Chapter titles for sub question

Gemnyc · Nov 18, 2009

Ok, I have read the very helpful Formatting Manuscripts for Submission – but just have 2 more questions before I hit send. Please excuse me as I’m about to submit my first full MS requests (whoop!) and I’m nervous as hell.

First page - I have my address and word count at the top, then novel starting half way down the page underneath the MS title and my name (I think this is correct?) However, my chapters are all named – where can I put the first chapter title as I'm pretty sure I remember reading that you never put Chapter 1 (in words).

Also, possibly tech question. The agents that requested the fulls, I’m assuming I send them as attachments, but don’t these get eaten in spam folders? How can I make sure that the agent gets them?

I think that's all. Until I have another panic. Thanks in advance for all help

LostInReality · Nov 18, 2009

I dont know about the rest but, when an agent request the full, they will tell you to attach as a word doc or an RTF (I really dont know what that is)

Maxinquaye · Nov 18, 2009

RTF? It's an acronym for RICH TEXT FORMAT. It's a file type in Windows and Mac that nearly every wordprocessor can understand.

LostInReality · Nov 18, 2009

Thanks for the info!! I got a request for a full from an agent that said word doc or RTF file. I was at a complete loss and was glad that they said word doc first cuz I would've felt like a complete dumbass if I'd had to reply asking what the heck that was! LOL

Maxinquaye · Nov 18, 2009

Some people ask for RTF because you can't save macros with it. DOC files from Word can have macros, and therefore be nasty things. Otoh, an author that sent a trojan to an agent would be.... er... unwize.

maestrowork · Nov 18, 2009

When possible, send an RTF file (it's REALLY easy to do -- just save the file as a Rich Text Format). If your agent gets a virus because you send him or her a .Doc file, that would be the end of you.

Libbie · Nov 18, 2009

The issue of .rtf versus .doc has already been handled. However, the first page of your submission should be a cover sheet. In the upper left corner goes your real name, your address, phone number, and email address. In the middle of the page, centered, is the title and on the next line, "a novel by YOUR NAME." Here is where you'll indicate any pen name you wish to use, if any. At the bottom of the cover page will be your approximate word count, rounded to the nearest thousand. So your first page should look like this:

Jane Doe
1234 Anonymous Court
Anywhere, IL 12354
555-333-4444
[email protected]

The Submission
a novel by Janice L. Dough

approximately 80,000 words

Then each page following should have a header which includes the title (or a truncated form of the title if it's long), your last (pen) name, and the page number.

You will start each chapter halfway down its own page, even if the previous chapter ended with only one line of text on its page. (I hope that makes sense. Just be sure you're giving each start of a chapter its very own page, and that the text is halfway down.) Do indicate chapters by typing "Chapter One," etc., along with a chapter title if you wish to use one. You don't need to use chapter titles -- it's a style thing. You don't even have to number your chapters. You can just indicate them with the new page/halfway down format, but that indicates that you intend the finished product to not have any chapter designations other than space.

Font should be Courier or Times New Roman, whichever you prefer, unless the agent specifies one or the other.

And finally, a .rtf file should keep all these formatting specifics intact, so you can tweak your ms in Word and then save the file with the .rtf extension.

Don't forget to double-space every page but the cover page!

Good luck!!

Gemnyc · Nov 18, 2009

Thanks for all the help. Makes much more sense now and the nerves have died down to mild panic!

Lets get it sent!

Freelancer · Nov 18, 2009

I'm using PDF format a long time ago. I love it much better then RTF or DOC. First, no one who reads it, can delete from it accidentally and overwrite it accidentally. It can handle everything without add-ons, so if you make a proper novel format with some interesting fancy letters to create a basic style, or by some reason your Times New Roman is a different then theirs they still have a chance to read your document. Few times my Times New Roman wasn't the Times New Roman what they had on their computers, mostly because I use Illustrator and Photoshop and they used to mess with the fonts. Sometimes Times New Roman and Times New Roman is not the one and the same font, regardless it's called on that way, but maybe it's installed on a different way. So maybe what the reader will open will not be readable in RTF as your font is not the same what they have. And finally, if you're adding some illustrations, PDF also able to handle that perfectly.

Libbie · Nov 18, 2009

Most folks don't want anything other than a .doc or .rtf file, though. It's best to stick to .rtf if they don't specify. .pdf and other file types can take a very long time to load on some machines, and must be printed out and snail-mailed back to the writer if any changes are suggested. Seems like an inconvenience to me, so I'd avoid any fancy document types unless you get express permission.

CaroGirl · Nov 18, 2009

RTF is the best format to use. It automatically strips all the weird formatting Word uses (and which is what typically corrupts and crashes the application) and leaves the text looking pretty much how it did originally. I've never heard of a publisher, agent or editor asking for a PDF file. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen, I've just never heard of it.

If you hit on the only agent that didn't have Acrobat Reader, you'd be in trouble, though. You can be damn sure that dude won't bother installing it just to read your slush, free app or not.

Freelancer · Nov 18, 2009

Libbie said:
.pdf and other file types can take a very long time to load on some machines

On which one? It has the same loading time, sometimes even shorter then loading the MS word.

I've never heard of a publisher, agent or editor asking for a PDF file.

For me I never had any problem with them, while I sent PDFs to agents and also for studios. For me that's the standard file format.

If you hit on the only agent that didn't have Acrobat Reader, you'd be in trouble, though.

It's basic on every possible computer. Even for newer Windows, Acrobat Reader is an inbuilt application, especially if you got the windows for a laptop. I don't think so there is any agent who is running out there without a laptop.

RTF is good, but it has it's disadvantages by my opinion (i.e. the upper mentioned font problem, that with I encountered few times.).

Libbie · Nov 18, 2009

The bottom line is: .rtf is the standard, and every agent I've seen who actually accepts email attachments specifies .rtf. .doc can sometimes be used as well. It's unwise to send anything other than those formats, if for no other reason than it shows you don't read or comply with submission guidelines. Not the kind of impression you want to make.

BigWords · Nov 18, 2009

I've heard of PDF files containing viruses, though haven't actually encountered one yet which has had malware. An agent might not take the risk of opening such an attachment.

Stijn Hommes · Nov 19, 2009

Gemnyc said:
Also, possibly tech question. The agents that requested the fulls, I’m assuming I send them as attachments, but don’t these get eaten in spam folders? How can I make sure that the agent gets them?

Agents usually have their email program sort their email to their specifications, so they'll probably ask you to send it using a certain title. For example: when submitting to a magazine, anything that doesn't start with "Fiction submission:" in the subject line is likely to end up in the spam folder when that is what is specified in the submission guidelines.

You shouldn't worry, though, if the agent requested the full, they'll probably have your email address on their whitelist so your email ends up in the right place no matter what you send. Don't abuse that privilege; I've seen people send email forwards to magazine editors...

Chapter titles for sub question

Gemnyc

reading 24/7

LostInReality

Maxinquaye

That cheeky buggerer

LostInReality

Maxinquaye

That cheeky buggerer

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Libbie

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

Gemnyc

reading 24/7

Freelancer

Libbie

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

CaroGirl

Living the dream

Freelancer

Libbie

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

BigWords

Geekzilla

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...