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These guidelines will help speed your document into publication, and will save time in the editing process. You will also learn about acceptable standards of presentation to edit or die or any other publishing house.Presenting your best possible work
You should make sure that when you send your manuscript it is of the best possible standard. A poor copy is difficult to read - and off-putting - and sitting in a comfortable chair with pages on my lap. Only send to me the product you feel is the most polished work you can offer at this time.
It is not worth paying an editor pre-submission if you are likely to change aspects of the text after you have sent a substantial proportion to me. Similarly, it is not worth having your document edited for the typesetter if you are likely to make further changes.
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Minimise your editing costs by preparing your document beforehand.
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This section covers:
Presenting your best possible work
Basic layout and presentation
Identifying your document
Other items
Formatting
What to include in your submission for manuscript assessment
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Price list and recent projects
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Copy-editing and proofreading are essential to achieve a professional result.
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Basic layout and presentation
The document should be:
Typed on one side of A4-sized paper.In standard font (Times, Courier, Arial).In 12 point font.Double line spaced.Justified left.On consecutively numbered pages.With wide margins.Unbound.
Identifying your document
You must assume that the editor/reader/publisher will drop the bundle, and that there will be pages all over the place.
Assume the editor will lose all the bits an pieces. Sometimes the piles of clients' work becomes entangled, and a letter saying the author wants the editor to ignore page 33 can become attached to someone else's work or lost if it doesn't have a printed name on it. A scrawled signature isn't very helpful in identifying a letter.
It is essential that you number and name each page, and that your name and contact details are on every single piece of paper you submit. Make sure these details are also clearly shown on the front of the manuscript and on your cover letter.
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Other items
The manuscript should be free of extraneous marks, such as pictures, graphics, cute symbols, clever formatting or unusual fonts.
Of course this varies - especially in the case of children's books - where the pictures integrate with the text
Graphics, photos and other art material may be included with the text, but it is easier to work with on separate pages to the text so that the text runs on.
If your document contains complicated formatting and layout, and you have an idea of this, then it may be wise to prepare a mock-up or rough.
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Formatting
Fiction should have the first line of each paragraph indented - except for the first line of a new chapter or section. There should be no extra lines between paragraphs.
Non-fiction should have two hard returns (extra lines) after each paragraph, with no indents.
Start new chapters or new sections on new pages.
Footnotes and other notes may be either included at the bottom of the relevant page, or written separately on a new page or document at the end of the work - but not starting directly after the last sentence of the last page.
For other tricky things, like hyphenation, attribution and participles, look in a Style Manual. If you find that daunting, then you need an editor!
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