EDITORS AND TEAMS
How to organise a manuscript for an editor
How to prepare and format your manuscript before sending it to an editor, including file setup, a style sheet, a brief and the questions to answer first.
An editor's time is valuable, and often expensive. A well-organised manuscript lets them focus on your story rather than on untangling files, guessing at your intentions or fixing formatting. A little preparation can improve the quality of the edit and reduce the cost.
Finish your own revision first
Send your best version, not your first draft. Complete at least a structural and continuity pass yourself. Editors can help with problems you cannot see, but paying them to point out things you already knew wastes the edit. Our guide on editing your first manuscript covers what to do before you send it.
Use a clean, standard format
Unless your editor asks for something different, a widely accepted manuscript format is:
- A DOCX file (most editors work with tracked changes in Word).
- A plain, readable font at 12 point, with 1.5 or double line spacing.
- Clear chapter headings, each chapter starting on a new page.
- Scene breaks marked consistently, for example with a centred
#or***. - Page numbers, and your name and book title in the header.
- No unusual formatting, text boxes or decorative fonts.
Send the whole manuscript as a single file unless your editor prefers chapters separately.
Name and version files clearly
Use a clear file name such as Title_Author_Draft3_2026-11-12.docx. Keep your own copy untouched while the editor works, so there is never confusion about which version is current.
Include a style sheet
A style sheet lists decisions your editor should respect:
- Character names and their exact spellings.
- Invented words, places and titles.
- Spelling conventions (British or American English).
- Capitalisation rules, for example "the Alpha" or "the alpha".
- How numbers, dates and times are written.
- Any intentional quirks, such as a character who never uses contractions.
If you keep a Story Bible, much of this is already done. Share the relevant parts.
Write a short brief
Tell your editor:
- The genre and target readers.
- The word count, and whether it is part of a series.
- What kind of edit you want (developmental, line edit, copy edit or proofread).
- Your main concerns: "I'm worried the middle is slow" or "I'm not sure the romance is believable".
- Anything you do not want changed, such as an intentional style choice.
- Your deadline.
A clear brief helps the editor give you the edit you need.
Agree how you will handle changes
Agree whether the editor will use tracked changes, comments or both, and how many rounds of revision are included. When the edit comes back, accept or reject changes one at a time rather than accepting everything in one go.
Keep the conversation in one place
Feedback scattered across emails, messages and documents is easy to lose. Keep comments attached to the chapters they refer to, and record decisions as you make them.
How Gold Prints helps
In Gold Prints Publishing Studio, you can export your manuscript as a clean DOCX for an editor from the Formatting Studio, with your chosen layout, font and line spacing. If your editor joins your team workspace, they can comment directly on chapters, and every change keeps the previous version in version history. Your Story Bible doubles as a ready-made style reference for names, places and world rules.