Underline v. Italics (Manuscript formatting ?)

Underlining italicised text goes back to typewriter days and is no longer appropriate for manuscripts produced on a word processor. I, and my agent, submitted my manuscript without swapping the italicised text for underline

abctriplets said:

Ok, not sure if this is the right place for clarification. I read through the FAQ on manuscript formatting, and it said that for italicized text, that you should underline it instead.

My question - does this hold true for italicized names? My novel has a bunch of ship names italicized, and before I go back and underline them all instead, I wanted to double-check. It looks funny

Thanks

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Yep. If you want it to be italicized in print, underline it in the MS. Unless specifically directed otherwise in the pub's submission guidelines.

waylander said:

Underlining italicised text goes back to typewriter days and is no longer appropriate for manuscripts produced on a word processor. I, and my agent, submitted my manuscript without swapping the italicised text for underline

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Haggis said:

Yep. If you want it to be italicized in print, underline it in the MS. Unless specifically directed otherwise in the pub's submission guidelines.

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As you can see, waylander, we're all in agreement here.

Per my agent, and a variety of editors I've talked to --

If you're using Courier, yes, underline. If you're using Times New Roman, just italicize.

They can see the italics in Times New Roman and can't see them very well in Courier.

But they all agree that Waylander's right -- it's from the olden days and not as vital now.

I use Times New Roman and no one's complained about seeing italics instead of underlines.

It maybe depends where you submit. If to UK, simply use italics where required but don't underline them.(the prefered font is TNR)

This is how my ms is submitted to my UK agent, and how he subs it to publishers.

I used TNR for my novel and underlined everything that was supposed to be italicized, to play it safe. If a future agent says to change it, I'll change it.

I read someplace that some agents don't like Courier. Unless that's opening another can of worms.

underthecity said:

I used TNR for my novel and underlined everything that was supposed to be italicized, to play it safe. If a future agent says to change it, I'll change it.

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I did the same. *shrug*

Can I resurrect this thread, seven years later?

Just preparing my MS for submission to a major publisher, and they don't seem to have specific guidelines. My gut was to set everything in Courier New, and convert italics to underline. But at least one other writer I know was horrified at this.

So, Courier and underline, or Times New Roman and italics? What's the state of fonts and formatting in 2016?

I thought underlining was back in the day before the digital revolution.

You should ask the publisher. If they've asked you for the full manuscript, why not ask?

MaeSw said:

You should ask the publisher. If they've asked you for the full manuscript, why not ask?

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Yep - this. Whether it's an agent or publisher, remember that publishing is a business relationship. It's best to start as you mean to go on.

From what I've seen, Times New Roman and Italics. At least, this was the standard for the publisher I worked for. If you're unsure, definitely check with the publisher or agent before submitting (but my gut leans toward italics being fine).