Manuscript Font

[Jaya]

This is such a redundant and novice question I'm sure. But I'm still unclear (sorry).

Nathan wrote in a great post on formatting manuscript:

I have seen a whole lot of manuscripts in my day, and no two manuscripts have ever been formatted the same way. This means I have seen everything from 10 point font single spaced with half inch margins (I call it the "Magnifying Glass" template) to 24 point double-spaced (the "Old Man" template).

So how should you format your manuscript? Here's the "Author Standard" template:
•Double Spaced
•1" margins
•1/2 inch indent for a new paragraph
•Pages numbered (and make sure page numbers don't start over every chapter)
•Page break after the end of a chapter
•No fiddling at all with anything else -- no messing with the spacing between paragraphs, no fiddling with the width of the type, no full justification, no hyphenation. Basically just open up Word, hit double spacing, make sure the pages are numbered, and start typing.
•And most importantly -- don't try and make it look like the layout of a book.

So...I still see nothing definitive about actual number of point. Obviously it varies and that is fine. But, what point and font do you write yours in? Curious? Is "12" point Courier a good standard?

** I realize different submission requirements might require something different. Nevertheless, would be great to see how others format during the actual writing process. And sorry for an annoyingly newbie question, but I supposed asking = learning when in doubt.

[polymath]

Vonda McIntyre composed a definitive and comprehensive Standard Manuscript Format treatise *. Monospaced typefaces like New Courier are ideal for SMF because they facilitate editing ease from their amply spaced glyphs. Where a manuscript composited in Courier would have roughly 250 words per page; one composited in Times Roman, a proportionally spaced typeface, would have roughly 350. Obviously, Times typefaces, for their designed uses for newspaper publications where space is at a premium, cram content in tightly.

Alas, Courier family typefaces are widely perceived as old fashioned and thus inappropriate for modern times. Times is older than Courier though, the latter designed for Twentieth century typewriters, the former much older, Times New Roman contemporary to Courier's introduction. Generally, a mansucript composited in Times New Roman will be acceptable at any market that doesn't expressly state in submission guidelines which typeface is acceptable. 12 point face is standard regardless.

Typeface standards are important for publication layout and design. A designer or typesetter can tell at a glance from word or page counts how much space a manuscript will take up in a publication.

* Vonda McIntyre's SMF; http://www.vondanmcintyre.com/mssprep.pdf

[dios4vida]

Personally, I write in 12 pt Times New Roman, 1" margins, line and a half spacing. Double spaced looks too far apart on a computer screen to me, but single gives me headaches. So that's how I write.

When I go to submit, I bump it up to double spaced since that's the generally accepted norm but otherwise I leave it as-is.

[Jaya]

Thank you both very much.

[Doug Pardee]

The almost universal rule is 12-point, double-spaced. Note that MS Word's idea of "double-spaced" is a bit different from more classic definitions of the term. However, Word is so widely used that it's probably best to just use its idea of double-spacing if you're using Word.

Courier fonts are pretty much required for everything except books. For book manuscripts being sent directly to a publisher, you're probably best to stick with Courier. For novels being submitted to an agent, most agents will accept (and some prefer) Times, probably because it's easier to read and there are fewer pages to haul around. Comic Sans is never appropriate .

If you use Courier, please consider not using Courier New. That version of Courier is quite light and difficult to read. Windows users can download HP's "Dark Courier" for free (Google it). If you can get a set of Bitstream's "Courier 10 BT" fonts, that's probably the ultimate. Screenwriters who're using Final Draft have a good Courier font that comes with that package.

The choice of font may affect your choice between italic and underlining. Courier New's italics are so lame that it's hard to tell they're italic, so underlining is usually the way to go with Courier. With Times New Roman, underlining mangles the descenders so you probably want to stick with its very nice italic.

[Sommer Leigh]

I personally use Times New Roman, 12, 1 inch margins, double spaced, and I do not use tabs. I set the indent to .5.

[polymath]

Microsoft Word, Excell, and Access since 2003 have shipped with defaults that boggle the mind: 10 point leading after paragraphs, a nominative fractional line space setting, sans serif Calibri typeface 11 point font, and formating meant to resemble Microsoft designers' idea of online formating. They're attempting to reengineer print formating so that it conforms to some notional online standard there is only one easy to implement, uniform standard for all publication. Phbbt! Modernism run amok; everything old is worthless, everything new is the only standard that has any value or meaning. Thank Providence for Postmodernism's cynical questioning and challenging of Modernism's presupposed notions of propriety. Oh, and better yet than Postmodernism, Multiculturalism respecting, celebrating, and recognizing elegant variety is the spice of life.

[Sommer Leigh]

Microsoft Word, Excell, and Access since 2003 have shipped with defaults that boggle the mind: 10 point leading after paragraphs, a nominative fractional line space setting, sans serif Calibri typeface 11 point font

Calibri is starting to be the new Comic Sans for me. I balk every time I see that font. Every time I sit down at a new computer I immediately go in and change the defaults to be less crazypants. Even if it's not my computer. Because someone needs to bring order to the world.