Step 1 of your journey
Manuscript Prep
What to do
Get your manuscript into one clean, consistent document before you touch anything related to page design.
Why it matters
Every later step (formatting, cover sizing, print files), assumes you're starting from a manuscript that is already free of stray formatting, so problems don't get "baked in" and multiplied later.
Steps for your program
Choose a program to see its workflow. Menus can differ between versions.
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Common mistakes to avoid
- Pressing Enter multiple times to force a new page instead of inserting a real page break, this causes big blank gaps once the page size changes.
- Mixing fonts or font sizes between chapters without meaning to.
- Leaving tracked changes or comments turned on in the file.
Completion checklist
0 of 5 checked
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What does this mean? One complete manuscript
One complete manuscript
This means one working file containing your chapters in the correct order, rather than a folder of separate chapter files. You do not need to design the pages yet.
Example: Open “My Novel — Complete” and scroll from the first chapter to the last. Check for missing or duplicated chapters.
If you use Scrivener, keep chapters in the Binder while drafting; use Compile to create one complete manuscript when you move into a formatting workflow. Save a backup before combining files.
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What does this mean? Double spaces and stray tabs
Double spaces and stray tabs
A double space is two spaces where you only need one, often after a sentence. A tab moves text to a preset position; stray tabs are ones used to push text around or create inconsistent indents.
What to do: Show formatting marks if your program supports them. Review double spaces with Find and Replace. Replace two spaces with one, repeating until no unwanted pairs remain.
Remove tabs used to fake centering or spacing. Do not blindly delete every tab: some may be intentional. Use paragraph indentation settings for consistent first-line indents. Work on a backup and check the result.
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What does this mean? A real page break
A real page break
A page break tells the program to start the next text on a new page. Pressing Enter repeatedly only creates empty paragraphs, which move when you change fonts, margins, or page size.
Example: Place the cursor before “Chapter Two” and use your program’s page-break command. Remove the unnecessary blank paragraphs before it.
Many word processors call this Insert → Page Break. Dedicated book tools may create chapter starts automatically. Scrivener usually handles breaks when compiling. The exact command depends on your program.
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What does this mean? Consistent body text
Consistent body text
Body text is the main text of your story or book. At this stage, use one consistent font and size for ordinary paragraphs, so accidental formatting does not carry into the next step.
Example: If your regular paragraphs use Georgia at 12 points, look for an accidental paragraph in Arial at 14 points and bring it back into line.
Chapter headings, intentional emphasis, letters, and other special sections can differ. You are cleaning up inconsistencies, not choosing the final printed book design. Paragraph styles help you make changes consistently.
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What does this mean? Tracked changes and comments
Tracked changes and comments
Tracked changes record edits such as additions and deletions. Comments are notes attached to the document. Neither should be left unresolved in the manuscript you prepare for publication.
What to do: Save a backup, review each tracked edit, and accept or reject it deliberately. Resolve the comments after addressing them, and remove comments from the final publishing copy as needed.
Turning tracking off only stops recording new edits. Hiding markup does not remove existing revisions or comments. Reopen the final copy and check that no unresolved edits or notes remain. If your program has no review feature, confirm there are no imported notes or editing marks to clean up.
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Troubleshooting
My document looks fine, but page breaks seem to move around.
This almost always means the “breaks” are actually blank paragraphs, not real page breaks. Turn on formatting marks and replace every run of blank lines before a chapter with a single Insert > Page Break.
I have multiple files, one per chapter. Do I really need to combine them?
Yes. Combine them into one file now, in the right order, before formatting. Working from separate files is the most common source of formatting done twice, differently, later.