As a writer, your job is to create the words. In many cases, it will be just as easy to indicate you’d like a certain kind of typographical treatment without actually implementing it. In cases where a certain character’s voice is represented by a certain typeface, be absolutely consistent and make sure your typesetter is aware of your choices.
Create your manuscript with a common serif typeface like Garamond or Times. That’s the job of the designer / typesetter. Typefaces – Don’t get fancy with typefaces. These are distinct from line breaks and are easier for a typesetter to use or remove without compromising other kinds of formatting.ģ. If a page break is required, use your word processor’s page breaks and section breaks. The typesetter has to manually search for and destroy all the consecutive line breaks, but this causes other problems as there are cases (such as a title page) where two or three consecutive line breaks are sometimes useful.
This makes for a better looking manuscript, but the line breaks will invariable fall in different places when the manuscript is ported from its 8″ x 11″ format to a 5″ x8″ book format. Multiple Line Breaks – When it’s time to bump a chapter over to the next page, many writers simply hit the return/enter key until the text jumps down to the desired place. When it comes right down to it, don’t use double spaces at all.Ģ. Indentation is controlled in your word processor’s paragraph settings dialogue or by manipulating the rulers above the text (see below).ĭon’t use consecutive spaces to move text around. An indent is not equivalent to five spaces.
#Book manuscript format how to#
Your typeface already knows how much space is required.Īdditionally, consecutive spaces are often used by writers who don’t understand how to set tabs and indents. (Really! Read it, especially before commenting.)ĭon’t put double spaces after a period. The first thing your typesetter will do is convert all your double spaces to single spaces but if you can break the double-space habit, you’ll save a step.
Double-spaces were a convention that attempted to get typewriters to imitate the wide spacing seen in book typography prior to the early 1960s when electronic typesetting methods took over. Emspaces are single characters-wide spaces, not double-spaces.
#Book manuscript format manuals#
That way a capital “A” can nest closer to a capital “W” than it would to another capital “A.” Most style manuals specify single spaces but if you want wide spacing, ask your typesetter to insert emspaces. The double space – Digital typefaces have carefully designed kerning tables that control spacing between various pairs of letters. Here are ten tips for writers to consider while they create their manuscripts and ready their books for the design and production process.ġ. When it comes to manuscripts, simpler is better. Though they’re trying to be helpful, it requires more of the typesetter’s time to strip out all of these stylistic additions. These usually spring from the best of intentions as the writer attempts to create the feel of the finished book within the manuscript. In my work with writers, I come across many common technical problems with manuscripts.
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