Independent and Self-Publishing Christian Publisher/Author

Tips for Preparing Your Manuscript for Formatting

  • Use Microsoft Word when typing your manuscript.
  • Complete all editing and proofreads in the Word document of your manuscript before your book is submitted to be typeset. A final proofread after the manuscript is typeset is to identify page design and layout issues that may have occurred in the typesetting process.
  • Keep formatting simple. If possible, avoid the use of text boxes, sidebars, and all-cap words. All-cap words are acceptable in chapter titles and subtitles. Also, when using titles and subtitles, make a hard return (use the "enter" key on your keyboard) before and after the subtitle.
  • Include in [[double brackets]] any references to and descriptions of visual design elements that you will want inserted in a particular area of text. These brackets will be replaced with visual design elements by the text designer when your manuscript is typeset.
  • Use the italics and bold features on words you want italicized and/or made bold. Always follow a consistent pattern throughout your text for use of numbers, i.e., spelled out or listed numerically (unless in a graph), quotation marks, commas in your use of thousands or no commas--not some of both, make sure if you use the underlining feature, that the line always stops and starts in the same way and place throughout the text, etc. For a complete list of style formatting, follow the rules listed in The Chicago Manual of Style.
  • Begin all paragraphs with a single tab, not with multiple spaces. When writing paragraphs, let the text flow automatically into the next line down; don't press the enter key and force it to the next line. Put an extra space between paragraphs if you want your final text designed with the space and the indent indicating a new paragraph. Otherwise, just the indent will also indicate a new paragraph and the extra line space is not necessarily needed.
  • Use only one space between sentences.
  • To insert notes, use your softwareÕs built-in endnote/footnote feature. Do not manually enter page numbers and notes. See the Word Help menu for instructions on how to use the endnote/footnote feature.
  • Use periods (. . .) for ellipses rather than an ellipsis character or symbol.
  • Use two hyphens (--) with no space before, between, or after in place of an em-dash character.
  • Do not use the automatic bullet numbering feature of the Word program. Only manually entered bullet numbers will transfer to the typesetting system.
  • Do not use multiple fonts. Use one or two standard fonts, like Times New Roman and/or Arial.
  • Clearly label chapters, sections and parts with headings.
  • Make sure that there are no comments, annotations, or hidden text in your submitted manuscript.
  • Accept as final all tracked changes and revision marks. See Word Help for instructions on the "track changes" editorial feature.
  • If submitting the entire manuscript in a single file, insert a hard page break at the beginning of each new chapter. See Word Help for instructions on inserting a page break.
  • Update your anti-virus software regularly to stay current. This is usually free and can be done weekly over the Internet.