MANUSCRIPT FORMAT
Gordon Burgett
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What follows is the updated (3/05) "Manuscript Format" page that has appeared in my writing workbooks for about 20 years, originally written by George H. Scithers. I kept it because it was funny and still usable. Alas, it was written B.C. (before the computer). As I'm putting together my new "Actually Writing Query Letters and Articles" seminar, it's time for a major revamping. So here is the new version. (See the notes at the end if you wish to comment.)
Editors won’t look at any manuscript (or
query letter) that isn’t sent in some printed form: from a computer, typed, or
in some way machine prepped. (It has to do with your handwriting…)
While few writers submit by typewriter any longer,
those manuscripts must be done with a clean ribbon, on one side of each sheet,
on standard 8.5” x 11” white paper, and double-spaced (like this paragraph).
You can send your manuscript digitally, when requested by the editor (who will give you his/her direct email address). That can be done in two ways: as part of an email or as an attachment that accompanies an introductory (cover) email. An attachment is best, so you might ask the editor if the email address will accept attachments (since many scanners snag and reject them). Or you can just take a chance.
Attachments show the editor both how you have set up the piece—indents, sub-headings, and larger fonts (for example)—and when you have used italics, bold, or underlining (all of which are converted to the same undifferentiated text format in emails). You can approximate some of that in the email text by using blank lines between paragraphs and placing < > marks around anything using special fonts (like <The Santa Maria Times>), hoping that the editor will figure out which format you want. It isn’t necessary to double-space digital text because the editor can do that, if desired, before printing the copy or editing it on the monitor.
#
Remember that editors spend a considerable part of their day reading manuscripts. You will be rewarded (or at least not penalized) by sending them errorless, ready-to-use copy. If you are typing or printing out your own manuscript and mailing it, it must adhere to the conventional requirements of years past:
1. The paper must be 20-pound or thicker, bond, white, and (as indicated above) double-spaced.
2. The type must be clear, clean, and black.
3. Margins must be at least 1” on all sides, though 1.5” on the left is better.
4. Don’t justify (“square up”) the right margin.
5. Don’t end any line with a hyphen.
6. Don’t end a page or begin another with just one line of text (if it is continual).
7. In the very rare incidence that you must make a correction or two (clean copy is far better), use standard proof-reader’s symbols (found in every dictionary) and print it/them very clearly. If you are inserting a corrected word, cross through the afflicted text and print the correct word above it.
8. Indent all paragraphs about five spaces on a typewriter and 2.5 on a computer. (If the publication does not indent the opening paragraph in the piece or in each segment, the editor will later make that alteration.)
9. Insert either # # # or - 30 - centered a couple of lines after the last words of the text, to indicate that nothing follows. (See the end of page two.)
10. Finally, if you intend to insert a blank line, type the # in the middle of the line that you want blank, as above.
Burgett/Manuscript Format/2
Where do you put your name and page number? In submitted text, put them in the upper right corner (see the example above) a line or two above the manuscript copy. Why? Because pages get separated and that makes their reassembly easier! Use your last name, a key word or two from the title, and the page number. Do it on the right so the editor doesn’t think that it’s part of the text—also, so it’s not hidden under the paper clip, which you should use in the upper left corner. (No staples, binders, three-ring punching, or anything else, please.)
There are two instant clues that the manuscript is coming from a beginner. One is over-use of the semicolon (;). One per manuscript is almost too many; however, two are acceptable if the text is for The New Yorker.
The other giveaway is the misuse of the hyphen for the dash (called the em dash). Sisters-in-law requires the use of two hyphens. This phrase—odd as it seems—requires two em dashes (which are usually used in pairs except when isolating a punch-line or closing parenthetical point at the end of a sentence). Use dashes sparingly. Most computers convert two consecutive hyphens into an em dash. Em dashes can also be found at Insert/Symbol/Special Characters. Note that there is no space before or after dashes (except in British text!) or hyphens.
There is a complication too that might have to be explained in the margin. If you are deliberately misspelling a word—goofe instead of goof, for example—it is wise to lightly circle it and in the closest margin (right or left) write “follow copy” or “spelling OK.”
Let’s talk about “its.” That’s the possessive form meaning “belongs to it.” “It’s” means “it is.” But “its’” (with an apostrophe after the word) ain’t. No such word.
Do you use a comma before the “and” or “or” in a series of three or more, like: People, plums, and prayer? Newspapers and many magazines don’t, other magazines and most books do. Err on the side of using it. Let editors strike it out if their style sheets so dictate. That alone won’t get your manuscript bopped.
When mailing to the editor, always keep a copy of your gilded prose at home (or on your computer) in case it never arrives. It’s not worth the cost to use certified or registered mail: 99% of the material (however bad) survives the mailing. Nor are Fedex, UPS, or similar services necessary. In fact, unless the editor has requested the copy immediately (by email), media mail is just fine. Remember, if you send the manuscript by mail, it will require postage and an envelope to get back. Insert an SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) so the rejection (sometimes even an acceptance) will find you.
This information may seem unevenly slanted
to sending manuscripts by regular post rather than by email, particularly since
we so often use emails in other ways today. Alas, digital submissions usually
follow snail mail queries, in no small part because editors almost universally
hate to be phoned and, almost as often, hide their personal email addresses. So
usually when you receive a positive response to a query, it tells you the editor’s
email address, plus (less often) stipulations you need to know to submit clean,
final copy. It’s all straightforward as long as you adhere to the tips and
formats suggested above. If there is still part of the process that you don’t
understand, ask the editor! Editors need a steady flow of scintillating writing
like yours. They want you to succeed. Don’t let manuscript mysteries get in the
way.
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