People often ask me for tips on how to format a work they're preparing to submit to a publisher. The answer, once you understand the rationale behind it, is quite simple. The time-tested most optimal formatting for submitting anything other than poetry to a print publication is this:
- Use 1-inch margins all the way around (top, bottom, left, and right)
- Use Times New Roman type face only (never Arial, which is far more difficult and tiring for the human eye to read)
- Use 12-point type size
- Use double-spaced lines throughout for the main body of your work
- Use .5-inch (one-half inch) paragraph indentations
As for pagination, put the page numbers in the Running Head always (never in the Running Foot) and include the BOOK TITLE and author's name on all pages except the first, or cover, page. A typical running head would look something like this: "THE OX BOW INCIDENT/Herda, Page 12." Set the numbering of pages to automatically paginate beginning on the second page so you don't have to change each page number manually and run the risk of getting something wrong. Read More