In my work with writers, I come across many common technical problems with manuscripts. These usually spring from the best of intentions as the writer attempts to create the feel of the finished book within the manuscript. Though they’re trying to be helpful, it requires more of the typesetter’s time to strip out all of these stylistic additions. When it comes to manuscripts, simpler is better. Here are a few tips for writers to consider while they create their manuscripts and ready their books for the design and production process.
1. The double space – Back in the days of the typewriter, letters were monospaced. That means an “i” used the same amount of paper as a “w.” Fonts like Courier and Courier New are monospaced and purposely emulate the feel of a manual typewriter. Now that we have word processors, we can use digital typefaces that have carefully designed kerning tables that control spacing rules between various pairs of letters. That way a capital “A” can nest closer to a capital “W” than it would to another capital “A.” The double space is now obsolete.
Don’t put double spaces after a period. Your typeface already knows how much space is required.
Additionally, consecutive spaces are often used by writers who don’t understand how to set tabs and indents. An indent is not equivalent to five spaces. Indentation is controlled in your word processor’s paragraph settings dialogue or by manipulating the rulers above the text.
Don’t use consecutive spaces to move text around. Use tabs and justification. When it comes right down to it, don’t use double spaces at all.
2. Multiple Line Breaks – When it’s time to bump a chapter over to the next page, many writers simply hit the return/enter key until the text jumps down to the desired place. This makes for a better looking manuscript, but the line breaks will invariable fall in different places when the manuscript is ported from its 8″ x 11″ format to a 5″ x8″ book format. The typesetter has to manually search for and destroy all the consecutive line breaks, but this causes other problems as there are cases (such as a title page) where two or three consecutive line breaks are sometimes required.
If a page break is required, use your word processor’s page breaks and section breaks. These are distinct from line breaks and are easier for a typesetter to use or remove without compromising other kinds of formatting.
3. Typefaces – Don’t get fancy with typefaces. That’s the job of the designer / typesetter. Create your manuscript with a common serif typeface like Times New Roman. In cases where a certain character is represented by a certain typeface, be absolutely consistent and make sure your typesetter is aware of your choices. In many cases, it will be just as easy to indicate you’d like that kind of typographical treatment without actually implementing it. As a writer, your job is to create the words. Even if you produce your own book, treat the production as a phase entirely separate from the writing.
I’ve also seen cases where writers use monospaced fonts like Courier in their manuscript body text. There was a time of transition between typewriters and word processors where some academic standards prescribed monospaced fonts in order to emulate the more traditional and (at that time more) acceptable look of a typewriter, but this has yielded to sanity. Why not use a highly legible typeface when it’s available?
A manuscript is not an appropriate place for complex typography. Save that for the final book.
4. Line Spacing – Manuscripts are traditionally double-spaced. Originally, this was done to facilitate hand-writing between the lines, and in spite of the availability of excellent digital editing and annotation tools, it’s still a good practice. There’s nothing quite like paper. When you print out your final draft, you’ll be grateful for that space to pencil in notes about the problems you just couldn’t see on-screen. Chances are your editor will feel the same way.
Manuscripts should be double-spaced. Your typesetter can adjust line spacing when it’s time.
5. Headers, Page Numbers and footers – Word Processors offer header and footer areas to allow your title, author name or page numbers to be automatically displayed on every page. If you manually insert headers or page numbers into the text, your typesetter will have to manually delete them one at a time and then rejoin any paragraphs split by them. Page numbers in your manuscript will not correspond to page numbers in your final book, anyway. For manuscript purposes, it’s recommended to limit header/footer use to simple page numbers.
Don’t add page numbers and headers to your body text. Use your Word Processor’s header and footer features to accomplish this.
The rule of thumb when it comes to manuscripts is simple; manuscripts are strictly part of the writing process. If you’re in doubt, consider whether a potential stylistic addition to your manuscript is an integral part of the writing or if it has more to do with your book’s final look and feel. It’s natural to want to see what your book will look like as a finished product, and you may wish to communicate aesthetic ideas to to your book designer, but by keeping your manuscript aesthetically raw and simple, you’ll stay more focused on the content as you develop it. Once you finish writing and finally get to the design phase, you’ll be amazed at how much more easily your plain manuscript can be transformed and polished into a beautiful book.
Dave Bricker operates Essential Absurdities Press, a book design and marketing firm for independent writers and publishers. He is the author of The Dance, a novel and The One Hour Guide to Self-Publishing:Straight Talk for Fiction and Nonfiction Writers About Producing and Marketing Your Own Books.
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