# Questions to Authors & Editors about formatting...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-to-authors-editors-about-formatting/67046>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 31, 2001, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-to-authors-editors-about-formatting/67046 "2001-05-31T05:35:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![silent\_rob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@silent\_rob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silent_rob)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-to-authors-editors-about-formatting/67046/21 "2001-06-01T08:42:21Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Chef Troy \*  
> \*\*Script readers have such a huge pile of scripts to plow through that they’re just _looking_ for reasons to reject one, and improper formatting is one way they winnow them down - the justification is that if the writer doesn’t know enough to format the script properly, how professional can they be? \*\*

I know about that, **Chef Troy**. That was the main reasoning behind this question: I do a lot of screenplay writing, am very familiar with how dead-on formatting has to be, and thought novels were the same. Apparently not to such great lengths as screenplays, though.

Thanks to everyone for your input and help. Like I said, I’m familiar with script format, but not book format (or in this case, industry standards for manuscripts). I really do want to write this story as a novel, and plan on doing so (I’m quite a ways in, actually). It’s a story I really want to tell, and think that a novel would be the best form for it.

Oh, and no problem at all, **KneadToKnow**. 🙂

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-to-authors-editors-about-formatting/67046/22 "2001-06-01T12:46:35Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> font a certain size and type (times Roman, 8)

Do it in Times Roman 8 and you’re asking for trouble.

The standard is Courier 12. Editors want monospaced fonts to they can accurately determine how many pages the stories will run. They don’t want the text to be small or they can’t read it. You could get away with Courier 10, or Prestige 10 or 12, but Times Roman is asking for trouble.

I suspect a lot of editors wouldn’t even bother to read 8 point Times Roman.

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-to-authors-editors-about-formatting/67046/23 "2001-06-01T13:22:56Z")

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Just for the record, my manuscript (not to mention my inquiry letters and Book Proposal) were all done in Times Roman 12.

I didn;t know Courier was the standard. I _like_ Times Roman.

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