How to present your manuscript for editing.

What to do before sending me your manuscript

Welcome to my workspace! This is where the magic happens. Editing is my happy place – so long as I receive a manuscipt that’s ready to go.

But what does ‘ready to go’ mean? And what exactly do I need from you?

I need you to handle the musts, please. If you can tackle the shoulds or coulds, that’s great—but only attempt these if you’re confident.

(If you have accessibility issues and cannot meet the ‘musts’, get in touch and we can work something out.)

Cherry Edits Standard Manuscript Format

Before you send me your manuscipt, please ensure the following formatting is in place:

MUST:

  • A Word document (.doc or .docx)
  • Set to A4 ‘Normal’ layout (please leave page setup as default)
  • Size 12 font
  • Times New Roman

SHOULD:

  • Double-line spacing
  • Page breaks at the end of each chapter
  • Indented (not tabbed) first line of each paragraph (1.27 cm / 0.5 in), except for the first paragraph of each chapter and any paragraph immediately following a scene break, which should be flush left.

COULD:

  • Chapter heading style applied
  • Page numbers

And that’s it! To reiterate, the musts are the most vital. Please get in touch if you need any support or have questions.