitting a play or script for television or film. It is suitable to use a paper clip, but never staple the pages.
The upper corners of the first page should contain vital information about the author. The upper left hand corner should include the name, address, phone number, and social security number of the author. The upper right corner should include the approximate word count of the manuscript, the rights being offered, and the author's copyright notice (Copyright © 1996 by John Doe). All of this information should be single-spaced.
Center the manuscript's title in capital letters one-third of the way down the page. The word "by" should appear one double-space below the title, and one double-space below that should appear the author's name.
Begin the manuscript's text two double-spaces below the title and byline with a standard paragraph indentation (five spaces).
The manuscript text should always be typed, double-spaced, and employ the use of standard paragraph indentations.

Use margins of 1-1/4" on all sides of the manuscript.
The author's last name, a dash, and the page number should appear in the upper left corner of every manuscript page after the first. For example: Smith - 2.
If submitting novel chapters, the top one-third of each new chapter page should be left blank before typing the centered chapter title. Subsequent pages should include the author's last name, page number, and shortened form of the book's title (Smith - 2 - Running).
Poetry should be submitted single-spaced, double-spacing between the stanzas, with one poem appearing per page.
Three double-spaces below the last word of the manuscript, the words "The End" should appear. (Note: Some non-fiction writers use the symbol ### or -30- to indicate the same thing.)
If an author wishes to have the manuscript returned after its review by the prospective publisher, he or she should include sufficient postage and a return address label with his or her submission.

The use of proper manuscript mechanics conveys an air of professionalism and care, which may help distinguish a writer. Submitting a properly formatted manuscript is one of the first and most important lessons for the new author to learn.