how to prep your manuscript for editing

How to Prep Your Manuscript for Editing

When you send your manuscript to an editor, the format is not about looking “professional” in a decorative sense. It is about making the document easy to read, mark up, comment on, and navigate.

Standard manuscript format gives editors room to work. Double spacing leaves space for comments and revision notes. Indented paragraphs make scene flow easy to follow. A readable font reduces eye strain. Page numbers and identifying information help keep the manuscript organized if pages are separated, printed, or referenced in an editorial letter.

William Shunn’s guide to Proper Manuscript Format offers a detailed overview of how your file should look before submitting to an editor, beta reader, contest, magazine, or agent.

Below, you’ll find step-by-step formatting instructions for Microsoft Word — the most commonly used program among editorial professionals — along with tips for formatting and exporting your manuscript from another word processing program into Word’s .docx format.

Unless submission guidelines specifically ask for a PDF, never save or submit your manuscript as a PDF. PDFs are hard to edit, comment on, reformat, and run through editorial tools. Send a Microsoft Word file (`.docx`) unless the editor or publication asks for something else.

How to set up standard manuscript format in Microsoft Word

Use these steps to format your manuscript in Word before you send it to an editor, agent, contest, magazine, or beta reader. If a specific submission guideline says something different, follow that guideline first.

1. Set the page margins

  1. Open your manuscript in Microsoft Word.
  2. Go to Layout.
  3. Select  Margins.
  4. Choose Normal.
  5. Confirm that the margins are set to 1 inch on the top, bottom, left, and right.

2. Choose a readable font

  1. Press Ctrl + A on Windows or Command + A on Mac to select the whole manuscript.
  2. Go to Home.
  3. In the font menu, choose a standard, readable font. Times New Roman, Courier New, Aptos, and Calibri are generally acceptable, but check submission guidelines for specific requirements.
  4. Set the font size to 12 pt.
  5. Make sure the text color is black.

Avoid decorative, script, display, or unusual fonts. The goal is readability, not visual flair.

It’s fine to use a less “formal” font like comic sans or papyrus while you are drafting — many writers find it helps them escape their inner editor — but be sure to change the font before you send it to your editor.

3. Left-align the text

  1. Select the whole manuscript.
  2. Go to Home.
  3. In the paragraph alignment options, choose Align Left.
  4. Do not use justified alignment. The right edge should stay uneven.

4. Double-space the manuscript

  1. Select the whole manuscript.
  2. Go to Home.
  3. Find the Line and Paragraph Spacing button.
  4. Choose 2.0.
  5. If Word adds extra space between paragraphs, open Line Spacing Options and set:
     – Before: 0 pt
    – After:  0 pt

5. Set first-line paragraph indents

  1. Select the manuscript body.
  2. Go to Home.
  3. Open the paragraph settings menu.
    – On many versions of Word, this is the small arrow in the bottom-right corner of the Paragraph section.
  4. Under Indentation, find Special.
  5. Choose First line.
  6. Set the indent to 0.5 inches.
  7. Click OK.

Do not use the Tab key or repeated spaces to create paragraph indents. Use Word’s paragraph settings so the formatting stays consistent.

6. Remove extra blank lines between paragraphs

  1. Select the manuscript body.
  2. Go to Home.
  3. Open the paragraph settings menu.
  4. Under Spacing, set:
    – Before: 0 pt
    – After: 0 pt
  5. Make sure the manuscript uses paragraph indents, not blank lines, to show new paragraphs.

Spacing and indent controls can also be accessed from the top menu: Format > Paragraph… > Indents and Spacing

7. Start each chapter on a new page

  1. Place your cursor at the end of the chapter before the next chapter begins.
  2.  Go to Insert.
  3. Choose Page Break.
  4. Start the next chapter on the new page.

Do not press Enter repeatedly to push a chapter onto the next page. Page breaks are more stable.

8. Add a title and author name

  1. Go to the beginning of the manuscript.
  2. Add the manuscript title and your name near the top of the first page.
  3. Keep this section simple and readable.
  4. Do not use decorative title styling unless the submission guidelines specifically ask for it.

9. Add page numbers

  1. Go to Insert.
  2. Select Page Number.
  3. Choose where the page number should appear. Top right is a common choice.
  4. Choose a simple page number style.

10. Add a manuscript header

For book-length manuscripts, include your last name, a short version of the title, and the page number in the header.

  1. Go to Insert.
  2. Select Header.
  3. Choose a simple blank header.
  4. Type your last name, a slash, and a shortened version of your title. 
    - Example: `YourLastName / Short Title /`
  5. Add the page number using Insert > Page Number if you have not already added it.
  6. Keep the header simple and unobtrusive.

11. Format scene breaks clearly

  1. Place your cursor on the blank line where the scene break belongs.
  2. Type a centered `#` or `***`.
  3. Select that line.
  4. Go to Home.
  5. Choose Center Align.

Do not rely on an extra blank line alone to show a scene break. Blank lines can disappear or shift during conversion.

 12. Use italics correctly

  1. Select the word or phrase that should be italicized.
  2. Press Ctrl + I on Windows or Command + I on Mac.
  3. Do not use underlining instead of italics unless a specific publication requests it.

13. Save the file as a Word document

  1. Go to File.
  2. Choose Save As.
  3. Select where you want to save the file.
  4. Choose Word Document (.docx) as the file type.
  5. Use a clear file name. 
    - Example: `LastName_Title_Manuscript.docx`
  6. Click Save.

Working with other word processors

You do not have to draft in Microsoft Word to send a professional manuscript file. Plenty of writers draft in Google Docs, Apple Pages, Scrivener, LibreOffice, or another program. The important thing is to understand that your editor will usually need a clean `.docx` file, and formatting can shift when a document moves from one program to another.

Use this section to prepare, export, and review your manuscript if you are working outside Microsoft Word.

Keep the formatting simple while drafting

The more complicated your formatting is, the more likely something will shift during export. While drafting in another word processor:

  • Use a readable 12-point font.
  • Use paragraph settings for indents instead of tabs or spaces.
  • Use actual italics instead of underlining.
  • Use page breaks instead of repeated returns to start new chapters.
  • Use clear scene break markers, such as a centered `#` or `***`.
  • Avoid text boxes, decorative layouts, columns, unusual fonts, and complex styling.

💡Avoid using double returns between paragraphs. If your drafting program does not automatically show space between paragraphs, it can be tempting to hit Return twice after every paragraph. Don’t do this. When you later double-space the manuscript, those extra returns become extra blank lines that have to be removed manually or with search-and-replace.

Instead, use your app’s paragraph spacing settings while drafting, then remove that extra paragraph spacing when you format the manuscript for submission.

  • In Google Docs, go to Format > Line & Paragraph Spacing > Add Space After Paragraph. Turn this off again when you convert to standard manuscript format.
  • In Apple Pages, open the Format panel, go to Style, then adjust Spacing after paragraphs. Return the value to 0 pt when you convert to standard manuscript format.

Exporting from Google Docs to Microsoft Word

To export a Google Doc as a Word file:

  1. Open the document in Google Docs.
  2.  Go to File.
  3. Choose Download.
  4. Select Microsoft Word (.docx).
  5. Save the downloaded file somewhere easy to find.
  6. Open or upload the `.docx` file and review the formatting before sending it.

Exporting from Apple Pages to Microsoft Word

To export a Pages document as a Word file on Mac:

  1. Open the manuscript in Pages.
  2. Go to File.
  3. Choose Export To.
  4. Select Word.
  5. Choose the Word format option, preferably `.docx`.
  6. Click Next.
  7. Name the file and choose where to save it.
  8. Open or upload the exported `.docx` file and review the formatting before sending it.

Reviewing a .docx file if you do not have Word

If you do not have Microsoft Word installed, you can still open and check a `.docx` file before sending it.

Option 1: Use Word for the web

This is the best free option if you want to see the file in Microsoft’s own environment.

  1. Go to Microsoft 365 online.
  2. Sign in with a free Microsoft account.
  3. Upload the `.docx` file to OneDrive.
  4. Open the file in Word for the web.
  5. Review the formatting there.

Word for the web is closer to Microsoft Word than Google Docs, though it may not include every feature of the desktop app.

Option 2: Use Google Docs

  1. Go to Google Drive.
  2. Click New.
  3. Choose File upload.
  4. Upload the `.docx` file.
  5. Once the file is uploaded, double-click it to open it.
  6. Review the formatting in Google Docs.

Google Docs can open and edit Word files, but formatting may not look exactly the same as it will in Microsoft Word. This is still a useful way to catch obvious formatting problems.

What to check after exporting

After exporting from another word processor, review the `.docx` file for:

  • Page margins.
  • Line spacing.
  • Paragraph indents.
  • Extra blank lines between paragraphs.
  • Headers and page numbers.
  • Chapter starts and page breaks.
  • Scene breaks.
  • Italics and special characters.
  • Any layout features that looked fine in the original app but became distracting in Word.

If you are unsure whether the formatting survived conversion, ask your editor whether they are comfortable checking the file in Word and flagging any major issues. Do not send a PDF as a workaround unless the editor specifically asks for one.