Question on double-spacing

Umgowa

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I know that agents and publishers like to see manuscripts and sample chapters double spaced . . . .And when one sends in a query, I know they generally like to see the material pasted into the body of an email (as opposed to attached) . . .My problem is that my new iMac is not able to keep the double spaced format of the original document when I paste it into my email. . . ..In my quest to resolve this issue, I have been told that the double space rule does not apply to material pasted into the body of emails . . . As long as the material has good paragraph spacing and is readable I should not sweat the fact that it is not double spaced. Can any members of this forum validate this for me and shed some light in this issue for me? Thank you very much.
 

Maryn

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I concur with Quickbread, as well as find it tasty.

Maryn, licking her lips
 

amergina

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Correct.

You don't need to worry about manuscript formatting in an email. It's better to send your sample pages in plain text.

(If they ask for the first five pages--that's the first five pages of a properly formatted manuscript converted to plain, single-spaced text, not five pages of single-spaced plain text.)
 

Umgowa

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Thank you

These comments are very helpful. My entire view of double spacing has evolved to new levels of understanding . . . . Tell me if I'm right about this: . . . . The idea of double spacing in a manuscript exists solely to facilitate editing . . . The spaces between the lines provide a place to put new text. On the other hand, in an emailed submission there will be zero editing involved because the sole purpose of an initial submission is just to give the agent a taste of your work and help them make a decision on whether or not they want to see more of it. . . . Is this close to being right?
 

Thedrellum

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Double-spacing is also easier for some people to read. In terms of editing, my agent prefers the document double-spaced, even though she does all her commenting in Word's Track Changes--there is literally/physically no need for the double-spacing re: editing.
 

JalexM

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Double-spacing is also easier for some people to read. In terms of editing, my agent prefers the document double-spaced, even though she does all her commenting in Word's Track Changes--there is literally/physically no need for the double-spacing re: editing.
For editors I'm guessing it's to help with singling out lines so they can focus on a sentence easier.
 

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So I've been doing my sample pages wrong all this time. Since I'm no longer on a Mac, I've been pasting the pages in with the same formatting as my manuscript, using Rich Text.

Nobody has complained so far. I figure it's easier for them to read, or if they want to print the pages off, it's the same as a regular submission. Hopefully, I have not been shooting myself in the foot all this time.
 

Umgowa

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Bottom line

A conclusion I'm trying to get to here is that the standard in the business is to not double space anything you send in via email . . . Agents do not expect double spacing in anything sent in via email . . . . And that plain text insures the least screwed up version of your manuscript and query. That is my take-away from the very helpful posts offered up by the experienced people on this thread.
 

Maryn

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Mine, too.

Of course, we could both be wrong. Luckily, misery loves company. Whiskey?

Maryn, pragmatist
 

Roxxsmom

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Yep. Going and inserting a space between every paragraph of the first 50 pages that were requested by one agent to be pasted in the body of an e-mail was a real joy, let me tell you (notepad strips all formatting and converts to a big wall o' plain text with no paragraph breaks) :(
 

Quickbread

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So I've been doing my sample pages wrong all this time. Since I'm no longer on a Mac, I've been pasting the pages in with the same formatting as my manuscript, using Rich Text.

Nobody has complained so far. I figure it's easier for them to read, or if they want to print the pages off, it's the same as a regular submission. Hopefully, I have not been shooting myself in the foot all this time.

I think rich text can be risky, Chumplet. Not all email programs can display it correctly, so some things might look funky if settings get lost in translation. I've always heard the best thing to do is send it as plain text, without any formatting.
 

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I think rich text can be risky, Chumplet. Not all email programs can display it correctly, so some things might look funky if settings get lost in translation. I've always heard the best thing to do is send it as plain text, without any formatting.

How would you handle italics in the text? I use them in a few places to show something the MC is thinking (Blah blah blah instead of: "Blah blah blah," so-and-so thought) and I worry that stripping them might make it confusing.
 

Umgowa

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Yep. Going and inserting a space between every paragraph of the first 50 pages that were requested by one agent to be pasted in the body of an e-mail was a real joy, let me tell you (notepad strips all formatting and converts to a big wall o' plain text with no paragraph breaks) :(

This was a very helpful post for me because it goes right to the heart of my question . . . Apparently I do indeed have to amend all my Word-formatted sample chapters (which are now double spaced with first Paragraph line indented) and 1) first make sure there are 4 spaces between paragraphs and then 2) convert it all to plain text . . . . Or I suppose I could first convert everything to plain text and then go over the entire offering and make sure there is proper double spacing between paragraphs. If I'm wrong here, let me know.
 

LJD

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Yep. Going and inserting a space between every paragraph of the first 50 pages that were requested by one agent to be pasted in the body of an e-mail was a real joy, let me tell you (notepad strips all formatting and converts to a big wall o' plain text with no paragraph breaks) :(

You don't need to do this manually. In Word:
1. Select sample and paste in new document.
2. Select all, go to paragraph, and change indentation to <none> and line spacing to single.*
3. Search for ^p and replace with ^p^p. It should now look the way you want it to look in the email.
4. Select all and paste into notepad. You will still have the blank line between paragraphs.

*You shouldn't need to do step 2, but it will allow you to see the text in Word the way you want it to look in the email.
 
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Umgowa

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You don't need to do this manually. In Word:
1. Select sample and paste in new document.
2. Select all, go to paragraph, and change indentation to <none> and line spacing to single.*
3. Search for ^p and replace with ^p^p. It should now look the way you want it to look in the email.
4. Select all and paste into notepad. You will still have the blank line between paragraphs.

*You shouldn't need to do step 2, but it will allow you to see the text in Word the way you want it to look in the email.

Yes, and in iMac Pages????
 

amergina

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Yes, and in iMac Pages????

Let me see... Start with the sample text in a new document.

1) Press Command-A to select all text.

2)Make sure Format in the upper right is selected and the formatting panel on the right is displayed. (if not click Format and it will display)

3) Click the style button on the Format panel.

4) Under Spacing, choose 1.0-single.

5) Click the Layout button on the format panel.

6) Click on the arrow next to indent. Set First to 0. Click out of the box, and the indents should vanish.

7) Under the View menu, choose Show Invisibles. You should now see Paragraph markers and dots where spaces are.

8) Highlight a Paragraph mark.

9) Type Command-E.

10) Type Command-F (this opens the Find dialog to search for the text you typed Command-E on...the Paragraph mark.)

11) Somewhere in the document, type two Paragraph marks one after the other. Highlight those two.

12) Go to the Edit menu, choose Find and select, then: Use selection for replace. (it will not show in the Replace entry box).

13) Click Replace All.
 

Umgowa

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Wow! Looks complicated, especially for a technically challenged person. . I think for me it wold be easier to just export to Plain Text and then put in the paragraph spacing.

Let me see... Start with the sample text in a new document.

1) Press Command-A to select all text.

2)Make sure Format in the upper right is selected and the formatting panel on the right is displayed. (if not click Format and it will display)

3) Click the style button on the Format panel.

4) Under Spacing, choose 1.0-single.

5) Click the Layout button on the format panel.

6) Click on the arrow next to indent. Set First to 0. Click out of the box, and the indents should vanish.

7) Under the View menu, choose Show Invisibles. You should now see Paragraph markers and dots where spaces are.

8) Highlight a Paragraph mark.

9) Type Command-E.

10) Type Command-F (this opens the Find dialog to search for the text you typed Command-E on...the Paragraph mark.)

11) Somewhere in the document, type two Paragraph marks one after the other. Highlight those two.

12) Go to the Edit menu, choose Find and select, then: Use selection for replace. (it will not show in the Replace entry box).

13) Click Replace All.
 

TerryRodgers

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These responses seem strange to me. I use Word and just copy and paste into Outlook. I've sent the emails to gmail, lotus notes, and Hotmail accounts as tests, and the formatting remains the same. Why would I single space the sample chapters when agents want it double spaced? The only thing I single space is the query and synopsis.
 

Jamesaritchie

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I format everything properly, which means double-spaced, because my agent frequently sends it to an editor as is. And because a number of editors in short story publishing ask for it this way. iMac isn't the problem. If you can use Gmail. you can format properly.

I find it one heck of a lot easier to format properly than it is to not format properly. It's a snap, of course, if you have MS Outlook, but I have no problem with Gmail, either.
 

TerryRodgers

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Thanks James. I believe I've asked this questions to several agents in the past. I thought something had changed.
 

Umgowa

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Terry:

When you have an iMac, which means the from-the-factory computer has Pages and Apple mail pre-installed . . . When these conditions are present TRUST ME THERE IS A PROBLEM. You have a beautiful manuscript sample double spaced in Pages and in Apple's version of Word . . and when you go to copy/paste it into an email the formatting gets screwed up and it becomes small type and single spaced . . . I've spent the past week talking to people on this forum and to others . . . I have come to accept the fact that I need to go out and purchase Word for this Apple computer. Once I do that, I'll be like you . . . . Wondering what the big deal is about this commotion.
 

Chumplet

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I "won" a query and sample page critique tonight on Twitter from an agent I respect, and I included in my email the question whether the formatting (or not) would work in this day and age. We'll see what he says, I guess.
 

TerryRodgers

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Terry:

When you have an iMac, which means the from-the-factory computer has Pages and Apple mail pre-installed . . . When these conditions are present TRUST ME THERE IS A PROBLEM. You have a beautiful manuscript sample double spaced in Pages and in Apple's version of Word . . and when you go to copy/paste it into an email the formatting gets screwed up and it becomes small type and single spaced . . . I've spent the past week talking to people on this forum and to others . . . I have come to accept the fact that I need to go out and purchase Word for this Apple computer. Once I do that, I'll be like you . . . . Wondering what the big deal is about this commotion.

Ahhh...thanks for clearing that up. I thought I had missed an important message. I guess I'll stay away from Mac.
 

Umgowa

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I format everything properly, which means double-spaced, because my agent frequently sends it to an editor as is. And because a number of editors in short story publishing ask for it this way. iMac isn't the problem. If you can use Gmail. you can format properly.

I find it one heck of a lot easier to format properly than it is to not format properly. It's a snap, of course, if you have MS Outlook, but I have no problem with Gmail, either.

James:

iMack is indeed the problem . . . I read your post. Thought I'd give Google mail a try . Went to Google Mail. Copy pasted my sample (in both Apple's version of Word and in Apple's Pages) . . Copy pasted into Apple Mail I should add . . . Not Outlook . . and Bam . . . . Small text . . . double spacing went bye bye . . gonzo.