Manuscript Preparation Guidelines

Marion Zimmer Bradley

Appearance:

• Type your manuscript; hand-written manuscripts are not acceptable, no matter how legible your handwriting. DO NOT send stories on disk unless you are specifically requested to do so.
• Always use black type; no other color is acceptable.
• Use a plain typeface with a size of at least 12 point. (We prefer Courier 12.) DO NOT use bold or italic type at all; underline any words or phrases you want to emphasize. Do not use a fancy typeface for the title; the editor wants to see your writing, not your graphic design skills.
• If you write on a typewriter, use a good, black, non-smudgy ribbon or film cartridge. For manual machines, use a medium-quality ribbon and change it as soon as the type begins to fade.
• If you use a computer, print your manuscript on a letter quality printer, preferably a laser printer. (If the letters look faint or "spidery," try increasing the stroke weight.) DO NOT use dot matrix, or any printer that cannot produce clear, sharp, black letters.
• Use a good quality, opaque white bond paper; 20-pound stock is both acceptable and economical. DO NOT use parchment, colored paper, or corrasible bond!
• Use a paper clip to hold the manuscript together, NOT staples, rivets, or binders.

Format:

• A cover letter is not necessary; if you must have one, make it short and professional (see the section on THE SUBMISSION PACKAGE, below). Never tell or explain the story in your cover letter.
• Margins should leave adequate room for editorial remarks. Use 1" at the top, left, bottom and right. Do not justify the right margin.
• On the first page of your story:
  - Put your real name, mailing address, single-spaced. Your e-mail address goes here as well.
  - Put the number of words, rounded to the nearest 100, in the right top corner.
  - Skip a few lines, them type the title of the story.
  - Beneath the title, type your name or pen name.
  - Leave a space beneath your name, and begin typing the story.
• Double-space your manuscript. Single spacing does not leave adequate room for editing, and makes your story harder to read. Indent the beginning of each paragraph 1/2 inch; do not put three blank lines between them.
• Put the page number, and your last name, at the very top of each page, leave 4 to 6 blank lines, and continue the story.
• Do not use chapter headings in a short story.
• At the end of the story, type "THE END" (not "-30-" or "-00-") so the editor will not wonder if she is missing the last page.

Always include your address. Even if you are submitting electronically, the editor will need your physical address at some point (usually to mail you a check).

Contents:

• Proofread your manuscript! It helps if your proofreader can spell; and he/she should have a firm grasp of correct English grammar (as should you, by the way!). Note that spell checking won't catch a spelling error if the mistake is a legitimate word (for example, if you type 'pair' instead of 'lair').
• Be sure your story conforms to the writer's guidelines for a particular market.
• Make sure your stated word count is credible. A page of manuscript is about 300 words, so a 26-page manuscript claiming to be 5,000 words long is going to be regarded with suspicion.

Submission DOs and DON'Ts:

• Do not send simultaneous submissions! (That is, don't submit the same story to two markets simultaneously.)
• If you send more than one story at once, include a separate SASE for each story. If you don't, rejection for one story will strongly encourage rejection for them all.
• Do not send artwork with your story.
• Do not submit your only copy of a story! ALWAYS KEEP A COPY IN YOUR FILES!
• Keep a log of where you send your stories, so you don't send the same story to the same market or editor twice.

The Submission Package:

• Use a 9" x 12" envelope to send manuscripts longer than 4 pages. For manuscripts of up to 4 pages, a #10 business envelope is adequate.
• Do not include a cover letter unless you have explicit instructions for the disposition of your manuscript, or unless you want your story considered for only one market. A chatty personal letter or synopsis of your story wastes the editor's time. IF she buys your story, THEN she'll ask for your biography!
• Send manuscripts by First Class Mail. DO NOT use Certified, Registered, or Express Mail; editors do not want to wait in line at the Post Office to sign for them.
• If you want your manuscript returned, include a large, self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with the correct amount of postage in your submission package. Stories without adequate return postage will be thrown out unread.
• If your manuscript is disposable, include a #10 SASE in your submission package.
• If you want proof that we received your story, include a self-addressed, stamped post card in your submission package.

General Advice:

A good-looking manuscript never sold a rotten story; but I am convinced that if an editor has two marginally acceptable manuscripts on hand, he or she will keep the one that is easiest to read. A professionally presented manuscript encourages the editor to regard you as a professional and to take your story seriously -- and you can't ask for more than that!

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