If an agent specifies that authors query including the first ten pages of the ms, are those pages double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point?
I'm putting spaces before and after my ellipses, but when they are at the end of a quoted piece of dialog it looks wrong to me. Ah well.
"I'd like to go ... "
If an agent specifies that authors query including the first ten pages of the ms, are those pages double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point?
OK Thanks.
What about -
Chicago vs. AP style manual? Is there a preference for one or the other?
I'm specifically thinking about (1) the oxford comma, and (2) spacing before/after/within ellipses, and (2.5) maybe m dashes (which my processor only makes when I include spaces but it looks like those spaces aren't proper and I need to find a way to remove them all.)
Trade publishing uses Chicago, not AP, but agents won't care about that. (I'm a production editor at a publishing company. We're the ones who care, but we're several steps past your book already being acquired ) Just make it readable and you'll be fine
Better would be:
"I'd like to go . . . "
And be aware that if you are using this form of punctuation for the end of a a trailing-off sentence, the convention is four periods:
The dog exploded. . . .
Get your words together, make sure they kick arse, and send them out to conquer. Be working on the next batch so your head doesn't explode during the wait.
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Not always, blac. Many imprints don't use spaces between the dots, or terminal punctuation of ellipses.
The published imprints might not use them, but it is pretty bog-standard in a manuscript. Just for readability. But, again, this is a minor thing, not likely to present any problem.
caw