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“READ ME,” WHISPERED THE MANUSCRIPT TO THE EDITOR: Formatting your manuscript for maximum visibility

written by Simon Kaplan from Picture Book People Newsletter

Years ago, when I was an editor at Henry Holt and Company, a visiting author looked around my tiny, paper-laden office and indicated a pile of manuscripts. “Are those all the people who you’ve kept waiting for way too long?” He asked pointedly. “No” I replied, showing him a bookcase that contained several shelves on which manuscripts were stacked deep and wide. “Those are.” He looked shocked.

THE REASON If you’ve never been inside the office of an editor or literary agent, it’s hard to imagine the volume of submissions that cross either one’s desk. If you’re submitting your work for an editor’s or agent’s consideration, it makes sense that you do everything you can to make the experience of reading your work as easy as possible. Before an editor reads a word of your manuscript, he or she notices the way it’s presented. Or rather, the editor or agent doesn’t notice the way it’s presented—which is what you want. You do not want your submission to be rejected because it’s difficult to read. You do want the format of your manuscript to be inconsequential so that the content stands out. You want your manuscript to whisper “Read me” so that the overworked editor takes notice and reads. So save your creativity for the storytelling, and format your submissions in the way that’s commonly accepted as standard.

THE FORMAT—A CHECKLIST: If an editor or agent to whom you’re submitting a manuscript requests a specific format, follow the requirements. If there is no set format, here’s the generally accepted way of doing things, presented in checklist format for ease of use.

Your work should be typed in Black Times New Roman 12 point Double spaced.

It should be Aligned left—the right-hand margin will be “ragged”— and have One-inch margins on all four sides Page numbers centered at the bottom of each page Page header at the top right-hand corner of each page following the title page that includes your last name/title of book The End in italics, centered, at end of manuscript.

If you wish to or feel you need to show page breaks, do so by including an extra line space. You can center a -; *; or # in the line if you feel you’d like to make more of a statement.

Picture books don’t require a separate title page, so your manuscript should include a title page formatted as follows: Aligned left and single spaced near the top of page are your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address—each on a separate line. Word count should appear in the top right-hand corner. About halfway down the page, the full manuscript title should be typed. A double space and then “by [Your Full Name].” Another double space and begin the manuscript.

WHY THIS FORMAT? This format is standard because it optimizes legibility, navigation, and information. Black ink stands out most clearly; the 12-point font is neither too big nor too small. Times New Roman is a serif face that draws the eye easily through the text. Double spacing ensures enough space between lines so that each line is obvious and clear without someone having to squint or transverse vast quantities of white space to get from one line to the next.

At one inch—pretty much the default in Microsoft Word—margins are generous but not excessive and so give a sense of clarity and space rather than a sense of claustrophobia. Pages that are clearly identified and numbered ar

Maya Rock is an editor and writer.  She has agreed to critique the Writer’s Picture Prompt for February.   You may remember her from her time as an agent at Writer’s House.  Here is more about Maya:

She graduated from Princeton University in 2002 and has worked in publishing ever since (save for a happy, extended three-month jaunt to Paris).  She began literary agenting at Writers House in 2005; there she edited and sold nonfiction, pop culture, memoir, and young adult fiction  projects by Bethany Griffin, Rae Mariz, Heather Wagner, and Alison Weaver.  As an agent, she loved the thrill of finding new voices and helping nurture talent. On the side she developed her own talent by taking creative writing classes.   In 2010, she left Writers House to pursue a full-time freelance writing and editing career, a decision that’s given her the freedom to follow her many interests–ranging from asking semisnooping questions in the name of journalism to poring over the Chicago Manual of Style in search of grammatical perfection.   She is the author of two YA novels, forthcoming from Penguin Putnam in 2013.

Here is February’s Picture Prompt:

Deadline to submit is February 20th. Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Put “February 20th First Page Prompt” in the subject line.

ILLUSTRATORS: Here is your chance to show off a little. Last month only one of you submitted a piece of art. The prompt for February is something that will convey the flavor of the month. Lots of things go on in February; Ground Hogs Day, Valentine’s Day, and President’s Day to name a few. This leaves you quite a broad range of ideasto be creative. I will post on Feb 29th, so I need to receive your illustrations by February 27th. Please make sure the illustration is at least 500 pixels wide and include a blurb about you and a link to see more of your work. Please send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com and put “February Illustration” in the subject box.

Maya makes a living working with authors from the earliest stages of their projects and has helped develop these authors’ ideas and line-edited their work and get their project into shape for publishers by fine-tuning language, strengthening structure, and enhancing characterization and narrative.  Maya is able to make sure your work reaches its fullest potential. You can contact her at [email protected] for rates and availability.

Here is Maya’s website:  www.maya-rock.com

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy