When submitting a short story to an editor for publication, there are specific formatting guidelines to follow. Proper formatting makes it easy for the editor to read your work and will make your work more professional. Avoid embellishing your short story submission with fancy font, clip art or other illustrations. Although you might like the way these embellishments look, nothing is more indicative of an amateur submission. Before submitting your work to publishers, you should inquire about their specific guidelines for short story formatting. Most editors prefer a basic format, but some might have different preferences.
Instructions
- 1
Set your page margins to 1 inch on each side, top and bottom of the page. Each page should be double-spaced to make it easier for the editor to read your story.
2Choose a font that is easy to read. The most widely used and accepted fonts are Courier and Times New Roman, but you can choose a different font if it can be easily read.
3Type the author's name, address, phone number and email address within a single-spaced block in the upper left corner of the first page only. An agent's name and contact information can be included below the author's information.
4Round the word count to the nearest 10 and type this in the upper right corner of the first page, directly across from the author's contact information.
5Type the title of the short story in a font slightly larger than the size of the font used for your story's text. The title should be centered and written about halfway down the first page, providing plenty of room between the title and the author's information.
6Skip two lines and center the author's name in the byline under the title of the story, using the same size font as the rest of the text. The author's name should be written as it would appear if published, so include your pen name here if you are using one.
7Skip two more lines and enter the text of your short story in regular size font and use double spacing throughout the manuscript. Align the text on the left size of the page and ensure that there is enough room for approximately 10 words, or 60 characters, on each line.
8Indent each paragraph with five spaces or use your keyboard's tab key. An extra space is not needed to indicate a new paragraph.
9Leave two spaces after the period between sentences to ensure that the editor is aware of new sentences.
10Include a header on the second page that lists the author's real surname, title of the story in all capital letters and the page number of the manuscript. If the title of the story is long, use a keyword in capital letters instead of the full title.
11Indicate scene breaks by including a pound sign () between each scene. Italics should be indicated by underlining to guarantee that the editor notices the italicized text.
12Print your short story on one side of each sheet of 8.5- by 11-inch good-quality, white paper.
