quick question...answers please! :)

[reenkam]

If an agent wants 5 pages with an e-query, is this five pages in manuscript format? (Courier New, 12 pt. double spaced) I assume it is...but that's basically nothing. Not even 2% of the manuscript in question. So I was wondering if they could possibly mean something else.

[justpat]

Yes, that's what they mean, manuscript format. And they also mean the first 5 pages, not something from the middle or end. It doesn't seem like much, but it doesn't need to sell them completely, just give a hint of your writing ability.

[job]

Manuscript format is for paper.

If you are sending in five paper pages they would be in the
Courier New or Times New Roman, 12 pt. double spaced format.

If you are responding by e-mail you will send the number of words that would appear on five pages of a book. That's 250 words X 5. That's 1250 words.
Format them so they are easy to read.
You don't have to double space the e-mail message.

If you have been asked to send the pages, the agent probable has told you how to format it and send it.

If you are sending a query cold, you would want to include those five pages in the body of the message, rather than as an attachment.

[reenkam]

Thanks to both of you. I just went to my formatted document page, copied the first five pages into the query letter document, and then changed the font and spacing to make it more email friendly. 11pt times new roman, 1.5 spacing...though that might change...I'll email it to myself, first, to see how it looks.

Thanks again! :)

[DeadlyAccurate]

Whenever I pasted pages into the e-query, if the double-spacing didn't hold (and sometimes it did), I would use single-spaced paragraphs with a space between each paragraph (in other words, the way you format a post on a message board.)

[ChaosTitan]

Lately I've been putting the first five pages into the body of the e-query, whether it's asked for or not. It never hurts to give the agent a quick writing sample. I got a full request by doing this.

Agents have said that if they like the premise of the query, the first thing they want are pages. If you've already given them five and proved you can write worth a darn, they'll want to see more.

But you still want to read guidelines carefully. Some agents specifically ask for ten pages, text or attachment. Some want a few pages and a synopsis.

[Jamesaritchie]

They mean you should send the first five pages of your manuscript. Period. As long as it's easily readable, it doesn't matter in the least whether you use Courier, Times, or Ariel. No matter what font you use, never go smaller than 12.

If you're using a professional level e-mail program, as the agent or editor almost certainly is, it will keep format in e-mails, and you can send perfectly formatted e-mail pages, if you like.

Just because you e-mail yourself something in no way means you're seeing it the same way an agent or editor will, unless you have the same e-mail program they're using, which is probably Outlook.

Proper format is often for e-mail, and while it doesn't matter much with five sample pages, it can matter a great deal when you send a completed work be e-mail. One of the big reasons MS Office is the standard is because Outlook can send and receive formatted e-mails, and editors don't have to spend eons reformatting something.

[reenkam]

Thanks everyone. :)

Yeah, I realized that the sending to myself was kind of useless...but I did it anyway and line spacing and some symbols I had didn't work, so I'm glad I could catch that.

Other than that I just sent it as is, though I moved to 11pt because I think 12pt looks funny and they can always change that if they'd like to.

Does anyone know if Hotmail is compatable with Outlook? I'd assume yes...but maybe not. And I still haven't figured out how to use Outlook so it's out of the question right now.