How to Format a Fiction Manuscript

A properly formatted manuscript is the first step in making a professional impression when submitting to an editor or agent.

Some editors and agents have specific formatting instructions, so check their websites before submitting. What follows are generally acceptable formatting guidelines.

First of all, the pages should NOT look like pages in a book. They should be formatted in an easily read manner, printed in black on white paper, one side only, unless the publisher specifies otherwise.

The manuscript should be double-spaced with a five-space indent at the beginning of every paragraph. There is no extra line between paragraphs as is the case when writing for newspapers.

Every chapter should start about a third of the way down a new page. The chapter number should be centered. Only the first chapter has the manuscript name centered above "CHAPTER ONE."

The typeface should be an easily read font. Times New Roman or Courier New in twelve point is standard. One-inch margins should be used all around (top, bottom, and both sides.) Text should be left justified.

Once the manuscript is printed, don't staple, regardless of length. Very short manuscripts (such as picture books) can be held together with a paper clip. Use butterfly clips on longer manuscripts, or if the largest clips aren't big enough, wrap rubber bands around the manuscript both ways (side to side and top to bottom.)

When a chapter contains more than one scene, use a pound sign (#) or one or several asterisks (***) to denote the end of the scene.

Each page should have a header to identify the manuscript, author, and page number. The header of the first page differs from the remaining pages and contains your name, address, phone number, email address, website, the number of pages in the manuscript and the genre. This information should be in two columns, half the information should be in the upper left corner of the page, the remainder should be in the upper right. The order of this information doesn't make much difference, although you should have your name and address in the upper left.

If this information is on the first page, you don't need a title page.
Don't include a page number on the first page.

Headers for the remaining pages should simply be the title of the manuscript and your last name on the left and the page number on the right.

In most Windows programs you can create a header through "View" in the Toolbar, and then click on "Header and Footer." Choose "Different First Page" to create a different header on the first page. I use Arial 9 point for the header on the first page, but the goal is for it to be obviously different from the text.

A synopsis is typically included when submitting a manuscript. Formatting for this depends on the length of the synopsis. A shorter (one to two pages) synopsis is typically single-spaced. A longer synopsis is double-spaced. Different editors request synopses of various lengths, so be sure to check their guidelines for their preferences. Headers are the same as for the manuscript.