compiling with universal font type and size

Scrivener Scrivener for macOS
1

I am ready to compile my MS for submission to either a private editor or a publishing house.

  1. Is there a way I can make all of the text have the same size and kind of font before compiling- or must I do this a folder at a time. (I am not concerned about captions and chapter headings.)

  2. Is there a standard size and kind of font best suited or typically used for submissions to a publisher?

Thanks for any help.

Frank, in Virginia

2

Absolutely! The compile draft function lets you set the output format and that format will apply to all of the documents in the draft folder as they go out - you don’t have to change the format you work with. That’s one of the beauties of Scrivener - you don’t have to work in the submission format, you can work in whatever you find easiest on your eyes. (Note that if you have selected “preserve formatting” in the document then it won’t have its formatting changed when you compile draft, but I believe this is off by default.)

When you have the “compile draft” screen open, you can choose the “load” button to load a preset output format - one of them is a standard novel manuscript format, if that’s what your MS is - 12pt courier double spaced, etc. If your editor or publisher have specific requirements then you should get those and use them before submitting; if not, 12pt courier double-spaced is the most commonly accepted format.

3

Thanks to Janra for answering this. I would recommend you take a look at the novel template project that comes with Scrivener. Also take do a search for “standard manuscript format” on Google and try to find the PDF example on the BBC website (I would look it up but it’s very late here). Also I recommend you take a look at the tutorial and Help file sections on compiling the draft, which cover what you are trying to do, as changing the font and formatting on output is one of the key features of Scrivener.

Hope that helps.

Best,
Keith

P.S. Have moved this to the Technical Support forum - please note what it says in the description of the Tips & Tricks forum, right beneath where it says “Tips & Tricks”: “Note: please post support questions in Technical Support, and make sure the tips and tricks here relate to Scrivener only. Thanks!” I don’t check the Tips & Tricks forum very often, so it’s always best to post in Technical Support for quick answers to questions relating to using Scrivener - Tips & Tricks is more for sharing tips and tricks. Thanks!