Submission format clarification

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boblou

May I confirm a few rules for formatting a manuscript.

1. First page has the title half-way down the page with the by-line under it.

2. Subsequent pages have the authors name and a key to title in upper right corner.

3. Page number (no page 1) in center at bottom of page.

4. Each new chapter has chapter number and title half-way down first page.

5. Use Courier 12, 25 lines to page.



Now a couple of questions. I have an introduction and a table of contents.

Does the introduction come ahead of the table of contents or after?

Do I start my page number with the table of contents or with the introduction?

Many thanks for your help!
 

Roger J Carlson

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boblou said:
May I confirm a few rules for formatting a manuscript.

1. First page has the title half-way down the page with the by-line under it.

2. Subsequent pages have the authors name and a key to title in upper right corner.

3. Page number (no page 1) in center at bottom of page.

4. Each new chapter has chapter number and title half-way down first page.

5. Use Courier 12, 25 lines to page.



Now a couple of questions. I have an introduction and a table of contents.

Does the introduction come ahead of the table of contents or after?

Do I start my page number with the table of contents or with the introduction?

Many thanks for your help!
I'm not sure this is the right forum for these questions. Some of them have been answered in the Formatting Manuscript FAQ, but it sounds like the rest would be better answered in the Writing Nonfiction Books forum.

I'm going to move it there.
 

aka eraser

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Your formatting sounds good to me. As to your questions: Most nonfic books I'm familiar with have the TOC before the intro and the numbering system varies.

If you're self-pubbing, check a bunch of books and go with what most do. If you're not, the publisher will make the call anyway according to their house's style. It really doesn't matter to them how you number the pages in your ms.
 

Jamesaritchie

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boblou said:
May I confirm a few rules for formatting a manuscript.

1. First page has the title half-way down the page with the by-line under it.

2. Subsequent pages have the authors name and a key to title in upper right corner.

3. Page number (no page 1) in center at bottom of page.

4. Each new chapter has chapter number and title half-way down first page.

5. Use Courier 12, 25 lines to page.



Now a couple of questions. I have an introduction and a table of contents.

Does the introduction come ahead of the table of contents or after?

Do I start my page number with the table of contents or with the introduction?

Many thanks for your help!


No, never, ever put the page number at the bottom of the page. This is a very bad thing. Only already published books have the page number there. The page number belongs in the upper right hand corner of the page. Odds are an agent or editor won't even find it at the bottom, and will certainly be highly inconvenienced when they need to reference.

The proper heading for a submission is-- Ritchie/Looks/ pg 2 -- in the upper right hand corner.
 
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