Thread: Questionable Font Faces - Yes? No? Who Cares?

Okay so this question's a little out of left-field, but i was wondering whether the choice of font used in submissions to agents (or to publishers, if attempting the unsolicited route) had any baring on the likelihood of acceptance? Or, to put it another way, do the receivers of manuscripts tend to care what kind of font the writer chose to present their work in (assuming the choice of font is of no significance to the text itself)

The reason I'm asking is because I know, as a reader, this issue bothers me when choosing a book to buy or borrow. theres some type faces i just can't stand. ironically these often seem to be from the larger publishing houses. also i know as a reader font size has a definite issue. i have perfect vision but still hate to look at type that's too small, or with inadequate spacing.

for the record, i am familiar with a few of the 'rules' when submitting for publication (i've had a couple of short stories published in the past but these were always with small magazines who tended to read them almost regardless of such choices, even when i wrote on typewriter), so i am aware of the need to double-space, format and number pages and so on.

also, i'm aware that obviously when submitting electronically the text should be in a web-safe font, so that somewhat narrows it a little. i was planning on mailing hard copies though, despite the expense, just because it seems more reliable

To be honest, I can say the only fonts that I remember seeing in print are Times New Roman, Arial (admittedly, rarely), and that as of yet unidentified font which translators of Osamu Dazai insist on using. I think it's an emboldened Courier, though I could be wrong.

I don't understand why you wouldn't just use Times New Roman. It's easy to read, looks highly presentable and would raise no objections from editors, publishers or proofreaders of any description.

For manuscript submission, I think I read that Courier or some other monospace font is best. It's just easier for editors to deal with your story that way.

yeah, i probably would. i just hate times new roman for the purposes of writing, for some reason, so i've been writing in my favored 'courier new' and that got me wondering whether changing it was really necessary, and if so whether there was a 'good font'.

also, does size matter? as in, font size

Originally Posted by Gamer_2k4

For manuscript submission, I think I read that Courier or some other monospace font is best. It's just easier for editors to deal with your story that way.

Apparently, it was the best up until quite recently, though I'm sure many places wouldn't lose their hats over someone using another, equally as presentable font.

Being a typewriter enthusiast in this age of digitalisation, I can't promote the use of monospace (especially Courier) enough.

Originally Posted by philistine

Being a typewriter enthusiast in this age of digitalisation, I can't promote the use of monospace (especially Courier) enough.

ah, i used to love writing on a typewriter. but now that i've 'gone digital' i seem to have lost the ability to write anything of length using one not to stray off topic, but how do you deal with editing issues if you're writing on typewriter? i tried to 'type up' a story i'd written on ms word the other week and it was driving me nuts because i kept noticing little things i wanted to change but, since i was on typewriter, just couldn't without pitching the page and starting over. and that was an already-completed manuscript! i dont think i could write anything more than perhaps a poem on one now. it's a real shame since i love the aesthetics of non-digital type, and the 'feel' of it generally and i do have a pretty decent old smith-corona that works great. but since i'm aspiring to write novels i don't think i'll be going near it for a long time, not least because of the complexities of modern publishing. i remember once attempting to write a novel on typewriter and it'd take me a whole day to do one 250 word page. now, on a good day, i can easily knock out ten times that.

Editors are rightfully picky about the format of your manuscript. They look at hundreds each week and need consistency. Fonts are becoming more flexible, but some editors still have their preferences, so check out the submission guidelines for your target publisher to see there are specific requirements. One thing I can assure you, no editor will bounce a manuscript submitted in Courier. Here's a link to an article about Standard Manuscript Format, if you follow the 16 points in the article your manuscript will look professional.

16 Manuscript Format Guidelines

A story written in Standard Format doesn't look sexy, but the manuscript isn't suppose to look like the published work, it is suppose to be easy for the editor to read and edit.

Okay, I've got a font question. I present my characters' thoughts in italics. Should this make it through to the manuscript? How should I indicate thoughts in my submission piece?

The places who care, tell you what they want in the submission guidelines. 12pt Courier New for where I submitted "The Juice"

Originally Posted by Gamer_2k4

Okay, I've got a font question. I present my characters' thoughts in italics. Should this make it through to the manuscript? How should I indicate thoughts in my submission piece?

Text to be italicized should be underlined in your manuscript.

Here's my opinion.

If there are submission guidelines use them.

Times New Roman is the publishing industry norm and has been for some time but fonts are fahionable or unfashionable and the common denominator seems to be serifs. Times New Roman has serifs, which is currently unfashionable and therefore might change.

And in any case agents and editors are not printers and have different requirements.

You will be safe with Courier New or, Courier Dark (my preference). In which case, as pointed out by Terry D, italics should be replaced by underlining, as italics in Courier are not distinct. I also use double space after a full stop. In other fonts neither of these might be applicable.


I might be out of touch, or fashion might have changed but, for what it's worth, it's what I do - so shoot me.