For subscribers & writers
Format your script or book like a pro.
Formatting is the first signal that you take the work seriously. Below is a practical, no-nonsense guide to industry-standard screenplay and manuscript layout — the same rules we use in the ApplcoreEnt catalog.
Screenplay format
Sluglines, action blocks, dialogue, parentheticals, and transitions. The language of film on the page.
Jump to guide →Manuscript format
Font, margins, spacing, chapters, and page one details for novels and nonfiction.
Jump to guide →Screenplay format
A screenplay is a technical document. Readers scan it fast, so consistency matters more than clever fonts. Use these rules for every draft you send out.
The non-negotiables
- 01.Font: 12pt Courier or Courier Prime. No exceptions.
- 02.Page size: US Letter (8.5" × 11").
- 03.Margins: 1.5" left, 1" right/top/bottom.
- 04.Scene headings (sluglines): INT. or EXT. + location + time of day.
- 05.Action lines: Present tense, active voice, no camera direction unless you're directing.
- 06.Dialogue: Centered, 2.5" from left edge. Character names in ALL CAPS, 3.7" from left.
- 07.Parentheticals: Use sparingly. 3.1" from left, lowercase, inside parentheses.
Sample scene
INT. COFFEE SHOP — NIGHT
Rain streaks the window. MAYA (34), sleeved in ink, stirs a cold coffee.
MAYA
You said midnight.
It is now twelve-oh-three.
The DOOR CHIMES. A MAN enters, water dripping from his coat.
Man
Traffic.
(beat)
Did you bring it?
FADE OUT.
Manuscript format
A clean manuscript lets the writing speak. Agents, editors, and readers expect the same baseline layout whether you're submitting literary fiction, genre, or memoir.
The non-negotiables
- 01.Font: 12pt Times New Roman or Garamond. Black ink.
- 02.Spacing: Double-spaced throughout the body text.
- 03.Margins: 1" on all sides. Ragged right edge; do not justify.
- 04.Paragraphs: Indent first line by 0.5". No extra line between paragraphs.
- 05.Chapters: Start each chapter one-third down the page. Page break after.
- 06.Header: Last name / Title keyword / page number, top right.
- 07.Title page: Title, name, word count, contact info centered; no page number.
Sample opening
Adeyemi / Paperweight / 1
Paperweight
by L. Adeyemi
~
The stationery shop had not changed in twenty years, not since Eleanor's grandmother first pinned the brass bell above the door. The same bell rang now as Maya stepped inside, tracking rain across the worn floorboards.
"We're closed," a voice said from behind a shelf of fountain pens.
Maya set her bag on the counter. "I inherited this place."
Before you hit send
Spell-check twice
Then read it aloud. Your ear catches what your eyes miss.
Convert to PDF
Unless an agent requests a .docx, send a locked PDF.
Number every page
Except the title page. Losing a page is losing a reader.
Use a slugline on page one
For scripts, open with a clear INT./EXT. line.
Name your file cleanly
LastName_Title_Year.pdf — no "final_final_v3."
Read the guidelines
Every publication, contest, and studio has its own quirks.
Ready to put it into practice?
Submit your formatted script, novel excerpt, or short story to the ApplcoreEnt catalog. We read every submission personally.