Tag Archives: Auto Styles

Formatting Issues Clients need to REMOVE

 

A short lesson today about formatting. Most formatting a client leaves in their manuscript can be removed easily, however, there are a few which can’t. Or, should I say, I’ve been unable to find a way so far. I’ve researched and looked and still nothing. They only way I can think of removing this particular error is by teaching the author/writer or client to not put it there in the first place.

This all comes down to INDENTS.  IF YOU CAN’T USE AUTO STYLES TO INDENT THEN PLEASE DON’T INDENT AT ALL!!

DON’T USE THE TAB – This is easy to remove when formatting. We don’t use the TAB because the INDENT is too big. Also If you end up wanted to go to TRAD PUBLISHERS they will want you to use AUTO STYLES and will reject most things without them. Please make sure you read their criteria for submissions if you do try TRAD PUBLISHING.

DON’T USE THE SPACEBAR – There is an easy way to remove this if there are TWO  or more SPACES. If there is less then it becomes an issue. If you are self-publishing it will mean your contractor (if you contract out for formatting) will charge you extra to remove them. It would be better if they aren’t there in the first place!!

WHEN YOU FIND ONE SPACE AT THE BEGINNING OF A SENTENCE THE ERROR IS TIME CONSUMING TO REMOVE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A LONG MANUSCRIPT. EACH AND EVERY ONE HAS TO BE REMOVED INDIVIDUALLY.  

Most writers won’t notice they have them unless they work with the PILCROW SYMBOL, also known as Paragraph Mark (Shown below in the image.

When you use this symbol, it shows you where all your line spaces are, your extra spaces, double spaces, how your headings sit etc. In the next photo it shows you the extra space a writer has left behind. It is something most of us do. Even I have done this. for a formatter or interior book designer, it takes extra time and costs you – the writer, more.

In the last image, I have removed all the single dots you see at the beginning of each sentence so the manuscript sits perfectly. We have to do in and put the cursor behind the dot and backspace… on every single one. If there are TWO or more, it is easy to do and can be done in one go for the whole document.

Do you see the difference?  The SPEECHMARKS are now aligned with the first letter of the one above. This is what it should look like. Your formatter will INDENT your work for you, unless you already know how to do this correctly. AUTO STYLES can be confusing to use until you are using them consistently when you are writing.

Another thing to not use in a manuscript is SOFT RETURN. Luckily they are easy to remove, though make a mess of your manuscript once it is done. Use ENTER only when you do a new paragraph and hit ENTER TWICE if you have a change of scene. You don’t need a line space in dialogue or anywhere else unless the SCENE CHANGES or you have a NEW CHAPTER. Once again all these extra lines need REMOVING and they are done one at a time.

SOFT RETURNS are used on Blogs and Writing Sites like WATTPAD. If you are putting anything from a Blog etc into a manuscript then pleas remove the SOFT RETURNS – This is the little arrow you will see when you have the PILCROW turned on in your WORD DOCX. In the image blow is a sample of what a SOFT RETURN looks like.

These are the most common things we have to deal with when formatting for clients. Yes it is all doable, though if you wish to keep your budget on target then please learn to remove the above errors.

 

Submission Guidelines for Clients and Anthologies!

We have NEW SUBMISSION GUIDELINES for clients and or anyone submitting work for an anthology at Plaisted Publishing (Author Assist).

THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!

All work needs to be automatically set up for when you write, this includes – Titles, Chapter Headings, Indents, Page Numbers, etc. You won’t need a Contents Page at this stage. Use Styles on your HOME tab on MS Word to set up the following.

  • A4 size Manuscript
  • 1 Inch Margins, Headers, and Footers
  • Double Spaced
  • Left Aligned
  • Time New Roman, size 12

Make yourself a template to use with each manuscript you write or ask for a copy. We only give these templates out to clients and for our Anthology submissions.

IN THE HEADER, YOU NEED TO HAVE:-

  • Author Name
  • Date
  • Email Address
  • Book Title
  • Word Count
  • Page Numbers

BODY OF MANUSCRIPT:-

  • Auto Indents – 0.3 – 0.5 cm (Never use Spacebar or Tabs it is unprofessional and your submission will be rejected).
  • Automatic Titles and Chapters via HEADINGS 1, 2 & 3
  • DON’T press ENTER for a new line, let it move automatically. ENTER is for New Paragraphs.

IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW…PLEASE ASK! WE CAN HELP GET YOU SORTED AND WILL HAVE INFORMATION ON HOW TO USE STYLES TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.