#Manuscript style sheet template plus#
#Manuscript style sheet template professional#
#Manuscript style sheet template download#
#Manuscript style sheet template windows#

In the top right-hand corner, list your word count to the nearest thousand. If you already have an agent, you should list their name and contact information instead. In the top left-hand corner of the title page, list your legal name and your contact details (including email address and phone number). All text should be in 12pt Times New Roman, black - just like the rest of your manuscript. Create the title pageīefore we get into Chapter One, take a moment to set up your title page. With your document all set up, now you’re ready to work on the content of your manuscript. You don’t want to count your title page as “PAGE 1” of your manuscript, which is why you have to choose the ‘different first page’ option. Add your name and title as you’d do with the MS Word document.Then double-click at the top of your page 1 to add your surname and book title.Insert → Page Number → Position: Top of Page → Alignment: Right → Uncheck “Show number on first page.” Then click Page Number → Format Page Numbers…→ Start at: 0.Here’s how you can format your document so that these automatically appear on each page. For example, the first page of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time would have the following as the header:

If your title is longer than three words, abbreviate it by choosing a few keywords. Insert a headerĮach page should have a header with your surname, the book title, and the page number in ALL CAPS with this standard format:

Google Docs: Format → Align & indent → Indentation options → Special: First line → 0.5”.

MS Word: Format → Paragraph → Indentation → Left: 0.5” → Special: First line.

Instead of hitting ‘tab’ every paragraph, you can set this up as the default. The exception would be the start of a new chapter or scene.

Google Docs: Format → Line & paragraph spacing: Double.Įach new paragraph (and each new portion of dialogue) should start with an indentation.

MS Word: Format → Paragraph → Spacing: Double.

This is how you can change those settings: Your lines should be double-spaced, and there should be no extra line breaks between paragraphs.

#Manuscript style sheet template professional#

Use Reedsy's free book formatting tool for cost-free professional results. Note: if you're looking to self-publish your book, you can just go straight to formatting your final book file. Some editors and agents will prefer sans serif fonts (ones without the curly flourishes) but unless specified by the submission guidelines, stick to good old-fashioned Times New Roman. For example, where on iOS you’ll see ‘Format’ or ‘File’, you’ll see ‘Layout’ on Windows.

#Manuscript style sheet template windows#

Professionals can spot this straight away, so don’t do it.Ī quick disclaimer before we go any further: some of these steps will look slightly different if you’re using Microsoft Word on Windows rather than iOS, as demonstrated in this post. Some writers will tinker with the margin settings in an attempt to hide their manuscript’s true word count. This should already be the default setting on both Word and Google Docs. A4 (210 x 297mm) format for most other territories.Letter Size (8.5” x 11”) format for the US and Canada and.Unless otherwise stated in the submission guidelines, use: Tap File > Page Setup and let’s get your paper settings in order. Use 1-inch margins for the manuscript format

#Manuscript style sheet template download#

If you don't want to go through the trouble of setting up your document from scratch, just download our free template:Ģ. Both are native to Microsoft Word and compatible with all mainstream word processors, including Google Docs. Use underscores to separate the words in the file name - this prevents it from being garbled when the spaces get translated as “%20” by some systems. That way, if you’ve got multiple copies saved on your hard drive, you know which version you actually sent off.

#Manuscript style sheet template plus#

As such, name your files with those details plus the date that you’re submitting the manuscript.

Agents and publishers have a lot of manuscripts to look at so they’ll most likely be searching for your manuscript on their hard drive with only some part of your name or book title in mind. Give it a file name that sounds professional and is easy to search for. Finish formatting the manuscript with ‘The End’īefore you start typing anything, open up your word processor, create a new document, and SAVE the document.