I've been doing my research, looking at samples, and am getting conflicting opinions, so I thought I'd check here, too. For years, I've been told that you have to use Courier New. More recently, I've seen articles say other fonts are acceptible, or my info is out-dated. Other fonts I could use are slightly smaller, so I'd be using less paper, which would save money in printing and mailing it. So to anyone who has recently been published, what did you use, and are editors that picky about font as long as it is large enough and clear enough to read easily?
most publishing places let you know what they wish. when in doubt check the submission guidelines, the more rules you follow that are theirs, the better your chances at being reviewed. best luck to you
If they don't make you aware of their policies on font type, then you can hardly (read that: not) be blamed for using Times New Romans or (heaven forbid!) Segoe Script. As long as it is legible.
lol Rei, then we go to different publishing agents I guess. i've done my research real time too. But then i'm sure each agency has a set font, wouldn't it be better to ask them? Research more researching. i've noticed a lot of them prefer different sizes of fonts though, not sure what that's all about, maybe near-sighted far-sighted editors lol in hindsight i did find this website in my favourites that talks about fonts and another reason to choose certain ones unsure if that helps, Rei, if not feel free to ignore
Write it in whatever you want to, until you know what the publisher wants it to be. I usually write in Tahoma, easy to read and kind of cool to look at. By far, my favorite font.
I don't usually go to agents because so few of the Candian ones represent what I write, and I would like to stick to working in Canada. The Canadian publishers often will accept queries directly from the author. But thanks, Castle.
the reason most agents/editors want courier 12 pt is because they have to read all day, every day, and it's easier on the eyes... times new roman even in 12 pt is too small and cramped for all-day reading... if you decide to use another font, just make sure it's a serifed one and not like this one... picking one that's smaller than courier, however, may not endear you to those who have to read it...
Personally I'd write the novel in the text I prefer and then when finished call the publishers I'm interested in submitting to and ask them what font and font size they prefer. Or email them, if they don't have a phone number.
Of course, I do that. Unfortunately, if my goal is using a few less sheets of paper, it doesn't help. I don't mind using courier if I have to. Just wanted to know if I could get away with it. Something that might interest you, maia, which is one of the reasons I wanted to as, was on a site that you said was awesome, www.agentquery.com
doing that will immediately peg you as an amateur, not the way you should want to be seen by those you hope will read your work... any serious writer will know that the mandated type size is 12 pt and that serifed fonts are de rigueur... and that while there is some disagreement as to whether courier or times is the best font to use, either one will be acceptable, unless stated otherwise in submission guidelines... so asking is not necessary and could do you more harm than good, as newbie jokes make the rounds quickly and you don't want your name attached to one, do you?... rei... i don't know who wrote that, but it seems to be by a writer, not an agent... and, as it notes, the jury is still out... that said, from what i see in checking guidelines and hearing from agents and editors, the most universally acceptable font is courier... so, while sending a ms in that will not upset anyone, sending it in times could bother some, as it is small and cramped, by comparison, and reading large batches of it all day, every day is not good for anyone's eyes...
Times New Roman, Garamond, or other serif fonts are fine. Eleven or twelve point size. Courier was used a lot in the past because (a) it was basically all that came on typewriters and (b) it is a constant-width font (meaning all letters are the same width, from the letter i to the letter m) so it was easy to count the words on a few lines, multiply the number of lines on the page, then multiply by the number of pages to get a word count. Today's word processors render that need moot. Keep it fairly large and stay away from sans serif fonts like Arial and Verdana. Most editors do not like them. My $.02. Dave
the problem with tnr is that it's small and cramped, hard on the eyes when one has to read large amounts of it for hours on end, day after day... the larger, more 'open' courier is easier on the eyes and leaves more space for editing, which is why it's the most universally acceptable font, regardless of its origin... [btw, i did not change the type size for either of those samples] while you'll certainly find some agents and publishers preferring tnr, none will mind getting mss in courier and many will mind having to deal with tnr... and as far as i know, the industry-mandated type size is 12 pt...
TNR or Garamond need to use a slightly larger font size than courier to "level" the relative size, that's true. And you're right that yo can't really go wrong with courier. And you can't really go right with sans serif fonts. I specifically asked my editor if she had a preference (I was using TNR and asked if she wanted me to switch to courier) and she said she was fine with what I had. So was my agents. Other agents and editors may have other preferences.
I prefer sans serif fomts as well. But pulishers almost universally do not. And tey are te ones you have to please.
