Format question: Poetry/Song Lyrics within the novel

I indented on both sides & kept it in italics - but keep in mind the publisher will have their own style so it's no biggie...

Like Orion, I indent on both sides.

Employ whatever spacing will make it read clearly.

PS--If you wrote it yourself, all well and good. If you're quoting someone else, make sure their work is public domain. If it's not, you'll have to seek permission, which can be difficult (and/or expensive) to get.

chevbrock said:

Hi everyone,

I have some poetry posing as song lyrics in the body of my novel. How do I format it?

Can I leave a space between verses and chorus? I rubbed them out, and it just became a big block of text that, IMO, is pretty hard to read.

Thanks to all in advance.

Click to expand...

I'm not even sure I'd bother formatting other than indent r & l and leave a line space above and below. If it's poetry put in hard returns at the end of each line and if there's a chorus put in line spaces to seperate it from the verses. Like Orion said, the book designer the publisher hires will have his/her own ideas.

Include it in your manuscript - don't worry yet until you get an agent and it's sold- at that point a decision will be made to either cut, ask for permissions (which the author pays for) or include snippets of the song so that the reader knows it but the lyrics are mangled and so few real lines are used you don't have to worry about permissions...
consider this.
I usually skip over long lyrics and poetry in a book- There is less reason to include everything than you think... JMHO