Manuscript Editing Sevices

The Standard for Submitting Novel Manuscripts to Agents:

       White paper (20-lb. minimum, not erasable -  8.5x11 paper
        Double-spacing
        1" to 1 1/4" margins all around
        Usually Courier or Times New Roman, 12 pt
        A header with your last name, book title, and page number
        Paragraphs indented by tabs 
        Underline instead of using italics         

For Novels and Short Stories, the Header should appear on each page except the first, and it should look like this:

EX:

---

Hill/BEYOND THE QUIET                                                                                                           345

Page Numbers should be sequential from the first page of the book to the last. Never number chapters separately

The Title Page should include your contact information such as your name, address, telephone number and email address in the upper left-hand corner. Single-space that information. On the right side of the page, enter your genre and word count. There has been a lot of confusion over the method used for the word count. Before the computer age boomed, we counted the words in three sentences, averaged the number, then multiplied by the number of pages. Today, most everyone simply enters the compter word count. Microsoft Word does an excellent job of correctly counting.

Skip to the middle of the page and enter your title, then double-space and enter your byline, then another double-space for your name. Always enter your legal name in your contact information, but if you use a pseudonym, enter that name under your byline

---

Brenda Hill                                                                                                                                Women's Fiction
anytown,                                                                                                                                     approx 90,000 words
California
telephone number
www.brendahillseaman.com

(1/3 or Halfway down the page and centered)
                                      
                                                                   BEYOND THE QUIET

                                                                                     by

                                                                            Brenda Hill

Then skip two-double spaces and begin your novel.

For Submitting directly to Independent Publishers, the formatting requirements are different for each one. Click their 'submissions' page for the information.