By Nicole R Murphy
I want to stress at the beginning that you can’t take these as gospel. It’s so important to read each individual magazine or publisher’s guidelines to see what they want. But if you automatically prepare your manuscripts in the following way, you’ll be a lot closer to giving them the extras they way.
1). Font. Use either Courier or Times New Roman in either 10 or 12 point. If you have anything that needs to be bolded or put in italics or underlined, don’t do it on the printed version but mark in the margin.
2). Paragraphing. Lines should be double spaced. The beginning of each paragraph should be indented.
3). Page format. Put a one inch margin all around the page. In between a change of scene, put a centred hash # or three stars ***. In between each chapter, put a page break so the new chapter begins on a new page.
4). Printing. Your story must be printed on white paper that is thick enough for the print not to bleed through. Normal photocopying paper is perfect. Make sure the paper is clean: don’t use scrap paper.
Then there are other things you can be prepared to do to make submitting a faster process.
1). Save your story as both a word document and an rtf. Most publishers who take electronic submissions insist on rtf, since it’s harder to attach a virus.
2). Save a document that contains your contact information. Name, address, email address, phone number, URL, all left oriented. Then you can simply cut and paste that information into your document if the publisher requires it on the manuscript.
3). Make up a template for your submission letter. Then all you need to do is fill in the Publisher’s name and address. To look really professional, do up a header proclaiming your name and that you are a writer and a footer with all your contact details, so it will look like a business letter.
4). Have a supply of stamped, self addressed envelopes available to pop in with mailed submissions. A normal business envelope is sufficient if you mark the manuscript disposable, meaning the publisher can throw it out when they are finished with it. But make sure you still have a copy of it if that happens.
If you follow these basic preparations, submission will be a simple matter for you. Don’t forget, the more you submit, the more you will get published!
***
Nicole R Murphy is a writer and editor who runs her own copyediting and critiquing business at www.yourbestwork.com To make sure your submitted work is as polished as possible, try her free trial.
Nicole R Murphy
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Note: Scribes World and The Writer's Niche in no way endorses editing services. This article was provided for your information only. Buyer Beware: Be sure to do your homework before paying any monies to any type of editing service.
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