Writer Wednesday – We Encourage You To Shunn Us!

(Okay, the pun in the title is bad, but I’m a dad, so deal with it. -D.L.)

When it comes to submissions, most publishers (including Undertaker Books) prefer (even insist on) writers use a thirty-ish year old formatting style called “Shunn Formatting.”

The basic components of Shunn are simple. Contact information in the upper left, word count in the upper right, and the double-spaced story beneath with indented paragraphs. But this format gives publishers almost everything they need in a compact space.

Even better, they know where to look for what they need! If I need an address or a pen name, it’s fantastic to open a manuscript and have what I need at the top of the file!

Shunn has even improved, recently releasing the so-called “modern Shunn” format. The biggest upgrade? The font changed from “Courier New” to “Times New Roman.” 

Every editor has their quirks and things they want to see, and in our case, they are minor modifications to the basic Shunn Guidelines.

When submitting to Undertaker Books, please use modern Shunn format. We ask that you include your address in the contact information (this helps us prepare your contract if you are accepted). Please list your legal name in the contact information, and the name you wish to be published under as the by-line under your story’s title.

If you are submitting to D.L., please increase the font size from 12 to 14 (he’s getting older and isn’t ready to admit he needs glasses).

If you are submitting to Rebecca, all the regular Shunn settings are fine, because her glasses are already Coke-bottle thick.