"church and state" @ Saoirse Ronan - The Warp Magazine & intrigue $0.99 books 3-Act Plot Structure 5 Key Publishing Paths 6 C's 99 cents AAM Abbey Clancy Abbi Jacobson ABC ABM Access Copyright ACE Awards achievers awards acquisitions acquisitions. business to business action before reaction action-adventure Actress ad agencies ad blockers ad sales ad:edit added value adding intrigue adding suspense adding tension adding tension and conflict Adele Adele Adkins Adèle Exarchopoulos Adriana Cernanova ads advertisers Advertising advertorial advice for fiction writers advice for writers advice from literary agents. advice on writing fiction AGM Alberta Alberta Magazine Awards Alberta Venture Alesha Dixon Alessandra Ambrosio Alex Morgan Alliance for Audited Media alliances Allison Brennan alternative delivery Alyssa Diaz Amazon Giveaway Amber Heard American Business Media American Library Association annual conference AMPA Amy Schumer and Word Usage Angel Angelina Jolie Anica Morse Rissi Anja Cihoric Anne R. Allen Annex Annex Business Media anniversaries anniversary announcement anthologies anthology anti-spam legislation applications appointment appointments apps AQEM architecture archives Arden Cho Ariana Grande Arnold art direction Artist As We Were Saying Ashley Tisdale Asian child laborers Asian child labourers ASME Asper associations Athletes Atlantic Canada Atlantic Journalism Awards audience audits Austen authentic voice author intrusions avoid author interruptions avoid wordiness award award-winning writing guide awards awards. Atlantic Journalism Awards awards. Western Magazine Awards Azra Akin b-to-b B.C. b2b Bade Iscil Bangladesh Barbara Fialho Barbara Palvin basic formatting basic formatting for print BBC BC BC writers BC Youth Writers Camp bcamp Becky G before you publish your novel before you submit your novel beginning of your novel beginning of your short story believable Bella Hadid Bella Heathcote Bella Thorne Bello magazine Ben Toms benefits Beowulf best practices beta readers Beyoncé Knowles Bianca Balti Biography Blake Lively blogs blue box board book awards book contests book festivals book giveaway book promos books for 99 cents books for authors bookstores BPAWW branding brands Bravo Magazine Brie Larson - bring your characters to life bring your story to life Britain British Columbia Britney Spears Browning Bryan Cohen budget business business innovation business media business reply Business to business C.S. Lakin CAFE Caity Lotz Camila Banus Camilla Kerslake Canada Post Canada Council Canada Magazine Fund Canada Periodical Fund Canada Post Canada Revenue Agency Canadian Art Canadian Association of Journalists Canadian Business Media Canadian Business Press Canadian Cover Awards Canadian Freelance Union Canadian Heritage Canadian Journalism Foundation Canadian Media Guild Canadian Newsstand Awards Canadian Online Publishing Awards Canadian writers Canadian Writers Group Canopy CanWest Canzine capitalization Captivate Your Readers Cara Delevingne Carmen Aub Carola Remer Caroline Flack Caroline Wozniacki carpet factories in Nepal Carrie Wong CASL Cate Blanchett Caterina Murino Catrinel Menghia CBM CeCi Ceci Korea celebrations Chanel Iman Chang School chapter one characterization characters Charisma Carpenter charities charity Charlee Faser Charli XCX Charlotte McKinney Chatelaine Chaucer Chen Man child labor child labor in Asia child labour child labour in India child labour in Pakistan child workers Childhood Regained children forced to work in factories children's China Chloe Grace Moretz Chloe Moretz Chloë Moretz choose the right word Chrissy Teigen Christina Milian Chuck Sambuchino Cimorelli Cinta Laura Circulation circulation. ABC City and regional Claudia Lee Claudia Schiffer CLB Media clear Cleo Australia Cleo Singapore close third-person point of view closure closures CMC collaborations collections and anthologies colour columns comics compelling fiction compensation competition comScore concise writing Condé Nast condense your novel conferences conflict of interest Congreve consumer consumer shows content management contests continued learning contract contract publishing contracts contributors controversy COPA copy editing copyediting copyright Cosmopolitan Australia Cosmopolitan Korea courses cover story covers CPF craft of writing craft of writing book craft-of-writing guide Craftfest creating a main character creating sentences that flow creative clusters creative nonfiction creative writing criticism critique critique of first page critique of first pages critique of historical thriller CRMA Cross Stitch Pattern cross-media ownership CrossStitch crowdfunding CSME cultural magazines cultural protections current affairs custom publishing cut down on wordiness cutting word count cyber symposium Daisy Lowe Daisy Ridley Dakota Johnson dangling participles Daphne Groeneveld Daphne Guinness dashes data David Bellemere Davis Bunn Dazed and Confused Korea deals declutter your sentences deep point of view deep POV Demi Lovato Denisa Dvořáková Department of Canadian Heritage departures design developmental editing dialogue Diane Kruger digital digital editions digital issues Digital Publishing Awards direct mail distribution don't tell Donald Maass Doutzen Kroes DP Lyle Dr. John Yeoman Drama Drew Barrymore Driven Dryden e-book formatting e-book marketing e-book publishing e-books e-commerce e-media e-paper e-readers eBooks eco-paper edit edit and critique edit of first page editing editing advice editing fiction editing your own novel editions editor Editor's Choice editorial editors editors' resource effective writing elections Elizabeth Hurley Elizabeth Olsen Elizabeth Spann Craig Elle Australia Elle Canada Elle Fanning Elle France Elle Italia Elle Japan ELLE Korea Elle Mexico ELLE Singapore Elle Spain Elle Sweden Elle UK Ellen Pompeo ellipses Elsa Pataky email Emeraude Toubia Emerge Media Awards Emily Bett Rickards Emily Didonato Emma Roberts Emma Stone English Literature on Internet environment Eric Wilson Eva Longoria events excellent writing guides exits expansion expressing thoughts in fiction Fabulous Magazine fact checking FAPA Book Awards farm fashion Fashion Designer Fashion Model fees Fei fei sun fellowships Ferne McCann festivals fiction fiction advice fiction definitions fiction editor fiction lingo fiction question fiction techniques fiction terms fiction writing fiction writing advice fiction-writing fiction-writing advice fiction-writing techniques Filippa Hamilton Palmstierna finalists finalists in book awards Financial financials finding your voice FIPP Fire up Your Fiction first 10 pages first 5 pages first chapter first draft first five pages first line first page first page critique first page of your novel first pages first pages of your novel first paragraph first paragraphs first-page critique FKA Twigs Flare fonts food Foreign influence on English foreshadowing forests ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards 2013 Foreword Reviews IndieFab Book Awards format formatting formatting documents formatting your manuscript formattting your documents Frederique Molay free e-book freelance editing freelance editor freelancers freepapers fulfillment fun with magazines funding fundraising future of magazines G.B. Shaw gags Gemma Ward Germany Getty Images Gigi Hadid Gillian Anderson Gillian Jacobs Girlfriend Australia Giveaway Glacier Media Inc. Glamour Germany Glamour UK global media Globe and Mail Glossary glossary of commonly misspelled words Go Ara going from nonfiction to fiction writing Goodreads Goodreads Giveaways Google governance government support GQ Magazine Japan Grace Elizabeth grammar grammar tips grants Grazia Italy great resource books for writers Greater Fort Worth Writers gren printing Guideposts Magazine Guinevere Van Seenus Guy Kawasaki Gwen Stefani Gwyneth Paltrow Ha Ji Won Hailey Clauson Hannah Davis Harper's Bazaar Romania Harper's Bazaar Serbia Harper's Bazaar Spain harper's bazaar UK Harpers Bazaar Singapore Harpers Bazaar Spain head-hopping Hearst Helena Bonham Carter help eradicate child labor Hemingway Hilary Duff history Hmmm... Holly Willoughby hone your writing skills honing your craft honing your writing craft hook hook readers in hook the reader in hook your reader how to create an outline of your scenes how to cut words from your novel how to market your book how to publish your own book How to Sell Loads of Books how to show instead of telling how to write a bestselling novel how to write a book How to Write a Damn Good Thriller how to write a novel how to write a short story how to write a story how to write a suspense novel how to write a thriller how to write action scenes how to write an exciting story how to write compelling fiction how to write effective fiction how to write effective nonfiction how to write fiction how to write scenes how to write suspense Hwang Jung Eum Hye kyo Song hyphens Hyun young I or me Ilana Glazer illustration Imaan Hammam improve your writing style increase your book sales increasing tension Independent Book Publishers Association India indie authors indie publishing Indie Reader Discovery Awards IndieReader IndieReader Discovery Awards industry associations Industry studies indy bookstores indy mags info dumps initial critique insert cards InStyle InStyle Germany InStyle UK interactive interns internships investigative journalism iPad Irina Shayk IRMA Iselin Steiro Jacquelyn Jablonski Jae kyung James N. Frey James Scott Bell Jane Friedman Jane Jacobs prize Janine Chang Jena Goldsack Jenna Dewan Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Lopez Jessica Alba Jessica Biel Jessica Chastain Jessica Ennis Hill Jessica Marais Jessica Morrell Jesus Jimmy Backius Joanna Krupa Joanna Penn jobs Jodie Renner Jodie Renner Ediitng Jodie Renner Editing Jodie Renner Editing. John Yeoman joint ventures Jordan Dane Josephine Skriver journalism Journalism Online journalism schools Julia Hafstrom Julia Roberts Julianne Moore Junseob Yoon Kaley Cuoco Karlie Kloss Karolina Pisarek Kate Beckinsale Kate Beckinsaleod Kate Hudson Kate Upton Katharine McPhee Katherine McNamara Katy Perry KDP Select Keats Keira Knightley Kendall Jenner Kim Kardashian Kimberley Kimberly Garner Kimberly Stewart Kindle Kindle book promotions Kirsten Dunst Kobo Kristen Stewart KRWs Krystal Jung Krysten Ritter Kylie Jenner L’Officiel Indonesia labour dispute labour-management dispute lachlan bailey Lady Gaga launch launches Lauren Cohan Lauren Conrad Lauren Goodger law lay vs. lie layoffs layout Le French Book Lea Seydoux lead character lecturing readers legal legislation Lena Meyer-Landrut length for fiction length of novels libraries life in BC lifetime achievement Lily James Lily Rose Depp Lily-Rose Depp Linda Bonney Olin Lindsay Ellingso Lindsay Ellingson line editing line extensions Lingerie lists literacy literary agents literary definitions literary journalism literary terms Literature Period LNA lobbying logical long-form Luma Grothe Mackenzie Hamilton Maclean's Macleans Madame Figaro Greece Madame Figaro Japan Madame Figaro Magazine mag world view Magawards Magazine Awards magazine business Magazine Fund Magazine Grands Prix magazine industry magazine profiles Magazine Publishers of America magazine world view Magazines Canada MagazinesBC Magdalena Frackowiak MagNet Mags BC MagsBC mailing rates main character maisonneuve Mallika Sherawat management Manitoba magazines March to a Bestseller March to a Bestseller 2 Marcy Kennedy Margot Robbie Mariah Carey Marie Claire Korea Marie Claire South Africa Marie Claire Spain Marie Claire Turkey Marion Cotillard market your book Marketing marketing your book Marloes Horst Marlowe Mary Masthead Matt Jones Meagan Good measurement Media companies mediascout member magazines mentors Meredith Corporation mergers mergers. trade associations Metaphysical Poetry metrics Micaela Schaefer Michael Hauge Michaela Kocianova Michelle Monaghan Michelle Obama Michelle Trachtenberg Microsoft Word Miley Cyrus Milton Miranda kerr misplaced modifiers Miss World Pageant mobile Model Modern Luxury Magazine monetizing content Monika Jac Jagaciak mood moral rights MPA multimedia Murder She Writes mystery Mystery Writing is Murder NADbank NAFTA Naomi Watts Natalia Vodianova Natasha Oakley Natiional Media Awards Foundation National Magazine Awards National Magazine Awards Foundation National Post native advertising natural voice Nepal Nerea Barros New Hollywood new products New Yorker Newcom news newspapers newsstand newsstand marketing newsstands Next Issue Media NFC Nicky Hilton Nico Bustos Nicola Roberts ndon Nina Agdal NMA Novel Novel Writing Intensive Retreat obituary Olivia Holt Olivia Munn Olivia Wilde Oltin Dogaru OMDC onlilne online online ads Ontario Ontario Arts Council opening opening paragraphs Openings osborne Osprey Media outline your scenes Pacing Padma Lakshmi Pakistan Pamela Anderson paper Paris Paris Hilton Paris Hilton port partnerships past perfect tense Paula Patton Pauline Hoarau pay-for-use paywalls Péladeau People Perrie Edwards photo essays photography Photoshoot pick up the pace picture services Pinter Pixie Lott plain language plot PMB podcasts poetry point of view polishing poll Pope Post Media Network postal subsidy Postmedia Precedent Pregnant Blake premise prepress pricing print print and digital print and TV print and web print solutions print to digital print-to-web printing Printout Stitch Display privacy production professional development promoting your book promoting your Kindle book promotion promotions proofreading protagonist public affairs public art public place public relations public support publish your book publishers Publishers Weekly publishing publishing models publishing on Amazon Punctuation punctuation help PWAC PwC Quebec Quebec Magazine Awards Quebecor Quebecor Media Quebecor World Quick Clicks quote Rafflecopter Giveaways Raica Oliveira rankings Reader's Digest Readers' Favorite Book Awards readership rebranding recycling Redbook Magazine redesign redesigns Redgees Redwood reference books regulation relaunches reorganizations replicas research resignations resource for writers resources for writers responsive design retailers retirement revenue revising revising and editing revising and editing fiction revising and editing your novel revising fiction revising your fiction revising your novel revision revision and editing revision and self-editing revision checklist revision process revisions rewriting Rhonda Rhimes Richa Chadda rights Rita Ora Robert Dugoni robot reporting Rogers Rogers Communications Inc. Rogers Consumer Publishing Rogers Media Rogers Publishing ROI Romantic poetry Ron Gronkowski Roselyn Sanchez Rosie Huntington Whiteley Rosie Huntington-Whiteley royalties RRJ running a book giveaway Russell Blake Russell James Ryan Jerome Ryerson Review S Moda’s sale on ebooks Sandra Brown Sasha Pieterse save on editing Say What? The Fiction Writer's Handy Guide to Grammar scene outline scenes scholarships Sebastian Kim Selena Gomez self-editing self-publishing selling your book Selma Blair seminars sentence structure setting Seventeen Seventeen Prom Magazine. J SFX Shailene Woodley Shakespeare shakeups Shane Gericke Shanina Shaik Shape Magazine Sharuti Haasan Shay Mitchell Shelley Sheridan short fiction short stories short story short story anthologies short story contests Show show character reactions show don't tell showing emotions in fiction showing reactions in fiction Singer single copies Single copy single copy sales SIP SIPs social media Socialite software Sohai Ali Abro Sonam Kapoor Song Hye Kyo Sophia Bush Sophie Turner South Asia Southern Writers Magazine spam special editions special interest publications special sections specials specialty TV spelling spelling dictionary Spelling on the Go spelling resource Spenser spinoffs sponsored advertising St Joseph Communications St. Joseph Media Stacy Green staff standards Star Wars STARCH starting out your novel starting your novel starts and stops startups state of the industry stay in the POV of the character Steffy Argelich Steve Berry Steve Scott Steven James stimulus and response story gaffes story no-no's strategies streamline your writing streamlining writing students Style style blunders in fiction style gaffes in fiction style in fiction Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power Style that Sizzles and Pacing for Power submitting a short story submitting manuscript subscriptions succession Sun Li Supermodel Susanne Lakin suspense Suspense Magazine suspense-thrillers suspenseful opening Sylvie Meis tablets Takeovers Tanya Dziahileva taxes Taylor Swift TC Media technology Television Personality Tennis player Terminal Rage terms used in fiction that vs which that vs. who The 7th Woman The Bookshelf Muse The Eiffel Tower the first page of your novel The Kill Zone The Kill Zone blog the revision process the tyee The Walrus The Wicked Writing Blog thriller thriller editor Thrillerfest thrillers Time Time Inc. Time Magazine tips tips for authors tips for writers tips for writing tips for writing a short story tips for writing fiction tone Tori Kelly Toro Toronto Life Torstar Tove Agren Tove Lo tracking trade trade associations traffic training transaction transactions Transcontinental Transcontinental Media transitions travel trends tributes trim your word count Trivia masquerading as profundity Troubleshooting Your Novel TV TV Guide Magazine TV presenter TVA Group typography U.S. U.S. National Magazine Awards Ujjwala Raut unions unpaid work USPS Vancouver mag verbs Vicky Pattison Victoria Silvstedt video videos viewpoint viewpoint in fiction Vika Falileeva Virginie Efira virtual conference Vita Sidorkina Vogue Australia Vogue Brazil Vogue China Vogue India Vogue Japan Vogue Korea Vogue Mexico Vogue Russia Vogue Spain Vogue Thailand voice voice in fiction Voices from the Valleys volunteer readers volunteers Walrus waste reduction wayback web web and print webinar webinars western Western Living Western Magazine Awards When Words Collide which vs that white paper wholesalers Woman Spain women's magazines Womens Health Australia word choice word count for fiction word count for novels word list Word on the Street word usage Wordsworth workflows workshops for writers world view wots write a popular novel write a suspense novel write a thriller write more economically write suspense write suspense fiction write tight write tighter writer's conference writer's conferences Writer's Digest Writer's Digest Awards Writer's Forensics blog Writer's Knowledge Base writer's workshop writers writers conferences writers conventions writers workshops Writers Write writers' conference writers' conferences writers' resource writers' retreat Writers' Union Writers' Village writers' workshop writers' workshops writing writing a bestseller Writing a Killer Thriller writing a novel writing a short story writing a suspense novel writing a thriller writing action scenes writing advice writing and writers writing compelling fiction writing conferences writing conventions writing fast-paced fiction writing fiction writing guide writing guides writing resource writing scenes writing skills writing suspense writing suspense fiction writing tense action scenes writing thrillers writing tips writing your novel Wyatt Xenia Tchoumitcheva YA fiction Yossi Michaeli your first page your first pages your opening your story opening Yu Tsai Yubin Yumi Lambert Yvonne Strahovski zines Zinio Zoey Deutch

Basic Formatting of Your Manuscript (Formatting 101)


by Jodie Renner, editor, author, speaker

Follow Jodie on Twitter.

Often, the first thing I have to do when I receive a manuscript for potential editing, before starting my  sample edit, is to reformat it, so it’s easier for me to read. Here are some guidelines for formatting your manuscript before submitting it to a freelance editor, a formatter, a contest, an agent, or a publisher. Most of these instructions are for Microsoft Word, 2007 or later.
1.      For editing, your manuscript needs to be in Microsoft Word (Microsoft Office). This is a must, as almost all editors use Word’s Track Changes.  

2.      Send the manuscript as a .doc or .docx, unless instructed otherwise. Some contests prefer or require rich text format (.rtf) or even plain text (.txt), but most submissions want .doc or .docx documents. 

3.      The preferred font is Times New Roman. It’s easier to read than many other fonts.

The font size should be 12-point. 

4.      To change the font and size for the whole manuscript instantly, click Control + A (for All) at the same time, which highlights the entire manuscript, then change the font and size by using the toolbar on “Home,” and then click “Enter.” 

5.      Left-justify the text, rather than justifying both sides. That way, it’s easier for the editor to spot spacing errors. That means the text is lined up straight down the left side (except for indents), but the right side is jagged, depending on the length of the last word in the line. To do that, click Control + A, then click the left-justify icon on the toolbar along the top (Click tab for Home first). You can also do that by clicking on the little arrow to the bottom and right of “Paragraph,” then click on the down arrow beside “Alignment” and click on “Left.” 

6.      Use only one space between sentences, not two. Two spaces between the period and capital went out with manual typewriters. 

7.      Do not press “Enter” at the ends of the lines to add an extra line-space between the lines (to double-space the document). This is a HUGE no-no! It causes major headaches and a lot of frustration. As soon as a few words are added or deleted (which is what editing’s all about), everything screws up. So make sure that when you’re typing and you come to the end of a line, do not press “Enter” unless it’s for a new paragraph. Let the text “wrap” around on its own. 

8.      A quick and easy way to double-space your whole manuscript: Control + A (for “all”), then Control + 2 (Click on Ctrl and on 2 at the same time). Voilà! It’s done! To go back to single-spacing later, Click Ctrl+A, then Ctrl+1. 

9.      To see at a glance all kinds of formatting errors, click on the paragraph symbol on the toolbar along the top. It’s called a “Pilcrow” and it looks like a backward “P”. Here it is: ¶. You’ll see dots where spaces are and a ¶ for every hard return (Enter), at the end of a paragraph or for an empty line space between paragraphs. 

10.  Correct spacing between sentences. Click on that ¶ symbol again to see a dot for every space (click of the space bar). If you have two (or 3 or 4) dots instead of one between sentences (between the period and the next capital), you need to take out the extra spaces and just have one space between sentences. You can fix that for the whole manuscript in a second or two by using Find and Replace. Click on “Replace,” then after “Find what” hit the space bar twice (if you have 2 spaces). Then after “Replace with” click the space bar once. Then click on “Replace all” and Voilà again! All fixed! 

11.  Correct line-spacing and paragraphing:  Click on that ¶ symbol in the toolbar again. You’ll see the pilcrow symbol ¶ at the end of every paragraph, to indicate a hard return (“Enter”), and then again at the beginning of a line-space. If you see the ¶ at the end of every line, all down the right margin, that’s a real problem – the biggest formatting mistake of all! You need to remove those pilcrows (returns) at the end of every line, either by using your “Delete” or “Backspace” keys before or after them, or by doing a “Find and Replace.” After “Find” you type in this: ^p (for the pilcrow or paragraph mark). After “Replace” you just hit the space bar once, to replace the carriage return with a space. 

When you click on that backwards “P”, also look for extra dots at the beginnings of paragraphs, before the first indented word, and take them all out. There should just be the indents, with no extra dots in front of them. 

Note that you should only see the pilcrow ¶ in two places – at the end of a paragraph, and on any blank line. If you see a ¶ anywhere other than those two locations, it’s misplaced and will probably cause some type of inadvertent mischief.  

12.  Paragraphing for fiction: For fiction manuscripts, don’t add an extra line-space between paragraphs. Just leave it at your normal double-spacing. Press “Enter” at the end of the last paragraph, then indent the new paragraph (0.3 to 0.5 inch) using the built-in paragraph styles. Do not indent paragraphs by using the Tab key or the spacebar. This only causes problems that will have to be fixed by you or someone else (at your cost). (See #15 below for instructions on how to indent the right way.) 

13.  Paragraphing for nonfiction: Nonfiction usually uses block formatting, with no indents for new paragraphs but instead an extra space between paragraphs.  

14.  General rule for indenting and spacing paragraphs: If you indent your paragraphs, don’t leave an extra space between paragraphs; if you don’t indent, insert the extra space between paragraphs. 

15.  How to indent the first line of each paragraph:

Do not press Tab or click repeatedly on the space bar to indent!

Click on that pilcrow again ¶ and if you see 2-7 dots at the beginning of the paragraph, you’ve used the space bar to indent. That’s another big no-no, and a bit of a headache to fix, especially if you don’t always use the exact same number of spaces.Using the “Tab” key to indent paragraphs is also a big no-no.  If you’ve done that, you’ll see an arrow at the indent. It’s important to indent for the first line of a new paragraph by using Word’s formatting. To do this for the whole manuscript at once, use Control + A (for All), then, in the toolbar along the top, click on the little arrow to the bottom right of “Paragraph” (in Word 2010), then under “Special” click on “First line,” then 0.5" or 0.4" or 0.3". Don’t go for less than .2" or more than .5". 

16.  To center your title and chapter headings, do not repeatedly click on “Tab” or the space bar.

Again, if you click on the pilcrow (¶) and you can see a bunch of dots in front of the title, you’ve used the space bar to get it over there in the middle. And don’t use the Tab key for that, either. Instead, highlight the title with your cursor, then click on the centering in the toolbar along the top, under the “Home” tab. Or go to “Paragraph” below that, and click on the arrow in the lower right corner, then go to “Alignment,” then click the down arrow and choose “Centering.” Or a quick trick is to place your cursor in the title you want to center, and simply click CTRL + C (at the same time), which will automatically center the paragraph (title) in which your cursor is located.

17.  For extra line spaces between chapters, do not repeatedly click on Enter or Return. To force a page break at the end of a chapter (in Word 2010), place your cursor at the end of the chapter, usually on the line below the last sentence, then, in the toolbar along the top, click on the tab “Insert” then click on “Page Break.” In Word 2007, click on “Page Layout” in the toolbar, then click on “Breaks”, then on “Page.” Another quick trick?  Press CTRL+Enter.  This will give you a forced page break for the end of each chapter. Do not do this at the end of a normal page, only for the end of a chapter. 

18.  Your next chapter heading (chapter name or number) should start at least 3 line-spaces down from the top of the page.  

19.  For more advanced, specific formatting, read the guidelines set out by the agent or publisher. Or stay tuned for “Formatting 102,” to appear here at some future time. 

20.  And a few quick notes about formatting for dialogue: 

Make a new paragraph for each new person talking. Also a new paragraph for someone else reacting to the previous speaker.

Comma after “said”: He said, “How are you?”     

Comma at the end of the spoken sentence, where a period would normally go, inside the last quotation mark. “Come with me,” she said.
 

If you have any other questions about formatting your document, please use the comment boxes below. 

Also, check out these three excellent blog posts on formatting, by others in the biz:

5 Book Formatting Mistakes to Avoid, by Chandler Bolt:
http://self-publishingschool.com/5-book-formatting-mistakes-to-avoid/.

First Steps in Formatting for Print by fiction editor Beth Hill.

Using Font Styles When Formatting for Print by Fiction Editor Beth Hill 



Jodie Renner is a freelance fiction editor and the award-winning author of three craft-of-writing guides in her series An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Captivate Your Readers, Fire up Your Fiction,and Writing a Killer Thriller. She has also published two clickable time-saving e-resources to date: Quick Clicks: Spelling Listand Quick Clicks: Word Usage. Jodie recently organized and edited two anthologies for charity: a BC-wide anthology of stories and poetry for Doctors Without Borders, called Voices from the Valleys, and Childhood Regained – Stories of Hope for Asian Child Workers,created to help reduce child labor in Asia, with proceeds to SOS Children's Villages. You can find Jodie at www.JodieRenner.com, www.JodieRennerEditing.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Click HERE to sign up for Jodie’s occasional newsletter.

Post a Comment

[blogger]

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

Powered by Blogger.