We, the authors of this book, have worked in the

media for many years. During our long writing

and editing experience (including books, articles,

scripts and columns), we have learned (some-

times the hard way) that the presentation of a

professional-looking manuscript or letter to an

editor or an agent is the first important step to-

ward publication. We ve also worked with other

writers and editors and frequently noted their

complete confusion or frustration in regard to

manuscript format and submission. Indeed edi-

tors say many writers haven t the least idea where

to begin in preparing their written submissions.

Writers need a guide, we said. And that s how

The Writer s Digest Guide to Manuscript Formats

came to be.

At first we planned to write a relatively simple

visual aids resource book to assist writers with

their format problems. But as we worked we be-

came more and more aware of the need to in-

clude information on the presentation and sub-

mission of all kinds of written material in this

sometimes tedious and complex process. So our

small book evolved into a complete guide.

And a guide is just what this book is. Through-

out we ve been quite specific with formatting de-

tails~how many spaces down, how wide the mar-

gins, where to slug or paginate, etc. Our dia-

grams, At-a-Glance guides, letters and sample

manuscript pages are the results of extensive re-

search and interviews with experts (agents, edi-

tors, publishers, producers) to find out what they

hope and expect to see in the submissions they

receive: good, clean, professional-looking copy

that is easy to read. Please understand, however,

that our directions are not graven in stone. An ed-

itor or publisher will not reject your script or short

story simply because you didn t tab in the sug-

gested number of spaces or drop a certain num-

ber of lines. But, in ~eneral, if your work is prop-

erly presented, it will have a greater chance for

acceptance or publication.

Of course, it s the content and style in your

work that ultimately count in determining a final