![How To Write A Book In Word - Formatting Novel Manuscripts [VIDEO]](https://howtowriteabookthatsells.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Write-A-Book-In-Word.png)
Did you write a book in Word? Are you a new or aspiring writer with no idea how to get started with formatting novel manuscripts? Well you’ve come to the right place! This video and subsequent blog post will share exactly how to format your manuscript for submission to a publishing company or literary agent.
Formatting novel manuscripts when you write a book in Word is important from an aesthetic perspective. As with most shared writing (i.e., letters, college papers, etc.) there is a standard way submissions are formatted to ensure that there is a universal way to submit manuscripts to agents and publishers. Also with the volumes of manuscripts received having one set way they are formatted ensures they actually get read.
Did you know manuscripts are often rejected not because of the content, but because it does not follow the submission guidelines of the publishing company or publishing agent? Wouldn’t you love to know how to ensure your manuscript gets read?
Write A Book In Word – Formatting Novel Manuscripts Tips
For your reference, here are the highlights from the above video for those of you who want to learn how to write a book in Word and are looking for tips on formatting novel manuscripts:
– 1″ margins
– 12 pt font
– Times New Roman font
– Double spaced
– Title page (includes physical & email address, title, and word count)
– Header (includes name and title of manuscript on the left and page number on the right)
The formatting mentioned above is the standard way to format your manuscript for submission. However, remember to always check the website of the publishing company or agent and follow their submission guidelines first. If you don’t see any guidelines on their website, then use the guidelines above to write a book in Word.
Hi Stefanie!
Question: I have my manuscript on my computer – just sitting there at about 48,000 words – which I feel is a little light weight and know it could probably benefit from another few rounds of content and conceptual editing, but my question is: how do I divide my work into chapters?
So for fiction you need to get up to about 80,000 words. As far as chapters, divide them as your story transitions or when the setting changes. It should be long enough to establish the purpose. In my experience, I wrote in chapters so it made it a little easier.
You'll notice a natural transition in your writing no matter what genre, and as you see that transition you would then create a new chapter. As far as word count on non-fiction, I'm not too sure.