The first paragraph of your manuscript should look like any other
When it comes to indentation, keeps things as simple and uniform as possible. Don’t take your cues from the way published books look.
Book DesignA collection of 5 posts
Page headers for new chapters
A reader writes to ask: I just wanted to know if you still include a header on the first page of your chapters, and if you still use Courier 12 in your manuscripts - as shown...
Testifying with boldface
A reader writes to ask: Is the occasional Bold word in a manuscript okay? Because every time I change point-of-view, I leave an empty line (which from now on will be filled with a #), and make...
Publishers who ask for camera-ready copy
A reader writes to ask: I read your article on proper manuscript submission and found it to be very informative. I submitted my manuscript to a publisher and received an email that they would like to...
Confusing book design with manuscript formatting
A reader writes to ask: I came upon your blog when asking a question about short story indentation at ask.com. I don't know if you'll ever read this, but if you...