And another thing

[ksmith]

So I was sent guidelines for digital manuscript preparation, a concept which is new to me. Started digging into it because I thought since I'm rewriting the chapters anyway, I may as well reformat them as well.

I have been typing two spaces between sentences for close to 15 years. Now, I am no longer supposed to do that. Single space only. Thank God for global search/replace is all I can say.

Margins 1.25" all around.

I'm going to have to ask whether chapter files linked into a Master Doc is still ok. I am getting the impression that it really isn't anymore. Looks like one file with page breaks is the way to go. I mean, I can do it. It'll be one hell of a long file, but hey, I have more RAM now, and I'm guessing my publisher uses supercomputers.

No more underlining for italics? Put in the actual italics instead?

Tabs are Death. Lucky I don't use them.

I foresee an email to my editor's assistant confirming some of this. In the meantime, I think I will leave some things be.

No more underlining?

Am I the last person to get the memo?

Comments

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

According to the guideline preface, Harpercollins has started doing everything in-house--"has started" meaning "started doing sometime in the three years since I turned in a completed manuscript." Editing, copyediting, design, composition, and layout, all up to file prep for printing. I don't know if other houses do this, or parts of it, or what. I know a friend who wrote for Baen had stopped the two-space thing years ago, and I know that other writers have been turning in manuscripts electronically for years. I don't know if HC is behind the curve, ahead of it, even with it, or carving their own unique trail.