A manuscript is an original copy of your book, pre-publication, that has been (hopefully!) carefully edited, revised, and made ready for an agent review or a publishing house's consideration. It is essentially the earliest draft of your story and should be formatted for ease of reading and revision. Many people prepare manuscripts using different formats; however, using word processing software and a computer is the preferred method.
Please follow the format below for your submissions:
➵ Use a 1″ margin on all sides, 12-point type (Times New Roman), justified alignment and double-spaced lines.
➵ Create a title page with the story title and your name in capital letters in the center. Don't number the title page (use the "Different first page" function in Microsoft Word).
➵ Place a header on each page (except the title page) including your name, the title of your novel in capital letters, and the page number.
➵ Start each new chapter on its own page by using page breaks. The chapter number and title should be in all capital letters, separated by an em dash (the long one): for example, CHAPTER ONE—INTRODUCTION.
➵ Begin the body of the chapter 4-6 lines below the chapter number and title and start each paragraph with a first line indent.