As you learned earlier in this lesson, a manuscript is an author's text that hasn't yet been published. Some authors prefer to write their manuscripts by hand and then ask or hire someone else to type them up. Either way, publishers will expect to receive a typed copy. It's also important to know that most publishers don't accept work in the mail. That means your document will have to be word processed so that it can be submitted electronically.

It's important to keep the formatting of your manuscript simple and standard. A standard font size is 12 point, and most professional documents are in either Arial or Times New Roman font. Be sure your work has a title with your name as author, as well as contact information such as phone number and email address. If you have a longer work like a short story, you'll probably want a title page. And, with every document other than poetry, it's important to know the word count of your piece. Most publishers have specific guidelines for minimum and maximum ranges.

If you're word processing your document for the first time, read through the digitized draft carefully, looking for mistakes and errors you might have introduced as you typed it. Don't rely on the computer to point out all your errors for you or to correct your mistakes. You need to read back over every word. A tip to catch mistakes is to use the Review feature of your word processing software. Under this tab, you can spell check your words, do a quick word count, check readability (how easy or hard your text is to read), and even do a Read Aloud. The Read Aloud feature lets you hear your own words and is a perfect way to catch little mistakes that your eyes can easily miss.

Next, decide how you want to publish your work. If you plan to send your work to a publishing company, you'll need to do some research to determine where you can send your manuscript. Most publishing companies have online links on their webpages. These are often under tabs labeled Submissions. You will have to input personal information, so make sure you read the guidelines before submitting and have everything ready to go. As a student, you might have to have parental permission or be sponsored by your teacher. If you're going to do self-publishing, do your research on the materials you might need and make sure your equipment is ready to go.

If you have written a funny short story that your classmates love, make sure you are looking for the right publisher. Your funny story about events in middle school likely is not a good fit for adult readers. Make sure your audience matches the publisher you're looking for. Also be sure to consider your purpose. If you have written a persuasive piece about abolishing school uniforms, then know that your best option might be to prepare a letter to send to your school board … or to plan to go speak at a school board meeting. Publication means getting your message to your audience, so consider the best way to do that. Your work will have the perfect fit somewhere. Don't try to send it to places that don't match your writing style, genre, purpose, or audience. You'll waste valuable time waiting for a refusal.