should i increase my font size?

Question

I thought that in a novel a page should only be 250 - 300 words however I have just counted up the amount of words on my second page and there is a total of 735 words on that page.
I don't like to use double spaces so should I increase my font size and if yes what to?

Thanks

Answer 1

If you will be submitting your manuscript for publication, formatting instructions will be provided.



Default is one inch margin on all four sides, 12 point font, double-spaced, and indented paragraphs (i.e., no blank lines between paragraphs)



The requested font is usually New Times Roman or Courier New.



They will also usually specify header requirements including how to number your pages

Answer 2

This only matters when you are formatting the novel for print. If you are just writing it on the computer, it doesn't matter what font size you use.



If you are formatting it for print, be aware that the pages will be smaller. If the page is being scaled down to fit the printed version, then you will need to increase the font size so that the proper amount of text is on each page. If the printed version will be to-scale, you would need to change your word processor set-up to have smaller pages, which will also decrease the amount of text on the page.

Answer 3

Your formatting doesn't matter until you're trying to get the book published, at which point you format it according to the requirements of whoever you're submitting it to.



The recommendation for 250-300 words per page assumes that the pages are the same size as the ones in a book, which yours probably aren't at this stage.