So I love Times New Roman...

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OpheliaRevived

OpheliaRevived

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... is that so wrong?!

I'm formatting my 85K word ms to fit all of the "standard ms" guidelines and this whole Courier New font thing is breaking my heart! I hate it with a passion for a couple of reasons. The main one is that it seems HUGE.

It took me a week to appreciate the rationale for double spacing. I get it now. I'm a convert. I'm even willing to underline all italics so that I fall in line with what is expected.

I'm still not on board with the whole starting a chapter halfway down the page thing, but I want to conform, so I'll do it. Why is that necessary? (Really, I want to know.)

Is there another widely accepted font I could use without looking like a newb when I finally do start submitting material? (Even though I am, in fact, a newb.)
 

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Write in whatever you like.

But when you get ready to submit, check the specific policy for that particular agent, editor, or publisher.

Courier is still the standard for many, but I am seeing, every year, more and more entities who are fine with Times New Roman.

Regarding starting halfway down the page, it makes it very easy to find the chapter openings, and it provides space for formatting/layout/editorial notes that's often very useful, even if the author doesn't see the notes.

Courier is the traditional, in part because it's monospaced and makes the casting off, figuring out the pages and signatures of the printed book, and hence cost, time to print and cover price very very easy--there are a number of traditional formulae etc.

And there are editors and typesetters who, with a properly formatted ms. in courier, can actually eyeball the hardcopy and make a startlingly accurate estimate of the number of words, etc.

Courier is also easy to markup wrt to copyediting and typesetting, as well, because of spacing.
 
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thothguard51

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I used to write everything in New Roman....

Once I started formating for submissions though, I got very used to using New Courier. It really is a very simple and easy to read format as each letter is uniform in size and space. Makes it very easy to set a page up so I get the standard 1" margins and 250 words per page at double spacing.

My story in New Roman at 100,000 words was about 450 pages using the same formula. In New Courier it jumped to around 500 pages. There is that big a difference on words per line and page because Roman letter are not uniform in size and in many cases, squeezed together.

Once you get used to formating all you work for submission right from the draft stage, its not bad at all.
 
Izz

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I'm one of those rare few people who both likes Courier and began seriously writing after the age of typewriters.

Not that that has anything to do with this, but sometimes i like to feel included in conversations even if i have nothing to add *cheesy grin*
 

shaldna

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I like courier, but have to use arial at work. I write alot of my own stuff in tnr or courier.

So long as you are consistant, and it's clear, it doesn't matter if you use courier or tnr
 

Margarita Skies

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When I type up my MS, I do it in Palatino Linotype, size 12 in Word, single-spaced, and I made the mistake of submitting a story like that to two different agents, a 100k-word one, and they told me nothing about the font. They read it just the way it was and told me that it wasn't right for them at this time, but when you go to their submission-guidelines page, I'm not sure if it says anything about font face and spacing, but they read it just the way it was and commented nothing about the formatting. It's not like I'm going to make this mistake again because I seldom make the same mistake twice, but I thought I had to let you know my curious experience. More and more agents prefer TNR now, so soon you won't have anything to worry about when it comes to that, only whether your story is accepted or rejected, and to me that is the most important thing, as I've learned.
 
OpheliaRevived

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We need a picketing smiley that has a little sign that reads: "TNR 4 EVR" TEE HEE!
 

scarletpeaches

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I have Multiple Fontonality Disorder.

I write in Courier New, print for editing in Verdana and submit in TNR.
 

scarletpeaches

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I can quit any time I want! Just...gimme some wingdings, man. I need my hit of wingdings.
 
Adam

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TNR all the way for me. Never had an issue with someone wanting something else, either. :)

I even use the font on MSN. :D
 
OpheliaRevived

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I'm cutting you off, Peaches. it's for your own good. Put down the dippin' sauce!
 

brainstorm77

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I'm sure my old typwriter was TNR...
 
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