Formatting, Ugh!

Vern, you didn't mention styles. The styles feature of MS Word is awesome for writing a book. I have a Normal style that is setup the way you suggest (Times New Roman 12 pt. double-spaced), and then I have a small number of extra styles that I use for special purposes. One is called Heading 1, which I use for all chapter titles. That style is very useful because it appears in the Word "document map", which allows me to jump directly to any chapter in the book directly, without having to scroll to look for it. I use quotes (epigraphs) in my book just below each chapter heading, so I have a style for that too. There are a few more, but I'll probably make Greg's head spin if I go into even more detail.

Greg, try the Google search that Vern mentioned, but if you don't find anything useful, rerun the search but include the word Microsoft. They have short tutorials on every feature in Word. I strongly suggest you spend a little time learning how to use styles. I can change the formatting of my entire document just by using styles consistently.

What version of Word are you using? I'm still on 2007, but I've tried 2010 and know that all the features I use in 2007 were carried forward into 2010. I don't know about 2013. Haven't tried it.

Dirk

That's really all you NEED to do in a draft. If an agent/editor wants anything more or less then you can change it at your leisure to accommodate whatever "demands" they might have. By the time you have finished your book, you will probably be an expert on the use of Word and can give the powers that be whatever they wish. Until then, I would keep it simple and spend the time on finishing the project. Good luck. Take care. Vern

Edited for PS: Most manuscripts are now sent as an attachment so the receiving party can change whatever they wish on their end; all of which means the exact formatting is not as critical as it used to be with a hard copy being sent. However, you still want to follow any explicit guidelines an agent/editor might request.

NEVER something as small as 8 point.

For sending to print, if you're self-publishing: Times New Roman, 12 font, single spaced, 6 X 9 page with 1-inch margins all around (That way you wont' have to worry about the gutter.), .25 paragraph indention, justified, running head with your name and title, and page number, usually at the bottom center or right hand upper corner. These are all easy to do in Word of any year. And if you plan to self-publish, CreateSpace is awesome. Just make the Word.doc a pdf & upload to them.

I can walk you through set up in Word if you call me. Message me & I'll give you a phone #

Here's my setup for printing through Createspace, assuming you're asking about self-publishing and not submitting an MSS to an agent/publisher. Some of these things you will want to tweak depending on how many pages you want your book to be. The longer it is, the higher the cost-of-production per paperback will be. My personal goal was to make my paperbacks identical to one you might pull off a shelf at a bookstore.

Page Setup
     Margins
          Top: 0.65''
          Bottom: 0.5" (leaves a little extra space for a page number beneath)
          Inside:  0.65"
          Outside: 0.35"
          Gutter: 0.18" (assures the edge of the page is not lost to the book's inner binding)
              Pages
                 Multiple Pages: Mirror Margins
      Paper
           Paper Size: Custom
                Width: 5.25"
                Height: 8"
(Many use 6x9, but I prefer a smaller size since I find larger books awkward to carry/read)

Paragraph
      Indents and Spacing
            General
                 Alignment: Justified
                 Outline Level: Body Text
            Indentation
                  Left: 0
                  Right: 0
                  Special:  First Line
                  By: 0.25"
            Spacing
                  Before: 0
                  After: 0
                  Line Spacing: Multiple
                  At: 1.05 (gives a little extra space between lines so the text isn't so cramped and is easier to read)

These are just basic text settings. My chosen font was Palatino Linotype, 9.5. You'll also want to learn about page/section breaks and headers/footers (I alternate every other page with author name/title on the top, with the page number on the bottom). I also imitate other standard publishing things like beginning each chapter halfway down a new page, using drop caps, etc. The file I used as reference to this post was 104,000 words and came out to 332 pages in the final product, after inserting title page/dedication/maps and other front and back matter. Like I said, you may wish to play with margins and font size to make your book more cost effective, or to lengthen it if you want it to have more thickness.