Lars Eighner's Homepage Writers' Workshop: Manuscript Checklist 2006

Manuscript Checklist 2006

These are common errors in writing for publication. Do not do these things! (And yes, certain of these will not apply to electronic submissions. These assume you are preparing hard copy for an editor you don't know.)

When you know of more specific style requirements or preferences, naturally you should use them. In particular, various academic disciplines and scholarly publications often have specific style guidelines which may differ from these general guidelines and from one another.

Manuscript format

Hard copy not sent with disk submission, contrary to guidelines.
Paper color other than white.
Paper size other than 8 1/2" by 11" (or the standard size in the publisher's country).
Erasable typing paper. You are not likely to be tempted to use this sort of paper in a computer printer, but the point is: ensure the ink stays on the paper. This can be problematic with some combinations of paper and ink jet printers.
Runny or smeary pages. If your ink jet printer produces documents that are still runny or smearable after a reasonable drying time, send a nonrunny photocopy.
Onionskin paper. You are not likely to be tempted to use this sort of paper in a computer printer, but the point is: do not use paper lighter than 20 pound (substance). Okay, you probably can use 18 weight copier-quality paper, if it is really opaque. The point of very heavy papers, when retyping was the only acceptable way to reproduce an MS, was to ensure that the MS would stand up to many erasures and to the hazards of much circulation.
Ink color other than black (do not use draft mode, but the highest quality black your printer can produce; if you have an impact printer or typewriter worn-ribbon gray won't do).
Corrections made by striking over wrong letter (if typewritten).
Flaky, powdery cover-up corrections instead of lift-off or Liquid Paper corrections (if typewritten)
Less than one inch margins (top, bottom, right, left). Headers (slug lines and page numbers)don't count against the margin, i.e., the header goes in the margin.
"Camera ready" (desktop publishing) format.
Wrong font (Use Courier 10 pitch, that is 12 point, or Pica). Many publishers now find other fonts acceptable, but even they do not welcome bizarre fonts. Stick to something safe like a nonproportional font with serifs or your best roman proportional font. You best font for paper may be unreadable on screen. You can compose in any font you like and change fonts for printing.
- Proportional fonts are still unwelcome at some publications. Check guidelines.
- Too small (more than 12 characters per inch).
- Too large (less than 10 characters per inch).
- Many more or far fewer than 250 words per full page of MS.
- Weird typeface (Impact, Script, Orator without true lowercase, Contempo, etc.).
- More than one face or size used in MS.
Right justified (right margin comes out even).
Line ends in a hyphen or dash.
Paragraphs not indented.
Paragraphs indented other than exactly 5 spaces (or ½ inch).
Other than exactly two spaces between sentences if using a nonproportional font.
Titles entered in font different from body.
Titles quoted or italicized or entered in all caps.
Other than double spacing between lines.
Extra space between paragraphs (except for occasional breaks in the story).
Italic font used instead of underlining.
Boldface font used.
Dash formed with dash character instead of two or three hyphens. (Publishers who want electronic submissions may or may not want dash characters.)
Slips or other nonstandard paper inserted in MS.
MS stapled.
MS bound (unless a script).
Pages numbered somewhere other than upper right corner or top middle of page.
Author's true name and address not in upper left corner of first page.
Footers.
No header (slug line) on pages after page one.
Header not suppressed on page one.
Text begins less than one-third down page one.
Cover sheet on short story or article.
Chapters do not begin on new pages.
Text does not begin on page one.
Many penciled corrections in short manuscript. If you are submitting an electronic copy of the MS, the electronic version must agree with the hard copy. You almost certainly are better of reprinting the page.
Penciled corrections not properly made.
Printing on two sides of any page.

Style

Comma or period placed outside of closing quotation marks (US).
Frequent use of italics for no good reason.
Inconsistent formation of possessives of plural nouns.

Blunders

"It's" written for "its" or vice versa.
Trademark not capitalized or used as a verb.
"Affect" and "effect" confused or similar blunder with common words such as "lie," "lay," "set," or "sat."