Formatting a Manuscript

[image error]Instant Quiz:

Can you find the mistake in the sentence below? Scroll to the bottom of today’s post for the answer. 

 I would of been here on time if it hadn’t been for that long freight train.

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Now that we have computers, writers are expected to do some of the publishing preparations themselves. Here are some tips and resources:

You’re not using a typewriter anymore! Use only one space after a period.
Don’t use the space bar for formatting. Limit yourself to one space after a word and after a punctuation mark.
Use the styles menu for all your formatting.
Don’t use the underlining key at all.
Click this link for some self-publishing resources that I’ve collected.
Log on to Smashwords.com to download a free guide to manuscript preparation that includes using styles and other computer skills (it was a lifesaver for me).

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

Be careful not to confuse have and of:

 I would have been here on time if it hadn’t been for that long freight train. CORRECT

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Jean Reynolds’ book What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You can be purchased from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.

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“A useful resource for both students and professionals” – Jena L. Hawk, Ph.D., Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

“Personable and readable…Jean knows her subject forwards and backwards.” – Adair Lara, author of Hold Me Close, Let Me Go